Dwyer's Clean Hub wins spot in Top 50 of competition
John Dwyer of Shelter Architecture writes that his Clean Hub has made the Top 50 of an American Express competition: "For those who may not know, a couple years ago we began collaborating with Architecture for Humanity and the University of Minnesota on a project of global significance. The vision was to create [an] integrated and self sustaining infrastructure for the over 750 million people worldwide who live without basic sanitation, water or power. What came out of it was an idea we dubbed the Clean Hub, a small scale, but highly replicable solution.

"About a month ago, we submitted the project to American Express for consideration as one of the Members Projects. They received over 3,000 project ideas and ... ours [is] one of the final 50."

American Express cardholders can vote for their favorites. The field will be narrowed to 25 on July 17. The winner will be announced on August 7. American Express will donate up to $5 million to the top proposal, which in the case of the Clean Hub, would help make the project a reality.