Access to clean drinking water means families contract fewer illnesses. Avoided burning of wood indoors for boiling water means less household and ambient air pollution, which improves health and well-being for families. Both cleaner water and cleaner indoor air are particularly important for the health of children under the age of five. Avoided deforestation helps preserve habitats and biodiversity and means families – most often women and girls – spend less time gathering firewood.

Improving access to clean drinking water not only helps the people living and working in Honduras, it makes the coffee supply chain more resilient by allowing producers of quality coffee to avoid fuel, medicine, and clean water costs and invest those savings in their farm, their children’s education, and their livelihood overall.

With large-scale water and sanitation infrastructure too far on the horizon, the solution is to utilize local knowledge to provide a simple, safe and effective household water filter that will operate for 10 years or longer. It uses centuries-old slow sand technology to remove up to 99% of waterborne pathogens. With safe drinking water, communities reduce time absent from school or work due to illness and save money on medical expenses. This project presents a new solution to the challenges of extreme poverty, poor health, and carbon dioxide emissions associated with burning wood to boil water for drinking.

The project combines carbon finance and long-term community benefits with the rigor and accountability of a verified carbon project.