A low-cost water filtration system was offered as one of the realistic solutions to the problem of world hunger at the World Food Day conference Tuesday in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Sean Barth, a junior philosophy major and one of the panelists at the event, said people can still die of hunger, even when they are getting a sufficient food supply, if their water is contaminated.

He referred to this phenomenon as “invisible hunger” and said 40,000 people die daily from insufficient or polluted water supplies.

Barth discussed The Haiti Connection’s creative solution to this problem: the “Buckets for Life Water Project.”

He lifted the two large plastic pickle buckets that comprise the water filter from beneath the table to demonstrate how it works.

A few drops of bleach in the bucket kill disease, causing agents in the water, he said.

The cotton filter of the system then cleans out the dirt and sediments, and a carbon filter similar to those found in Britta water purifiers finishes the job.

He said one purifier costs $15 to produce in the United States, and Haitians can purchase a filter for the equivalent of $1.50 in American dollars.

“It gives (Haitians) a sense of empowerment. They’re not getting a hand-out,” Barth said. “It actually tests safer than Culligan water.”

The gift of water continues to heal after food supplies have all been handed out and doctors have left, he said.

Three other panelists offered information, inspiration and solutions to various hunger-related issues during the panel discussion.

Eric Hake, a graduate coordinator for the philosophy department, discussed food distribution in the world.

“Food distribution is primarily done for profit,” he said. “One of the real goals of development is increasing people’s income.”

He identified teaching people how to make more money, rather than giving them money, as the solution to this problem.

Dannie Otto, part-time philosophy professor and farmer, talked about sustainable development.

“The basic rule that governs my life is that `there is no free lunch,'” he said. “There is no way for us to eat without having consequences on the environment.”

Otto said he thinks Americans need to be as self-conscious as possible of the consequences of the things they do.

“We try to anticipate those (consequences) with all humility,” he said. “We try to minimize the effect on the environment.”

Hugh Phillips, a founder of El Centro, an organization that helps Latino migrant workers in Champaign, offered views on the immigrant perspective.

Citing the example of slaves, he said those who harvest Americans’ food, one of the most essential parts of life, have always been paid the least and treated the worst.

Phillips said these immigrants are very hard-working, and his organization seeks to find them jobs and help them better understand their jobs.

“People are migrating here from all over the world to survive, and they have not cut into our survival,” Phillips said.

He said migrant workers work 70 to 80 hours a week and send half their income to family members back in their home countries.

World Food Day also included a teleconference, a video titled “Global Banquet: the Politics of Food” and a number of booths with information on various food-related issues.