More than one billion people are without access to safe water, and nearly half of the world’s poor suffer from waterborne diseases. Over 6,000 people – mainly children – die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water.

Developed by The Vestergaard Frandsen Group of Denmark, the LifeStraw is an innovative, mobile water filtration system, and a practical response to this urgency. The straw costs about $3.50. [thanks, BBC]

[UPDATE: 10-11, 2006:  The LifeStraw is catching on - check out this NY Times article printed yesterday.]