ORLANDO, FLA.—Clean the World Foundation, a global leader in water, sanitation, hygiene and sustainability, has partnered with Las Vegas Sands to facilitate The Drop by Drop Project. A collaboration between Clean the World Foundation and initiative co-founder Sands, The Drop by Drop Project will reinvest capital from water stewardship efforts into innovative projects supporting local water champions in Macao, Singapore, and Las Vegas. Managed and operated by Clean the World Foundation, The Drop by Drop Project will be supported by water savings from Sands’ conservation programs.
Drop by Drop supports water programs and nonprofit organizations focusing on four key areas: reinvigorating ecosystems by safeguarding and restoring aquatic ecosystems; leveraging technology by promoting early-stage innovation and solutions scaling for water efficiency; increasing resiliency by strengthening community response to floods, droughts and other water-related risks; and engaging the community by boosting awareness of water dependence issues.
“We have chosen three incredible organizations and are excited about each of the promising projects that have evolved as a result of Drop by Drop. These projects aim to make major contributions to the local communities within Macao, Singapore and Las Vegas, and the ripple effect will be far reaching,” says Sam Stephens, Executive Director, Clean the World Foundation.
University Receives $75,000 in Funding
The first of three organizations selected for funding is the University of St. Joseph Macao (USJ), Institute of Science and Environment, located in Macao, China. The university received $75,000 in funding to investigate ways to enhance the water quality of Macao’s coastal waters using native wetland plants, especially mangroves, as natural purifiers for water pollution. The university will also explore additional benefits of wetland restoration, including flooding mitigation, shoreline stabilization and habitat restoration for species biodiversity.
The second organization to receive funding is Seven Clean Seas, a Singapore-based social enterprise. A $50,000 grant is being used to develop a static, floating system that can be deployed directly onto a river to collect plastic pollution at the source before it reaches the ocean. The system will be designed to be affordable, easily maintainable, mobile, and easily replicable, so that it can be scaled and deployed in other regions globally.
The third organization is U.S.-based Get Outdoors Nevada, located in Las Vegas. A grant of $19,000 will fund a water conservation teacher training program, benefitting over 120 teachers and thousands of students in the Las Vegas area. The grant will also provide water conservation-related field trips for youth in the region to provide real-world examples that reinforce the concepts taught in the classroom.
“Sands understands that water is one of the most critical resources on the planet, vital to sustaining life, supporting livelihoods and providing critical ecosystem services. We know that in order to drive change we must not only focus on efficient water use but also healthy watersheds. Each organization addresses The Drop by Drop Project’s core objectives: reinvigorating ecosystems, leveraging technology, increasing resiliency, and engaging the community,” says Katarina Tesarova, Senior Vice President, Global Sustainability, Las Vegas Sands.
For more information on The Drop by Drop Project, visit: http://cleantheworldfoundation.org/dropbydrop.
