View Sources Bookmark or Share

Liters of water in the world's oceans : 1.34442 x 1021

Some of the ocean's most powerful waves are hidden.

Percentage of ocean water that's drinkable : 0

Drinkable liquids have been consumed at the Muddy Charles Pub since 1968.

Liters of fresh water per hour possible using a novel, low-cost desalination method developed at MIT : 15

It's a system that's worth its salt.

Number of people in Asia and Latin America whose fresh water originates from glaciers : 2 billion

One researcher seeks to improve water and sanitation services in South Asia.

Year by which those glaciers will disappear at current rates of melting : 2100

Not if the MIT Environmental Research Council has anything to say about it.

Year that a NASA satellite mission and an MIT-led science team will map Earth's soil moisture for the first time : 2012

MIT has educated more astronauts than any other private university.

Average kilometers that an African woman must walk to obtain potable water : 6

MIT merges body and machine to make walking easier for the disabled.

Chances that the water she collects will be contaminated : 1 in 3

MIT's first female graduate, Ellen Swallow Richards, set water-quality and sewage treatment methods back in 1887.

Millions of people who die each year as a result of water-borne disease : 3.4

The MIT H20 1B project will provide clean water for 1 billion people.

Millions of people who die annually from AIDS : 2

MIT joins a bold new initiative to develop an AIDS vaccine

Number of Ghanaians an MIT group aims to provide with an affordable ceramic water filter : 1 million

See the MIT student who developed the filters for her master's thesis.

Approximate number of Bangladeshis who suffer from arsenic poisoning in their water supply : 2 million

Bill Gates applauds MIT's efforts in the developing world.

Year that MIT engineers discovered how arsenic contaminated that water : 2009

How do we plan and design water infrastructure for developing countries?

Liters of water used to raise one steer for meat : 3,088,896

One student's beef with the food industry inspired the eco-friendly Clover Food Lab.

Liters used to produce a pound of wheat : 95

Try on this tasty blog for a "Slice of MIT."

Gallons of water used to produce one pair of blue jeans : 2,900

These "genes" are teaming up with nanoscience to treat ovarian cancer.

Gallons of water consumed by the typical suburban lawn each year : 10,000

MIT students look at ways to conserve America's water.

Percentage of America's fresh water supply used to flush toilets : 25

MIT's novel system means less fresh water down the drain.

Percentage by which MIT is reducing fresh water use in three campus buildings constructed since 2009 : 33

But that's not all we're doing to save energy and resources on campus.

Billions of gallons of bottled water sold in the U.S. in 2007 : 8.82

This MIT student turned her plastic bottle pet-peeve into a PET project.

Percentage of that water that comes from the tap : 25

At MIT, students drink from a fire hose.

Percentage of water from India's leaky infrastructure that fails to make it to the tap : 50

An MIT scientist tackles an even bigger leak.

Millions of Massachusetts residents banned from drinking tap water in 2010 after a water main break : 2

One MIT Professor is disaster-proofing the tap.

Cubic miles of water in all living beings : 3,400

Do microbial "beings" on Mars share a common ancestor on Earth?

Estimated number of living beings working on water solutions at MIT : 200

MIT's Engineers Without Borders travel to places that need clean water.

Chances that they'll make an impact : 10 in 10

An MIT professor and a New York Times reporter call MIT to action.