Some liquids hydrate, others dehydrate for the sake of pleasure and others still drive people into mutinous frenzies. Of saltwater and fire water, this look at Indiegogo projects spotlights campaigns that are offering innovative ways to consume water and alcohol in safer or more enjoyable ways.
Since 2008, Indiegogo has helped those with a passion for a project raise money to make their dreams become reality. Here's a look at some water-related crowdsouced projects seeking funding to launch.
BoozeStones
Appreciative of the cooling that ice cubes brought to drinks but sick of the water that came along with them, the team behind BoozeStones turned to soapstone to keep their drinks cools.
The campaign only sought $1,000 in funding, but over 800 funders have poured more than $18,000 into the campaign. And there are still roughly two weeks to go. The item comes packaged with nine soapstone rocks inside a velvet bag and is billed as "a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternative to ice."
Brewie
Offering an alternative to traditional home brew kits, Brewie automates the stages of brewing beers. The minifridge-sized device handles everything from milling and mashing to boiling and cooling, allowing users to play with the composition of source materials to customize their beers.
There's about a month and a half left in Brewie's campaign, but more than 200 funders have helped the fundraiser smash its goal of $100,000, with $116,120 on the books so far.
Desolenator
Harnessing the power of the star closest to the Earth, the Desolenator boils brackish water to make it safe to consume. The unit can catch rain water, or accept water that's piped in, including salt water, and its solar panels draw power from the sun to fuel the purification process.
There's just over three weeks left and the project is over halfway to its goal of $150,000. More than 564 backers have pleged over $82,000 to the Desolenator so far.
FreshWater
It condenses water particles from the air and purifies them, collecting anywhere from nine to 30 liters of the life-giving liquid each day. Like the Desolenator, FreshWater is portable and runs on solar power.
The organizers, an engineer, industrial designer and expert in water from Chile, want to start slaking global thirst with delivery of 1,000 units around Latin America and the Caribbean. The solar-powered unit leverages the relative humidity to extract water from the air, providing water that contains no sodium, fluoride or heavy minerals. The units can help families living in communities without abundant water or the infrastructure to obtain it.
FreshWater's campaign is fairly new and it has a long way to go to reach its goal of $500,000. A handful of funders have pitched in $100, but there is still roughly three months left in FreshWater's campaign, which ends Feb. 14, 2015.
Launch Drinks
This final campaign, Launch Drinks, seeks to make the sports drink personal, allowing consumers to mix the balance of water and supplements needed on the fly. A twist of the single-use bottle's cap enables athletes and health enthusiasts to measure the mix of supplements their body needs right then.
Over 20 funders have pitched in just over $1,200 to Launch Drink's fundraiser, but that's a far cry from the $250,000 the campaign seeks. With roughly a week and a half left, Launch Drink may need to retool and retry.
