Camilo Alberto Hernandez Cantor
Gina Martínez Castro
Carolina Jerez
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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La misión de Agualogic es brindar agua pura y segura a toda la población sin importar cuán remota sea su locación. Ha logrado llevar filtros de agua a zonas rurales y selváticas en regiones apartadas de Colombia en donde no se tiene acceso al agua purificada o potable.
Evan, gerente de Agualogic nos cuenta; “Estas comunidades usualmente como alternativa hierven el agua en estufas de carbón o leña, sin embargo, al cambiar su manera de purificar el agua con un filtro, se previenen la difusión de 1 tonelada métrica de emisiones de carbón anuales a la atmósfera.”
===============================================================Agualogic's mission is to provide pure and safe water to the entire population, no matter how remotely it is located. It has managed to bring water filters to rural and jungle areas in remote regions of Colombia where there is no access to purified or potable water.
Evan, manager of Agualogic told us, "Usually these communities as an alternative boil their water in charcoal or wood stoves; however, by changing their way of purifying the water with a filter, they prevent the diffusion of one metric ton of annual carbon emissions into the atmosphere."
Agualogic es un filtro fabricado en arcilla, con carbón activado y plata coloidal que durante su proceso de cocción genera unos poros diminutos de 0,2 a 0,5 micras. El filtro se carga con el agua impura, el agua va atravesando lentamente sus paredes y van cayendo una a una las gotas de agua pura. Estos poros diminutos restringen el paso de las bacterias, parásitos y coliformes dando como resultado un agua completamente purificada y apta para el consumo humano. Este filtro de arcilla es amigable con el medio ambiente pues no tiene componentes plásticos y a su vez ayuda a reducir el consumo de plásticos de un solo uso. El filtro tiene una vida útil de 2 años como purificador, y luego de este tiempo puede darse una posterior utilización como elemento decorativo o matera para plantas.
===============================================================Agualogic is a filter made of clay with activated carbon and colloidal silver that during its cooking process generates tiny pores of 0.2 to 0.5 microns. When the filter is loaded with impure water, the water slowly passes through its walls, and drops of pure water fall one by one. The tiny pores restrict the passage of bacteria, parasites, and coliforms, resulting in completely purified water suitable for human consumption. This clay filter is friendly to the environment as it does not have plastic components and is helping to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics. As a purifier, the shelf life of the filter is two years, and after this time it can be used as a decorative element or pot for plants.
El inicio de Agualogic ocurre hace tan solo 2 años y medio, cuando Evan Acosta , su fundador y actual Gerente buscaba una solución que permitiera a las áreas más remotas de Colombia tener acceso a agua purificada. En estas regiones, las comunidades tienen diferentes problemas de salud por consumir agua con impuresas y bacterias. Adicional, pensaba en una solución que ayudara a reducir la compra de botellas plásticas de agua lo cual es muy común en las áreas rurales y también urbanas. De acuerdo con Greenpeace, se producen alrededor de 500 mil millones de botellas plásticas de un solo uso al año en el mundo. Los filtros ya existentes en el mercado eran importados de origen europeo y muy costosos, no asequibles para todas las personas.
Es así como Evan por accidente se encuentra con la iniciativa de un inventor y científico guatemalteco llamado Fernando Mazariegos que en 1990 retomando las prácticas alfareras precolombinas y aplicando su conocimiento como químico farmacéutico, desarrolló un proceso de filtración por goteo 100% eficaz, sin importar la procedencia ni la calidad de la fuente del agua. La sencillez de este filtro artesanal y su bajo costo de producción han permitido que al día de hoy, se utilice en más de 50 países del mundo, mejorando la calidad de vida de comunidades vulnerables en África, Asia y América, esto se ve reflejado en la frase de Evan, en la cual expone: “Quisimos revolucionar un poco la noción de que cualquier persona podía llegar a tener agua pura, que no era un tema de estratificación social, o de ubicación geográfica, era un tema que en ese momento era prohibitivamente costoso por los filtros que se ofrecían en ese momento, y queríamos poder hacer un filtro genuinamente democrático, a la vez nos dimos cuenta que no solamente podríamos lograr la democratización del agua pura sino además podíamos hacer muchos empates y cerrar muchos ciclos que estaban bastante olvidados como por ejemplo transformamos totalmente la noción de artesano.”
El filtro ha recibido más de 20 reconocimientos a nivel internacional, entre los cuales cabe destacar el Market Place Award en Camboya (en 2004 y en 2005) y el Premio a la Innovación del Banco Mundial en el 2010.
===============================================================Agualogic began only two and a half years ago, when Evan Acosta, its founder and current manager, was looking for a solution that would allow the most remote areas of Colombia to have access to purified water. In these regions, communities have different health problems due to consuming water with impurities and bacteria. Additionally, he was thinking of a solution that would help reduce the purchase of plastic water bottles, which is very common in rural and urban areas. According to Greenpeace, around 500 billion single-use plastic bottles are produced per year in the world. The filters already on the market were imported from Europe and were very expensive, not affordable for everyone.
This is how Evan accidentally came across the initiative of a Guatemalan inventor and scientist named Fernando Mazariegos who in 1990, taking up pre-Columbian pottery practices and applying his knowledge as a pharmaceutical chemist, developed a 100% effective drip filtration process, regardless of the origin or quality of the water source. The simplicity of this handmade filter and its low production cost has allowed it to be used today in more than 50 countries around the world, improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia, and America. This is reflected in Evan's phrase when he said, “We wanted to revolutionize a bit the notion that anyone could have pure water, that it was not a matter of social stratification or geographic location, it was an issue that was prohibitively expensive due to the filters that were offered at that time, and we wanted to be able to make a genuinely democratic filter. At the same time, we realized that not only could we achieve the democratization of pure water but also we could make many ties and close many cycles that were quite forgotten, for example, we totally transformed the notion of artisan."
The filter has received more than 20 international recognitions, including the Market Place Award in Cambodia (in 2004 and 2005) and the World Bank Innovation Award in 2010.
Agualogic es una empresa que nació de la necesidad de crear un filtro de agua asequible y duradero, haciéndolo amigable con el medio ambiente reduciendo el impacto del uso de plásticos para la creación de este, a su vez se vio el potencial que se tenia en nuestras comunidades artesanas de Colombia y como podíamos afectar su entorno de una forma positiva
El impacto global que ha llegado a tener Agualogic es inimaginable como bien lo exponía su CEO, Evan Acosta, "jamás pensé impactar de una manera tan grande con mi emprendimiento".
Impactos Sociales y Económicos:
Impacto Medio Ambiental:
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Agualogic is a company that was born from the need to create an affordable and durable water filter, and to make it environmentally friendly by reducing the use of plastics for its creation. The company looked at the potential in our Colombian artisan communities and how they could positively impact their environment.
The global impact that Agualogic has had is unimaginable. As its CEO Evan Acosta put it, “I never thought to impact in such a great way with my business.”
Social and Economic Impacts:
• Agualogic has generated a new work option for artisan communities, who never believed that their crafts could be used as water purification instruments. Not only this, but the crafts have a useful life after their use as water filters, generating greater added value, or as Evan said, "creating world-class artifacts."
• The generation of both direct and indirect jobs has been high, but it has not been the only global impact factor that Agualogic has generated. We can also see how they have allowed, with their contribution and social focus, access to purified water in remote and vulnerable regions of Colombia.
Environmental impact:
• Extending the life of a craft and creating a water filter that does not generate so much plastic waste has meant that Agualogic has made a great contribution to reducing the carbon footprint and helping the environment. This and turning parts of its filter into potential pots for planting plants has helped, on a small but very significant scale, to improve the green footprint of human beings.
Agualogic es una empresa que se ha venido consolidando en el mercado como una opción viable para la purificacion del agua, sobre todo en zonas donde el agua apta para consumo es escasa. La idea de acceso al agua para todos ha tenido una gran acogida, por esto el crecimiento económico ha sido significativo, aunque la empresa lleva dos años y medio en el mercado, actualmente factura alrededor de 3000 a 4000 millones de pesos anuales, venden aproximadamente 2000 unidades al mes, es el filtro más vendido a nivel Colombia y el crecimiento ha sido exponencial y se proyecta que siga creciendo por el buen resultado que han tenido en el mercado.
En el tiempo que Agualogic lleva ofreciendo sus productos se ha podido posicionar como una marca reconocida sobrepasando sus competidores globales y generando confianza en sus clientes por su buen servicio y producto que ofrecen, es una empresa reconocida a nivel nacional y con una gran visión hacia el futuro, como bien lo dijo su CEO en una frase remarcable:
“Es el filtro más vendido en Colombia hoy. Eso ya son ligas mayores; pasar uno de ser el que nadie conoce con una tecnología totalmente nueva Colombiana, es uno de los obstáculos mas grandes en las mentes, cuando yo crecí todo lo mejor era europeo o japones y poder decir que nosotros en Colombia fabricamos un filtro que no tiene absolutamente nada que envidiarle a ninguna otra tecnología es extraordinario.”
===============================================================Agualogic is a company that has been consolidating itself in the market as a viable option for water purification, especially in areas where water suitable for consumption is limited. The idea of access to water for all has had a great reception. For this reason the economic growth has been significant; although the company has been in the market for only two and a half years, it currently invoices around 3,000 to 4,000 million Colombian pesos annually, and sells approximately 2,000 units per month. It is the best-selling filter in Colombia. The growth has been exponential, and it is projected to continue growing due to the good results they have had in the market.
Agualogic has been able to position itself as a recognized brand, surpassing its global competitors and generating trust among its customers for the good service and product they offer. It is a nationally recognized company with a great vision for the future. As its CEO said in a remarkable phrase, “It is the best-selling filter in Colombia today. That's already major league; to go from being the one that nobody knows, with a totally new Colombian technology, is one of the biggest mental obstacles. When I grew up all the best was European or Japanese, and to be able to say that we in Colombia manufacture a filter that has absolutely nothing to envy in any other technology is extraordinary."
Si lo vemos como un amplio panorama podemos ver que los beneficios, en el ámbito social y medioambiental, son muy intrínsecos durante todo su proceso productivo, desde los proveedores que contratan, hasta el servicio postventa que dan al cliente una vez el ciclo de vida de su filtro ha terminado, enseñándoles cómo hacer un consumo responsable o reutilizar el filtro
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• A lot of artisans have found a new business opportunity in Agualogic, not only as an economic benefit but also as a way to show their crafts. This has generated a great cultural benefit for them, increasing their income and empowering their culture, and making these communities more visible to the entire world. This is demonstrated by Evan's statement where he lets us see that they helped the artisans to organize as a productive community.
• The fact that they don’t use plastic to make their filters has brought a great benefit to our environment. Maybe we cannot see it right now but looking forward it will be great for all of us because as we know a plastic bottle takes a long time, maybe a century, to disintegrate.In a wide overview, we can see that the benefits to the social and environmental fields are intrinsic to all their production processes, from the suppliers they hire to the after-sales service that they give to customers. Reusing the filter once its life-cycle of their filter has finished, teaches their customers how to be responsible consumers.
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Agualogic es una empresa que trabaja con comunidades artesanas del sur y norte de Colombia, las cuales se dedican a la fabricación de filtros de agua hechos de un material cerámico inspirado en la tecnología de nuestros antepasados, que filtraban el agua en vasijas de barro. El proceso de filtración consiste en que el agua atraviesa las paredes de la vasija las cuales tienen unos poros muy pequeños para que los contaminantes del agua por simple física no pasen a través de esos poros. La idea nace de la necesidad de atender a aquellas poblaciones que viven en zonas más necesitadas, en pueblos o en sectores rurales donde el acceso al agua para consumo aún no está presente y en eliminar el consumo de plásticos de un solo uso y utilizar un filtro que sea amigable con el medio ambiente.
“Nosotros queríamos revolucionar la idea de que cualquier persona podía tener agua pura, y que esto no era un tema de estratificación social, de ubicación geográfica, antes era demasiado costoso por los filtros que se ofrecían años atrás y queríamos poder hacer un filtro genuinamente democrático “ Afirmó el CEO de Agualogic, Evan Acosta
===============================================================Agualogic is a company that works with artisan communities in the south and north of Colombia. The artisans are dedicated to the manufacture of water filters made of a ceramic material inspired by the technology of our ancestors, who filtered water in clay pots. The filtration process consists of the water passing through the walls of the vessel, which have very small pores. The contaminants in the water by simple physics cannot pass through the pores. The idea arises from the need to attend to populations in the neediest areas, in towns or in rural areas where access to water for consumption is not yet present, and to eliminate the consumption of single-use plastics by using a filter that is friendly to the environment.
“We wanted to revolutionize the idea that anyone could have pure water, and that this was not a matter of social stratification, of geographical location. Before, it was too expensive because of the filters that were offered years ago, and we wanted to be able to make a genuinely democratic filter," said Agualogic CEO Evan Acosta.