Gary White: Water.org and WaterEquity Cofounder and CEO

The Art of Excellence

Gary White is the cofounder and CEO of Water.org and WaterEquity. In 1991 he launched WaterPartners International, the nonprofit that would later become Water.org. Today the organizations he leads are creating market driven solutions to the global water crisis, driving innovations in the way the world funds water and sanitation projects. His new book that he co-authored with Matt Damon is titled: The Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World’s Greatest Challenge.

Some interesting insights from this episode:

• In many parts of the world, families are paying upwards of 25% of their income to procure water and sanitation.
• This is a problem that disproportionally impacts women and girls.
• Microloans are a much more scalable solution to solving the water crisis than grants.
• 99% of all microloans Water.org provides get paid back in full and on time.
• To solve the global water crisis, 750 million people will need access to water and 1.7 billion will need access to sanitation.
• Matt Damon taught Gary how to be a more effective storyteller.
• “Excellence is doing the very best that you’re capable of doing and always striving to do better with what you have.”

Show Notes

Book: The Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World's Greatest Challenge

Organizations: Water.org WaterEquity

Where to Donate: Water.org donations