Company: New Power Industry
Location: Berkeley, California
As a member of the winning team of the 2018 XPrize, I co-developed a novel, location-agnostic air-to-water technology that generated 2000L in 24 hours at under two cents a liter from renewable energy. As a company, we also are developing eco-industrial models for sea-plant based fuel and fertilizer systems.
Company: WaterCampus
Location: Netherlands
WaterCampus Leeuwarden is an innovation ecosystem. Together with our network of 300 companies and over 25 research institutes we develop and implement groundbreaking water technology.
Company: ARISE-US
Dr Peter Williams has over 35 years’ experience in helping businesses and governments adapt to, and make the most of, new technology. By background a strategy and process consultant, he was formerly the CTO of IBM’s “Big Green Innovations” unit, where he played a major role in the development of IBM’s “smarter planet” businesses in the areas of environmental management, water management, smart cities and disaster resilience: these focused on on the applications of technology to public infrastructure and public services. In focusing on disaster resilience, he was the lead author of the UN City Disaster Resilience Scorecard, now used by over 350 cities globally.
Having retired from IBM in 2018, Peter now leads the US Network of ARISE, the UN DRR’s vehicle for enabling public-private collaboration in disaster risk reduction. In this role he has expanded membership significantly and led or participated in numerous projects such as creating a community toolkit for wildfire risk reduction; a critical asset management tool; and action guides for cities trying to become disaster resilient. He also led the creation of a further UN Scorecard for the resilience of industrial and commercial real estate.
Peter was accorded the honor of being named an IBM Distinguished Engineer in 2009, and he also lectured at Stanford University for several years on Smart Cities and Communities. In addition to leading ARISE, he is also an independent consultant working on the application of information and data technologies to water, smart cities and disaster resilience with governments, vendors and NGOs; he is a regular judge on VC competitions; and he advises several start-ups. A native of the UK, he has lived in the US since 1999, and is married with three adult children. His PhD was awarded from the University of Bath, England.
A wave-powered device produces water from the oceans. What is the right amount of water you should drink every day? Can you ever drink too much water? SolarisFloat’s floating solar panels can follow the sun. Notpla edible packaging coming to you soon. Wastewater specialist IX Water launched a second crowdfunding round. This week, we are highlighting HydroDAO’s team member Ting Kelly. Learn about her background and why she devotes her life work to water.
Your weekly Bonus – How much water would make a planet a good contestant for human habitability?
This week’s quote:
There’s time enough for everything
There’s always time on hand
At times I feel it pushing
Those times I take a stand
For time is an illusion
Persistent though it be
As time reveals the patterns
In timelessness I’m Free
For time is here to serve us
A constant, moving stream
I use it to my liking
I fish from it my dream
Here is our second Medium post. We invite you all to share among your networks on social media to help us raise more awareness about the crucial work HydroDAO is taking on!
The airplane manufacturer is developing cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks.
The solar island comprises 180 movable solar panels that provide an increase in energy production by up to 40%.
Ocean Oasis says it will enable “the production of fresh water from ocean waters by harnessing the energy of the waves”
Notpla—whose mantra is “we make packaging disappear”—is competing with 14 other firms for five prestigious awards.
Aleksandra is participating in the fourth group of the European Junior Water Programme (EJWP), and is sharing her experiences with Water News Europe.
SeaLab is an on-campus, engineered tidal pool that will allow students to learn and test solutions to address the global water and sustainability issues.
AquaRing Field Test Begins at MEKOROT’s Water Monitoring Station in Northern Israel.
Industrial wastewater specialist IX Water is gearing up to launch a new $2 million crowdfunding exercise on 27 November.
The evidence for this claim has largely been debunked. Past studies relied on people recalling how much water they drank, which has low precision.
A new study appears to reveal that Bruce Lee’s untimely demise was brought on by consuming too much water.
The team replicated different patterns of materials and found arrangements that would let water through more easily.
While vaporators are a figment of science fiction, the technology that makes them work may be moving closer to fact.
Ting is an oracular designer, writer and network weaver who walks the path between Silicon Valley and the East, the ancient world of temple arts and the new jedi leadership schools. She grew up in the living room of ‘Wired’ magazine founders and roamed the Playa of Burning Man starting at the age of 6. Ting has traveled the world with her anthro-futurist family photographing indigenous peoples craft and ceremony.
Ting imprinted her cellular memory of the ancient wisdom with her education in Silicon Valley giving her the rigor and discipline to ground big ideas into the present to shift us to a brighter future. After a 10-year career as an innovation designer and ecosystem researcher, she now offers her expertise to city governments, foundations and family offices, Fortune 100 executives, and startup founders. She recently created the Ritual Collective hosting over 25 immersive retreats, gatherings and workshops around the world. Her roots permeate deep on the coast of Norhern California, where she lives devoting her ritual practices to integral studies, calligraphy and cacao. She serves on advisory boards including: the Long Now Foundation, UN DP Innovation Accelerator, TACT Agora, Water Innovation Advisors and School for Traditions.
Earth is about 29 percent land and 71 percent oceans. How significant is that mix for habitability? What does it tell us about exoplanet habitability?
Location: Los Angeles, CA
I have environmental consulting experience working within the contamination assessment and remediation practice of a civil engineering firm out of Irvine, California. Our work involved evaluating the nature and extent of contaminants in the subsurface (soil and groundwater) at sites throughout Southern California and implementing remediation to reduce concentrations to California State Water Resources Control Board-approved levels.
Company: 3M
Location: St Paul, Minnesota
Ben has served in a variety of roles within 3M, giving him a broad range of expertise including Corporate Venture Capital, Business Building, Mergers and Acquisitions, Strategy and Strategic Planning, Marketing and P&L Management; and New Product Development, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
Outside of 3M, Ben served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales for Appareo Systems, LLC. As Vice President, Ben was responsible for leading Appareo’s Marketing and Sales functions as well as driving the company’s revenue growth. Under Ben’s leadership, Appareo Systems experienced significant revenue growth, which resulted in the company being named to the Inc. Magazine 500 – a compilation of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the country. Ben also spent nearly eight years in the Army as an Aviation Officer and helicopter pilot. During his time in the Army, Ben gained extensive leadership experience, including leading troops in combat.
Ben earned a BS in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
The World Cup is here, but at what cost? About 13,000 gallons of desalinated water a day per pitch. Watch the recording of our Oceanside Chat with Seth Siegel. The UN just made a historic climate deal. A wastewater plant in France will now generate twice as much energy as it consumes. PFAS has now been found in students’ school uniforms. Researchers engineer a river that can be turned on and off. This week, we are highlighting HydroDAO’s team member Manoj Panjwani. Learn about his background and why he has decided to devote his life work to water.
Your weekly Bonus – Is high-tech farming the solution to slashing water consumption?
This week’s quote:
Seth Siegel, writer, lawyer, activist, and serial entrepreneur, was our special guest last month.
Stadium 947 is fully demountable but the tournament’s overall environmental impact is raising concerns.
Find out which water companies have made the cut.
A fraught United Nations (UN) summit wrapped up Sunday with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries.
KETOS SHIELD will be used across Kalera’s vertical farming operations to help ensure the health of crops.
A €165 million upgrade will enable a wastewater treatment plant in southern France to generate twice as much energy as it consumes.
“Desalination” signs an agreement to mine brine water with investments from the private sector, to contribute to the GDP by 1.5 billion riyals annually in 2030.
Heads of State and global leaders from Africa have united to call for urgent investment into Africa’s water and sanitation sector.
Research from the company finds 45% of global consumers think companies aren’t doing enough to address climate change.
Research has linked such chemicals, known as PFAS, to possibly harmful health effects.
Researchers from Hanyang University and Inha University have introduced collective behavior of multiple swimming robots for delivery of thousands of cargos.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous robots.
Researchers at the University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada, built an artificial river that can be turned off and on and whose elements can be completely controlled.
Manoj has over 25 years of international banking experience in developed and emerging markets across Asia, Europe and North America. As a member of HSBC’s International Management cadre, Manoj has held several senior leadership positions in wholesale and retail banking, strategy, and risk management.
Manoj is particularly adept at strategy development and implementation, and complements this with deep experience in front-line business. In addition, he has spent over a decade in Risk & Compliance where his expertise includes driving change and transformation, setting and leading the Risk agenda, and establishing a robust Risk Appetite and Governance framework.
Manoj is now engaged in the social enterprise sector and highly motivated to apply his experience and skills to support initiatives at the intersection of his interests in finance and social impact. He is particularly passionate about impact investing and other financing models, education, sustainability, and youth development. He also advises in the areas of strategy, risk management, and governance.
Manoj is part of the senior leadership team at OneShared.World, a dynamic global movement of stakeholders working across diverse cultures, communities, and generations to ensure a better future for humankind. He plays a key role in strategy formulation, building networks, and initiatives that address existential global challenges (WASH and Climate Change).
Manoj is also a member of Catalyst 2030, a global movement of social entrepreneurs and social innovators who share the common goal of creating innovative approaches to attain the UN SDGs by 2030. As a core member of the “Engaging the Private Sector” Working Group, he engages in initiatives that aim to create a mutually beneficial collaboration between the private sector and social enterprises. Sourcing capital flows and financing is a key pillar of this working group and Manoj is leading an initiative that seeks to create a ‘community of practice’ that will address obstacles to funding for social enterprises and provide access to diverse capital and finance solutions.
Manoj serves on the Board of Trustees at Knology, a research-driven think tank dedicated to studying and untangling complex social issues, and on the Alumni Advisory Council at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. In addition, he is a member of Impact Capital Forum in NYC, and Columbia Sustainable Finance Professionals Network.
These systems help farmers track conditions on their land in real-time, and apply water and other inputs such as fertilizer exactly when and where they are needed.
Check out HydroDAO’s first post on Medium. How well do you know groundwater? Take the quiz to find out and celebrate World Toilet Day. The world’s largest floating wind farm is now up and running in Norway. A diamond-coated electrolysis smart bottle amplifies water’s health benefits. Microsoft and Meta are facing rising drought risk to their data centers. 116 scientists reject WHO’s draft PFAS guidelines. Meet Kevin Fisher who leads the HydroDAO water treatment team. Learn about his esteemed expericence in the water industry and why he has decided to devote his life work to water.
Your weekly Bonus – UN puts water at heart of key climate project list
This week’s quote:
HydroDAO brings together the brightest and boldest leaders from all sectors of the water industry to collaboratively support the most promising solutions for global water issues.
Groundwater, by definition, lays in the soil – out of sight. It is the world’s most abundant freshwater resource. But pollution and over-consumption threaten this hidden treasure. To understand it better is the first step to protect it.
We are seriously off track to ensure safe toilets for all by 2030. That is the promise of Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. With only eight years left, the world needs to work four times faster to meet this target.
Celebrate with us World Toilet Day by remembering the creative and fun work our Water Emissaries youth leaders produced last year: not We Will Rock You, but We Will Wash You!
Hywind Tampen, the world’s largest floating wind farm, located off the coast of Norway, has become operational, a company press release said.
Weo’s science-backed, diamond-coated technology enhances H2O’s properties, which may help with immunity, energy, and more.
A European collaboration linking utilities and solution providers sets out to eliminate emerging contaminants in the integral water cycle.
The REMUS 300 was most notably recently selected by the U.S. Navy as the program of record for the Lionfish Small UUV.
Drought conditions are worsening in the U.S., and that is having an outsized impact on the real estate that houses the internet.
The Water Tower (TWT), in partnership with global consulting firm Arcadis, hosted a group of international water and wastewater utilities.
As climate change advances, floods and droughts have caught major corporations unprepared.
Solutions-Based Thinking from Young Leaders Drives Action on Water Accessibility & Security.
Technology such as this will have a flagship spotlight at the ongoing COP27, climate summit.
The letter details how WHO’s draft eschews calculating health-based standards, disregarding evidence for the harms of PFOS and PFOA.
A lot of us wear smart watches. A University of Texas at Tyler professor is taking that technology, making it really small and putting it on fish.
Joey is the first to be able to navigate all by itself through mazes of pipes as narrow as 7.5 cm across.
Kevin served as the Chief Technology Advisor for WaterStart (A Water Technology Accelerator). He has over 35 years of experience in the water industry, including five years in the geothermal and nuclear industries. During his tenure at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), Kevin served as the Director of Water Quality and Treatment, Director of the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s Operations and Facilities groups.
Kevin was instrumental in the development of the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) Emergency Response initiatives and innovative SCADA control strategy which balances improvements in water quality with energy management. During his service at LVVWD, maintenance and asset management practices were documented as being leading edge for the water utility industry. Kevin also directed the filter improvements contracts for the Southern Nevada Water Agency’s two regional water treatment facilities.
“When looking back, it seems that my best memories occurred around water. Whether it’s water skiing, fishing, family baptisms or hiking in the mountains; water has been the backdrop for many of my most joyous times. I recall exploring Lake Powell within its narrow canyons and marveling at the light beams shooting though the blue depths of the clear water. I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevada’s and pulling fresh clean water from a snowmelt fed stream! It is pretty obvious to me that water has played a SUBSTANTIAL role in my physical, mental and spiritual well-being!
Our WATER, something that we have all taken for granted at one time or another, is in jeopardy. Due to climate change, over use, waste and contamination, our fresh water is becoming scarce and our oceans are being assaulted. The one thing on this earth that brings so much joy and wellbeing is quickly being changed or even leaving our grasp.
I’m serving within the HydroDAO group to make a difference. Essentially, to be part of a larger machine, which will effectively address many of the issues our precious water is facing and to stem the tide of bad news. It is no secret that I want my children’s children to experience the same joys through water that I recall.”
The six projects from the Middle East, Africa and Asia represent a total of $4 billion of required investment.
Research finds out whales eat an astounding 96 pounds of microplastics every day. Tesla needs more water to expand its German factory but the government is against it. An ‘accidental power trip’ leads scientists to find a new way of generating hydrogen. Eggs could be the hidden secret to solving the microplastic crisis. D.L. ‘West’ Marrin is this week’s member of the HydroDAO team we are highlighting. Learn about his background and why he has decided to devote his life work to water.
Your weekly Bonus – Glaciers in at least one-third of World Heritage sites to disappear by 2050, including Yosemite.
This week’s quote:
Blue whales consume up to 10 million pieces of microplastic every day.
Periods of extreme drought can be a normal part of global climate, but rising temperatures may now be changing some regional climates for good.
Climate change and resilience advisory services are an increasingly important part of its strategy globally.
We are really excited about the prospect of discovering new species, perhaps even new branches of the tree of life, which until now have remained hidden.
KWR Water Research Institute has conducted a full-scale test of direct nanofiltration PFAS retention membranes from NX Filtration.
Tesla’s contract with the German government estimates that the expanded factory will use 1.4 million cubic meters of water every year.
Wisewell is an installation-free water purification technology that uses full-spectrum filtration to turn tap water into the highest quality of mineralised water.
As supplies of fresh water shrink, efforts are under way to extract more from the air and sea. European research projects and companies are at the forefront of this technological challenge.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) stumbled upon a discovery that could revolutionize how we acquire hydrogen from water.
The scientists used the food substance to create an aerogel, a lightweight and porous material that can be used in many types of applications, including water filtration, energy storage, and sound and thermal insulation.
Yale launches new Superfund Research Center, to be the first in the country to study 1.4 dioxane — a contaminant linked to cancer and found in drinking water wells throughout Connecticut.
West is an applied scientist and educator, who assists environmental, entrepreneurial and educational groups with water-related issues. He has authored three books about the science and uniqueness of water, as well as scientific journal articles addressing water pollution/remediation, aquatic chemistry/ecology, resource allocation, and the water-energy- food nexus.
He lectures on the topics of global water quality, local water footprints, sustainable water technologies, hydromimicry, and collaborations among scientists, artists, designers and engineers recognizing, communicating and addressing solutions to our water challenges. His recent work focuses on the application of systems theory, emergence and pattern recognition in perceiving and describing water resource properties and watershed functions.
He is a former Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in the biological and environmental sciences from the University of California, as well as a Ph.D. in water resources from the University of Arizona. His interest in water is also related to a lifetime of experiential endeavors surfing, SCUBA diving, paddling and exploring natural waters worldwide.
I was born in Southern California and spent much of my early life along the beaches of north San Diego County. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the ocean and its various sounds, rhythms, flow forms and, eventually, the waves that propelled my surfboard. As my parents were both school teachers, there was never much doubt about my pursuing university degrees—the only question was what I would choose to study. In keeping with my childhood interests, I chose to study the oceans, water, and the natural world. I was especially interested in travel and field research, which led me to both freshwater and seawater in places as diverse as the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Channel Islands of California. While I enjoyed conducting research and interacting with other scientists, I was also drawn to communicating theories and revelations about water and nature through writing and lecturing. As a result, I taught classes in several university programs and co-founded a small firm that specialized in presenting scientific concepts to non-technical audiences.
Just prior to the millennium, I decided to take a break from my conventional work and moved to the remote north shore of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, where I resided for the better part of a decade. Surfing, swimming and kayaking, as well as hiking along mountain streams and traveling throughout Oceania, were the backdrop for my writing three books and focusing on how our perceptions of water may underlie our largely self-created challenges with water. I believe that many of today’s environmental and water-related crises are a function of how we’ve been taught about the natural world and how the resulting perceptions have been translated into our actions and decisions. Much of my work during the last decade has been offering different views of water, including the ways that scientists interpret datasets, that managers/users evaluate conservation measures, and that innovators develop technologies.
In an effort to introduce the science and mystery of water to a wider cross section of people, I began collaborating with artists, graphic designers and storytellers who provided unique ways of incorporating and presenting water science, as well as providing their own perspectives on water that have influenced my research and understandings. My professional and personal relationships with water have taught me that a genuine appreciation of it cannot be confined to a single or even a few perspectives, experiences, or understandings. Instead, a combination of diverse viewpoints is essential to realizing the countless ways in which water influences health, climate, food, and all of our human institutions. My particular interests have been in water quality, hydromimicry, and the water-energy-food nexus. I rely on and support the research, visions, and inputs of countless others who have shared their diverse knowledge base—however it may have been acquired.
Glaciers in at least one-third of World Heritage sites possessing them, including Yosemite National Park, will disappear by mid-century even if emissions are curbed.
Company: Mekorot
A lawyer and economist with a MBA from INSEAD (France) and a MA in Philosophy.
David has experience working in different business development roles for international corporates such as FOX (Newscorp) and Endemol Shine in London.
Later he became an entrepreneur who founded two start-ups, acted as CEO including fund raising, management and execution.
Currently is the General Manager of Innovation and Ventures in Mekorot (Israel’s National Water Company). For the last 4 years, he has been managing the company’s investment strategy and execution. Screening hundreds of startups from which Mekorot has invested in 10 companies.
A former professional athlete with passion for doing good. He was an Intern in the UN DESA in NYC and a volunteer in the World Food Program (WFP) in Africa.