The project would allow people to see from a distance if the water is good or bad at a cost of less than $1000 per unit.

When things look fine on the surface, it is easy to ignore, but if pollution like this can be visualized, people will certainly pay more attention. I can't help but think of the statue of Vulcan, the Roman god, who presides over my hometown of Birmingham Alabama. For some forty years, his torch turned shone red on days when there were traffic fatalities. Visualization is a powerful tool, and when it can be mixed with public art, all the better.

Inhabitat Via Engadget

Here in the United Kingdom, a nice idea has slowly been introduced by stealth. Some very clever local councils have been dishing out "Wheelie Bins" to residents in their locale. Not just any old mere wheelie-bin. Oh no - these bins are smart. Fitted with RFID microchips, the lorries which come to collect the refuge are capable of weighing the bins to within 500 grams, and identifying the householder by the RFID code.

Although the legal infrastructure is not yet in place to charge householders as they throw refuse, the Local Government Association is poised to make proposals later this year.

By moving to measures of "green taxation", it is hoped that the populace will be encouraged to recycle and be responsible denizens. The Liberal Democrats are the only UK political party that is being proactive and vocal about green taxation - a risky strategy for winning the hearts and minds of voters, but potentially of immense benefit to the environment.

Similar schemes are up and running in Germany, where residents can pay up to 18p per kilo for unrecycled waste. 

It seems that some punters are less-than happy with this stealth-technology. One local district warns against removing the embedded microchips. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out in the long run - some say charging for waste disposal using innovative technology such as this is only going to lead to an increase in fly-tipping and illegal dumping.  Personally, I think that this is an interesting move in the right direction towards making people realise that disposal has a cost - and that they can help minimise that cost - and hence damage to the environment.