The Peer Water Exchange (PWX) was awarded the 2010 Intel Environment Award today. PWX, a project of Blue Planet Network, is a combination of process, technology platform, and people designed to unlock the global capacity and creativity of individuals, philanthropies, businesses and implementers to solve the global safe drinking water and sanitation crises.

Solving the water and sanitation crises that impact over 2.6B people will require small-scale, grassroots projects using appropriate technology that need to be owned and managed by the community. The problem is to divide the millions of dollars going into the water sector today into ten thousand dollar projects.

Rajesh Shah pioneered the model of PWX to solve this problem of managing the tens of thousands of projects needed. PWX is a combination of process, people, and technology that uses peer review, collaboration, participatory decision-making, crowd sourcing, and 100% transparency to solicit, fund, manage, and long-term monitor projects. Over six years, the model has proven to work and now manages over $26MM in 23 countries. In addition, PWX AnalytiX -- the first set of business intelligence tools for the water sector -- was launched in September.

The Tech Awards is an international awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity. The Tech Awards recognize laureates in five categories: Environment, Economic Development, Education, Equality, and Health. “The Tech Awards recognize people whose passion and ideas may change the world,” said Rajesh Shah, inventor of PWX. “We are happy that two laureates are from the water sector.”

“The global challenges of the day have become increasingly strident, more deeply rooted,” said Peter Friess, president of The Tech Museum. “Still, there is hope. These incredibly impressive Laureates have all proven to be equal to, or better than, the challenge to make the world a better place. By celebrating their accomplishments today, we are encouraging future innovators to work toward solutions to make the world healthier, safer and more sustainable.”

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