Thanksgiving hits different when you pause long enough to notice the everyday miracles around you. At the very top of our gratitude list this season? Clean water; the ability to help bring it to communities around the world.

Peru’s coastal desert sees a seasonal low cloud called garúa, cold, persistent fog pushed inland by ocean currents. Where that fog hits hillsides, moisture is available even where rain is virtually absent. Fog catchers are simply vertical meshes hung on frames where the fog flows; tiny droplets collide with the filaments, coalesce into larger drops, run down gutters, and are stored in tanks for later use. These systems are passive, low-energy, and relatively cheap to install.

As climate change accelerates and population growth intensifies pressure on freshwater supplies, more regions—especially arid and semi-arid ones—are turning to an often-overlooked resource: treated wastewater.

Inventive breakthroughs in water filtration technologies are revolutionizing our approach to water filtration needs globally.