State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Cool tech: The ‘Savior Bud’ collects clean drinking water from trees

saviorbud01
Photo by Yanko Design

In dry areas of the world where access to clean drinking water is a matter of life and death, this novel design lets people get a little help from their plant friends. Yanko Design has developed the ‘Savior Bud’, which collects moisture directly from tree leaves during the natural transpiration cycle.

The process is simple.  They say:

“1. Find a broadleaf tree with lots of leaves.

2. Opening the Savior Bud like a giant clamp, surround a few leaves, and release. The Savior Bud should now be containing the leaves like you see in the picture above, sort of like a greenhouse.

3. In about four hours, the leaves will have produced about one cup of water. Turning the bottom of the bud like a faucet will release the water to be put into a separate container for drinking.”

In no way a large scale water solution, but in an emergency situation, you might be very glad to have one.

Savior Bud by Kim Hyo Jin and Seol Ah Sun » Yanko Design

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Newest
Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments