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5 cool Gates Foundation projects you probably haven’t heard of

Bill Gates has once again topped the Forbes list of the 10 richest people in the world. And what does he do with all that cash? The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has gained fame for giving back, in Washington and globally.

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1. Toilets that turn waste into energy
The problem: According to the foundation, 2.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to safe, affordable sanitation.

A solution: The University of Colorado-Boulder was awarded a grant to help develop a solar toilet. It would use concentrated sunlight to disinfect liquid-solid waste and produce biological charcoal (biochar - shown above.) Biochar can then be used as a wood charcoal or chemical fertilizer. The foundation has awarded grants to other groups for similar projects.

Why it's cool: If it works, your waste may no longer be waste - it would be a power source.

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