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Orion Pahl Age: 22 Streamwood, Illinois United States

Videos

Oct. 18, 2011 Water: What does it have to do with a young, middle class, suburban man? This is an introduction video explaining a web-video series I will be producing on seven individuals that spent a year living and working in the Dominican Republic with FilterPure. I first went to the Dominican Republic in the year 2000 when I was ten years old. My family moved down with another family: The Ballantines. Our families spent a year there, doing mission work across the country. The Ballantines moved back to the Dominican Republic in 2006 when Michael started Jamaca De Dios, a real estate development project. His wife Lisa began a ceramic filter non-profit organization called FilterPure. Lisa is ceramic artist that wanted to use her talents to help those in need. She developed a technology that uses a mixture of clay, charcoal, colloidal silver, and sawdust to make life saving ceramic water filters that can go to many rural places that other water filters cannot reach. In 2006, Lisa invited dozens of young adults to join her in the DR in her mission to bring people clean water. Most parents were not too excited about their child raising money to live in a third world country serving the poor instead of going to college to secure a future for themselves. These videos will focus on 7 brave young adults that took the leap of faith in 2006 and left security, comfort, and a life of abundance behind for a year. Each video will look at why they went, what they learned, and how the experience influences their choices now. The videos will be fun, honest, and challenging; otherwise I would not invest the time. I know all 7 of the people, so the video series gives me a good excuse to reconnect with friends I haven't seen for months or even years, as well as practicing the skill of visual storytelling. Read more about Orion's ongoing work both here and on his blog Click Here. About Orion Background: Currently live in Streamwood, Illinois and graduated from Columbia College, Chicago. Interests: "Madagascar, riding in the back of trucks, storytelling, art that is not considered art, and YOU!" Making Waves: "What drew me to the website was the desire to be a part of providing people with clean water and challenging how we view water" ©Artistic Circles 2011 . All Rights Reserved.