Social Innovation Conversations Podcast - Essay Example

Smith indicates that his organization is currently working in Honduras and has established several sustainable treatment facilities to aid the people in receiving drinking water. Smith indicates that the project originally began as an idea between himself and a Cornell professor. The technology itself is a community-scale drinking water treatment plant. The plant, developed through community input, functions to provide clean water for a variety of functions, such as cleaning, drinking, and bathing. The cleansing process starts with coagulation, sedimentation, and disinfection through chlorine. The materials used in the process are all available locally. Smith notes that the program has been working in Honduras since 2006. He believes that technology will have continued potential, as long as the implementation of the project pays enough attention to the educational and operational costs. Indeed, he recognizes that a primary consideration is that the individual community members are educated about the technology. In terms of costs, Smith notes that the costs are contingent on the size of the operation. For a small-scale community, it costs $50,000, for a larger-scale community it costs $150,000. In terms of future goals, the team notes that they hope to expand to future regions. Specifically, Nicaragua and El Salvador are areas that are going to be targeted next. One of the most pervasive considerations is the geographical terrain. Additionally, cultural institutions are an important input element, as the team must work directly with government or community leaders as a means of instituting these programs.

Although the Aqua Clara project has seemingly achieved a model of success, there seem to be many issues that must be more thoroughly considered. Perhaps most centrally is the organization’s approach to the social and political spectrum. One considers that the organization has attempted to circumvent the inefficient government and institute its social welfare programs. The question remains to the extent that such a process is truly effective. For instance, one considers that if there was true long-term sustainability behind such programs, why hadn’t the Honduran government already instituted it. It seems that the possibility that such a venture is merely a short-term solution to a long-term problem is highly possible. In this sense, Aqua Clara would only be functioning as a temporary respite from a larger scale social problem in the area and they should instead be focusing on ways to improve the society in broader ways.