Published: Nov. 7, 2005

The University of Colorado at Boulder chapter of Engineers Without Borders and the nonprofit organization Potters for Peace will host a one-day workshop on the manufacture and use of the Filtrón, a sustainable water filtration technology that can significantly improve the quality of drinking water in developing communities.

The intensive, hands-on workshop will be held Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Discovery Learning Center. The fee is $5 for students and $20 for non-students. Lunch will be provided.

The workshop will be led by Peter Chartrand, international director of Potters for Peace, which has promoted and supported the Filtrón since 1998.

The Filtrón is a simple, ceramic water filter coated with colloidal silver, which is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable, according to Pablo Cornejo of the CU-Boulder chapter. The device has been used in impoverished communities in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Studies have shown that 99.88 percent of water-borne bacteria and protozoa are eliminated by this household filter, Cornejo said. The device is cited in the United Nation's Appropriate Technology Handbook and is used by the International Red Cross.

For more information or to register for the workshop, email Pablo Cornejo at cornejow@colorado.edu.