UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

  • Goal 6: Clean Water & Sanitation

  • Goal 7: Affordable & Clean Energy

  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

  • Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

2016 Global Design Challenge Finalist

This design concept was developed by participants in the Institute’s Global Design Challenge. The descriptions below are from the team’s competition entry materials.

Location: Brescia, Italy
Team members: Alessandro Bianciardi, Alessandro Villa

Image of desalinating solar still mechanism
Image: Project Team / Mangrove Still / Copyright © - All rights reserved

Innovation Details

This team looked to mangroves and salt marshes for inspiration to address land degradation and water scarcity in coastal areas. Their design is a desalinating solar still that is optimized to produce fresh water for irrigation and costs five times less than traditional solar stills.

This team also participated in a European Union Horizons 2020 grant for €10 million that aims to demonstrate and test innovations that close water loops, feed the soil, and promote local economies. Read more about the initiative here.