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Over 600 million Indians defecate in the open every day because they have no toilet. This practice cripples health, economic, and social outcomes. Open defecation (OD) causes the spread of infectious diseases that kill an estimated 300,000 children under five every year. The economic costs of OD total nearly $54 billion lost each year in India, with rural households bearing the highest per capita loss. Furthermore, women and girls who lack convenient access to toilets often miss school and work while they are menstruating. SHRI ends open defecation in India by constructing community toilet facilities that are free to use. They include eight toilets for women, eight for men, hand-washing stations, and a biogas digester (a large underground tank). Human excrement is stored in this tank where it decomposes to produce methane gas. SHRI uses this energy source to produce electricity, which powers a water filtration plant that uses a patented resin filter to remove arsenic, fluoride, iron, and bacterial contaminants. The resulting potable water is sold for $0.008 per liter, less than half the current market cost, helping SHRI to generate revenue to offset its monthly facility O&M costs. This ensures facility cleanliness, a key predictor of sustained toilet use. Thus SHRI fights alongside rural Indian communities to end open defecation as a key step in the struggle for health equity, and social and economic justice.

We strive to contribute to a world where urban and rural communities take responsible care of their environment, work consciously to conserve and protect natural resources in sustainable ways, and preserve historical assets and heritage for the benefit of future generations. Our mission is three-pronged. Conservation: Create significant and sustainable environmental change, specifically focusing on climate change, water conservation, food security, waste recycling, sustainable energy, preservation of endangered fauna and flora and greening projects that incorporate poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods. Education: Increase capacity and expertise of the southern African environment community, by transferring skills, providing mentorship and building supportive networks for the development and sustainability of the environment sector. Innovation: Use modern technology (e.g. GIS) capacity to enhance conservation efforts and to pioneer socio-ecological approaches to protected area management.

The Mission of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association is promotion of the legacy of Maria Mitchell and exploration, education and enjoyment of Nantucket’s land, waters and skies beyond. In fulfilling our mission we recognize the historic persona of Maria Mitchell, the foremost American woman scientist and educator of the 19th century, and her potential impact on contemporary thought by passing on her legacy of intellectual curiosity, respect for and love of nature, learning by doing, and the ideal of individualism. Maria Mitchell’s contributions to astronomy, science, and education are the basis for our continuing tradition of high quality research and teaching which inspires today’s learners and tomorrow’s scientists. The NMMA provides scientific resources and educational programs for the community, uses Nantucket Island as an exceptional natural laboratory in which to study science and the environment, and maintains research and/or representative collections of Nantucket’s biodiversity. We strive to delight our members, supporters, and visitors by providing high quality programs, services, and facilities. We strive to ensure our financial viability and the preservation of our buildings and important collections so that current and future generations can share in this legacy. We strive to collaborate with other institutions (both on- and off-island) to share relevant organizational assets to accomplish these objectives, obtain cost efficiencies, and reduce our impact on the environment.