Coins For Cleaner Water

The American Chemical Society will resume efforts to raise funds from members and employees to help people in developing nations purify household drinking water.

The society will again partner with Procter & Gamble to support the Children's Safe Drinking Water program, which seeks to provide safe drinking water for children and families around the world (C&EN, March 28, 2011, page 43). Last year, ACS supported that initiative as part of its International Year of Chemistry.

“We are excited to announce that we will resume these efforts for the remainder of 2012 under a new ACS campaign called ‘Coins for Cleaner Water,’ ” says LaTrease E. Garrison, assistant director of the Member Communities Group in the ACS Department of Volunteer Support.

ACS’s 2011 initiative, dubbed “Pennies for PUR Water,” raised $18,000, which ACS donated to the program in April of this year. The funds were used to purchase enough PUR water purification packets to support 800 days of clean drinking water for those in need.

The packets, which P&G has now rebranded as “P&G Purifier of Water” packets, contain powder that, when added to water, dissolves and releases a chlorine disinfectant that kills bacteria and viruses. The packet also releases iron sulfate, a coagulant and flocculent that removes parasites, dirt, worms, heavy metals, and other pollutants, which are then filtered out by pouring the water through cloth.

The Member Communities Group will be contacting ACS local sections, divisions, ChemClubs, and student chapters near the end of this month to encourage them to raise funds for this effort. It will also provide instructions for obtaining samples of the new packets, which may help the fund-raising efforts.

Contributions by check are welcome and should be made payable to ACS, with “Water Project” written in the memo line. Checks should be mailed to American Chemical Society; ATTN: Department of Volunteer Support; 1155—16th St., N.W.; Washington, DC 20036. For questions, please call (202) 872-6326 or visit www.acs.org/cleanerwater.