ACI is composed of a cadre of retired executives, scientists and engineers, along with full- and part-time salaried professionals, who are dedicated to advancing the organization’s mission.

Our office and laboratory are located in the Michigan State University Bio-economy Institute in Holland, Michigan where we conduct basic laboratory research, design and test new technologies, and then assemble critical filter components to ready them for beta testing in the field.  Final testing at our beta sites readies the technology for transferring.

There has been a wide variety of organizations working on clean water programs for some time now. Recently one of the often overlooked elements has been sustainability. That is, how long does a project continue to produce the desired result after outside input (financial or otherwise) moves on? Can a product be repaired by local craftspeople? Can it be constructed from local materials? Is it affordable? What are its upkeep costs? Does it need frequent maintenance? Does it require regular electricity or fuel?

ACI develops its technologies with these specific questions in mind. Likewise, we focus on training and evaluation rather than on simply distributing water filters. Such a focus transfers know-how, thereby allowing for continued production and maintenance of ACI technologies by partner organizations and enabling us to refocus our resources elsewhere. Our aim is to transfer technological know-how as rapidly as possible, as intelligently as needed, along with the implementation of an internally consistent, comprehensive data monitoring and evaluation system.