Isla Urbana
Isla Urbana has designed an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable rainwater harvesting system that collects and cleans rainwater for households, schools, and health clinics.
The system is inexpensive, easy to install, and provides individual residences with about 40% of their annual water supply. If implemented on a large scale throughout Mexico City, this simple technology could provide 30% of the city’s water and help give a sustainable water source to the 12 million Mexicans who lack access to clean water.
Our rainwater harvesting systems promote sustainable water management practices, mitigate the city’s flooding problems, relieve poverty, reduce carbon emissions, and provide a reliable source of water for Mexico City’s residents, and throughout the country.
As half of Earth’s population now lives in cities, creating sustainable urban systems has the greatest impact on environmental and social issues. To ensure a future with access to clean water—the most vital resource on the planet—innovative water saving technologies must be enacted on a large scale starting today.
Members


Carlos Moscoso, Co-founder (1964 – 2009)
Carlos Moscoso, our beloved friend, was one of the original founders of Isla Urbana. He was older than most of us but his inner calm, experience, and enormous generosity remain an inspiration to us all today. He taught us about plumbing and a thousand other things relating to life and work. Isla Urbana would not be where it is now, were it not for him. We miss you Carlos.
Enrique Lomnitz
General Director
Renata Fenton
Design Director
Gabino Hernández
Director of Installation
David Vargas
President
Hiram García
Engineering Director
Javier Hernández
Director of Installation
Carmen Hernández
Administrative Director
Jennifer White
Community Relations Director
Alejandro Hernández
Director of Installation
Nabani Vera
Communications Director
Sol García
Director of U.S. Operations
Martín Liedo
Impact Assessment Coordinator
Priscilla Azamar
Sales Director
Delfín Montañana
Social Environmental Education Director
Emilio Becerril
Managing Director
Mariana Balderas
Research and Development Director
Jesús Sotomayor
Director of Lluvia para Todos A.C.
Ana Paula Mejorada
Rain Schools Director
Petra Sánchez
Administrator
Alejandro Alcántara
Mapping and Community Relations
Óscar Gómez
Graphic Design Coordinator
Shiara González
HaTaTukari Coordinator
Fernando Alcántara
Storekeeper
Liliana López
Content Development Coordinator, Rain Schools
Daan Elsen
Social Service
Aliyeri Díaz
Distributor Coordinator
Daniel Nava
Community Relations
Carlos Torres
Accountant
Cecilia Vargas
Research and Content
Astrid Domínguez
Audiovisual Production
Marita Rodríguez
Database Management
Javier Melchor Orozco
Program Planning Coordinator
Pablo Dante Sosa
Community Relations
Óscar Gaxiola
Community Relations
Ignacio Reyes A.
Communication Coordinator
Luis Martínez
Customer Service Coordinator
Valeria Enriquez
Rain Schools Coordinator
Karen Aguilar
Graphic Designer
Javier Arévalo
Accountant
Marcos Tlatenchi
Quality Control Coordinator
José Guzmán Cruz
Installer Coordinator
Nazario Ruíz
Installer
Fernando Pérez
Installer
Gustavo Alonso Flores
Installer
Adrian Ramírez
Installer
Felipe López
Installer
Manuel González
Installation Coordinator
Abel Hernández
Installer
Eusebio Herrera
Installer
Saúl Alberto
Installer
Juan Carlos Méndez
Installer
Samuel Cruz
Installer
Mariano Bautista
Installer
Alfredo Castillo
Installation Coordinator
Lucas Espinoza
Installer
Fabián Orduña
Installer
Luis Hernández
Installer
Erik Enrique Alberto
Installer
Jorge Luis Flores
Installer
César Alejandro Méndez
Installation Coordinator
Demesio Baltazar
Installer
Felipe Cobos
Installer
Luis Alberto García
Installer
Eduardo Hernández
Installer
Lupe Carrillo
Installer
Recognition

RISD Serves Award 2021
RISD Alumni Awards 2021, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), USA, 2021.

Iberoamerican Youth Awards
Prize for the category “Knowledge Without Borders: strategies for the production, diffusion, and application of knowledge that actively involves and impacts vulnerable or excluded communities or groups.” Dominican Republic, 2019.

Honourable Mention Lighthouse Awards 2021
Brave Blue World Foundation, Vancouver, Canada, 2021.

National Award for Technological Innovation for Social Inclusion
First Place– a project that demonstrates an outstanding positive outcome by using technology for poverty reduction and to influence social wellbeing, 2018.

Finalist Premio al Liderazgo Social (Social Leadership Award)
Kybernus, Mexico City, 2021.

World Design Capital Award
Socially Responsible Design recognition, Mexico City, 2018.

Water Challenge
First Place, Chile, 2020.

Mexico City Award
Environmental Action Award, Mexico City, 2017.

Social Design Circle Member
Social Design Circle Member by Design Prize, 2017.

VIVA Schmidheiny Award
Third Place in Social Innovation, Costa Rica, 2016.

Entrepreneurial Merit Award IMMPC
In recognition to young entrepreneurs, Guadalajara, Mexico, 2015.

Visionaris Prize UBS
For innovation in social enterprise, Mexico City, Mexico, 2015.

Ashoka Fellowship
Changemakers, 2012-2015.

Momentum Project-BBVA Bancomer Prize
For innovation and the massification of social enterprise, 2014.

Mentes QUO-Discovery Recognition
For dedication to positive change in Mexico, 2013.

MTech35 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tech Review Recognition
35 innovators under age 35 worldwide, Boston, Massachusetts, 2013.

Civic, Environmental and Social Work Merit Prize
INJUVE, 2013.

Clinton Global Initiative
Member by invitation, 2012.

Nomination "INDEX Award"
Denmark, 2011.

Rompe con el cambio climático (Breakaway from climate change) Prize
SEMARNAT, Mexico, 2011.

Finalist El agua, fuente de vida (Water, source of life) Prize
For best practices in water management, United Nations, ONU-Agua, Spain, 2011.

Finalist Iniciativa México (Mexico Initiative)
One of 25 finalists of 56, 958 initiatives, Mexico, 2011.

Genera (Generate) Prize
Pase Usted Project, Transforming Mexico through ideas, Mexico, 2010.

Deutsche Bank Urban Age Award Honorable Mention
Mexico, 2010.

Finalist BBC World Challenge
One of 10 Finalists, among 800 projects from all over the world, England, 2010.