Start-Up Clean Water NPO Launches Earthcrowdfunder Campaign: Seeks $7,500 To Distribute 200 Water Filters To In-Need Communities

Local nonprofit organization Pure Drift will launch an Earthcrowdfunder campaign today to fund the distribution and installation of water filters in communities that lack access to clean drinking water.

Andres Rennella and Corey Eichenberger, the founders of Pure Drift, will drive from Los Angeles, California, to Guayaquil, Ecuador, with stops along the Pacific coast in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. The Drifters will visit small communities near schools, orphanages, and hospitals, and install water filters, as well as provide local residents with information about water safety and the importance of clean, potable water. They will also offer training to children and parents about water-related diseases such as diarrhea, schistosomiasis and malaria, how to treat these diseases, and how to prevent them.

The Drifters estimate they will need at least 200 filters, as well as equipment and cash for various permits, border fees, and their youthful five-dollar-a-day food budget. The critical component, of course, is the water filters themselves. Each bucket-mounted filter costs $50 and is capable of cleaning one million gallons, providing enough drinkable water for 100 people over five years. The investment works out to less than one cent a day to provide five years worth of clean drinking water. With the Earthcrowdfunder Campaign, Pure Drift hopes to raise $7,500 to support the trip.

West Los Angeles resident and co-founder Andres Rennella shares his motivation, "Corey and I met surfing at Bay Street, and soon realized we shared an interest in the health of our water and the people who live close to the ocean. We believe it is our responsibility to give back to vulnerable people and communities, and we are committed to helping as many people as we can. Water is life - we experience this every time we paddle out. But for many people, water is a fundamental need they struggle to find and share with their families every day. We created Pure Drift to help change this situation."

The Pure Drift crew has visited Mexico three times since forming last Fall, each time installing a filter and getting more knowledgeable about what to expect during their five-month road trip, the realities of local conditions, and what equipment they will need. So far, filters have been installed in a small fishing village south of Ensenada, an orphanage in La Morelos that houses almost a dozen children, and Nativos, a small ranching community that lost its school over an inability to provide enough water for both residents and teachers.

Culver City resident and co-founder Corey Eichenberger observes, "It's pretty humbling to realize how widespread this problem is, and how little it takes - from our perspective - to make a real difference in the quality of someone's life. We don't even have to go looking for people in need. During our trip to Mexico earlier this summer we were exploring down a dirt road, about an hour off the highway. One of the locals, Javier, stopped to ask us what we were up to, and that's when we learned about the school closing due to their problem providing enough clean water for everyone. Ten minutes later we were in the house closest to the shared water well, installing a filter."

Pure Drift has attracted interest, social media support, and free gear from companies such as GSI Outdoors, Teton Sports, Eagle Nest, Dr. Squatch natural soap for men, Treeline, Aoenskin, Eagle Creek, COOLA, local surf company Go Surf LA and RockaShaka, the snack bar KIND, and local surf and skate shop Bay Street Boards. The team is hoping to attract the attention of environmentalists, good Samaritans, and businesses to create a successful fundraising campaign, and even attract a significant sponsor. Pure Drift is contributing one third of the projected budget to the project and hopes their commitment will inspire others to donate.

Pure Drift is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and environmentally oriented project. For more information, visit www.puredrift.org