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Waste to Wonder: The Future of Water Recycling
79 Plays1 year ago
Hey there, welcome back to The Green New Perspective! AquiPor's new material — permeable concrete — does what traditional surfaces can’t. It absorbs water like a sponge but filters out the accompanying pollutants. It’s got a low carbon footprint, unlike traditional cement, and provides a sustainable means to dealing with our need to collect and contain water.
Traditional drainage and water collection systems — or gray infrastructure — just can’t address the impacts of our changing climate, where heavier storms inundate our cities but we have no way of effectively saving the water to stave off drought.
Greg and Kevin’s surface technology is still in the proof-of-concept stage, but it’s generating a ton of buzz in the industry. With its focus on sustainability and innovation, AquiPor is definitely a company to watch — and we think it’s got a game-changing solution.
🕑 💡 KEY MOMENTS
==================
➜ 01:19 Introduction
➜ 5:54 Problems that AquiPor solves
➜ 8:23 Other steps to modernize water infrastructure in America
➜ 12:00 Educating yourself on water problems
➜ 14:38 Role that technology can play in addressing the issue
➜ 16:22 How AquiPot helps modernize a water infrastructure
➜ 18:03 Biggest challenges
➜ 19:24 Optimism toward the future of water
➜ 20:55 Advice for future generations
➜ 23:47 How can we get involved
➜ 26:22 Message for the end
📚 RESOURCES & LINKS
========================
- Web: https://www.aquipor.com
- Water Voice Podcast: https://www.aquipor.com/podcasts/
- FB: https://www.facebook.com/AquiPor/
- IG: https://www.instagram.com/aquiportech/
- TW: https://www.twitter.com/aquiportech
🌍 SUSTAINABILITY PODCAST CREATED BY NEW PERSPECTIVE
========================
This podcast is proudly sponsored by New Perspective Marketing, a dynamic growth marketing agency in Boston, MA, celebrating 20 years in business. We help sustainably focused B2B organizations grow their brands and scale up revenue. If you or your organization is looking to grow, visit npws.com for more info.
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Transcript
Introduction to Green New Perspectives Launchpad
00:00:10
Speaker
Hello, you're watching another episode of Green New Perspectives Launchpad, a webcast series dedicated to sustainability.
Meet Greg Johnson of EquiPort Technologies
00:00:17
Speaker
My name is Dunja and today we sit down with Greg Johnson, CEO and co-founder of EquiPort Technologies.
Innovating Permeable Concrete for Stormwater
00:00:25
Speaker
Greg and his co-founder Kevin Kuntz created a really innovative surface technology for dealing with stormwater and flooding in a sustainable way. Their new material permeable concrete does what traditional surfaces can't. It absorbs water like a sponge, but filters out the accompanying pollutants. It's got a low carbon footprint, unlike the traditional cement.
00:00:46
Speaker
and provides a sustainable means to dealing with our need to collect and contain water.
Interest and Industry Impact of EquiPort
00:00:52
Speaker
Greg and Kevin's surface technology is still in the proof-of-concept stage, but it's generating a ton of buzz in the industry, so with its focus on sustainability and innovation, Equipore is definitely a company to watch and we think it's got a game-changing solution.
Greg's Journey from Real Estate to Innovation
00:01:07
Speaker
So tune in to learn more about Greg and Kevin and what's in store for Equipore.
00:01:18
Speaker
Well, thank you for joining the GMP Launchpad podcast. Thank you for having me.
00:01:24
Speaker
Yeah, I just have to say, I haven't found you through your company, through Agribor. I found you through your podcast, Watervoice. So I want to recommend the podcast to our listeners as well, because I really think it's great. I've just listened to your episode 18. I think today I'll listen to it. I think it's called the philosophy, how is it called? The philosophy behind, wait, let me find. The philosophical approach to solving big environmental issues.
00:01:55
Speaker
Great episode. Great episode. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Founding EquiPort: From College to Startup
00:01:59
Speaker
We've, you know, we got into podcasting as sort of just a side.
00:02:04
Speaker
way to, we always have these conversations amongst ourselves and we thought, you know, this would be a good way just to be able to record them and go back and kind of reference different things and topics that we've been thinking about. And so it's been good, but that episode was fun because Michael Christian, who I interviewed is just a super smart, high level thinker. So that was, that was a fun one.
00:02:32
Speaker
Yeah, I have to say your podcast is, I'm not an expert on water issues, obviously. And I really love the way you're explaining those issues. Like it's down to earth. Everyone can understand what you're talking about. And it's not an easy thing to do when you talk about complex issues and environmental issues. So Revo for that, I mean, you and your co-host is, you are great. Thank you.
00:02:58
Speaker
Yeah, so let's talk about you and Aquapor. So can you tell me about your background and how you became interested in addressing the issue of wastewater failures?
00:03:07
Speaker
Sure. My background, if you were looking from the outside looking in, which you probably are and most people would, it doesn't make a lot of sense that I'm on this path or in this line of work because my background really was just I went to school and I got a degree in just general business.
00:03:28
Speaker
And when I got out of school, I was involved in sales. I mean, I was like a corporate salesperson for a few years. And then I got into real estate. So I was helping on sort of the commercial development end of real estate.
00:03:45
Speaker
And that's where I saw this big issue around stormwater.
Broadening Water Infrastructure Solutions
00:03:50
Speaker
And what it was, was like for real estate developers, at least in our region, we're here in Washington state in the US, and there are pretty strict stormwater requirements in our state. And so like commercial real estate developers always have to, if they're gonna develop a new property, they have to have some stormwater management
00:04:11
Speaker
facility or some solution to manage whatever stormwater falls on their property and the solutions at the time were pretty expensive and they took up a lot of space and so that is when it kind of dawned on me that there needs to be better solutions for managing stormwater where it falls and at the same time my co-founder Kevin was at Washington State University and he was in an environmental
00:04:40
Speaker
science class and they were talking about green infrastructure and stuff. Long story short, he was in class with a friend of his who actually was in the US from China and his family or it was like a second cousin or something had a factory where they're making these water pervious tiles, like paving tiles. And Kevin was like, we'll send a sample over and they did.
00:05:09
Speaker
And Kevin came and brought it to me and I was blown away. I'm like, there's a market for this right now. So let's start a business. We're super like, we didn't know what we were doing. Very naive and ambitious. So that started the first company, but since then what we've realized is the issues way beyond stormwater management.
00:05:31
Speaker
Like now it's like an urban flooding issue. It's an aquifer depletion issue where we're tapping aquifers and groundwater to a level that's completely unsustainable. So anyway, that's where it started. And here we are today trying to solve the stormwater issue, of course, but much bigger, I think, water infrastructure type issues.
Adapting Cities to Climate Change with Permeable Concrete
00:05:54
Speaker
So you just said like you saw the problems, but what the problems are exactly. And how does your solution contribute to the, let's say, climate change issues on water resources? How does it impact in a good way?
00:06:12
Speaker
I think there's a couple ways it can do that. So right now, and you're probably well aware of this, there's a lot of money, whether it's private money or even like government money that's going into what I call climate mitigation. And so it's this whole approach to get CO2 emissions down and to mitigate the amount of CO2 that's going off in the atmosphere.
00:06:37
Speaker
Well, we're all aware of the carbon tunnel vision. It's like a popular term at the moment. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're right on. And so and that's great. We need to mitigate, you know, CO2 emissions. But what we've not invested as much in is climate adaptation. And so what Aquapor does with our technology is we can help cities and communities adapt to a changing climate.
00:07:04
Speaker
Because we're going to blow past the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold that basically puts us in dire straits, for lack of a better term. We're going to blow past that. And so what that means is cities and regions are going to get more extreme weather, more commonly.
00:07:21
Speaker
What our solution does is it's a permeable concrete that can take the place of sidewalks and streets and parking lots. So when we get all this rain, it's going to get that water back into the ground naturally. And so our thought is, you know, we should replace as much impervious surface area in cities as we can to make cities more sponge like, if you will, and get that water back into the ground.
00:07:48
Speaker
The other aspect of our technology is it's an extremely low CO2 technology.
Overcoming Data and Integration Challenges
00:07:54
Speaker
So as opposed to normal concrete, which is very pollutive, cement goes into normal concrete, cement's responsible for like 8% of global CO2 emissions. So third largest, if it were a country, it'd be the third largest emitter in the world.
00:08:13
Speaker
And so we don't use any Portland cement in our mix. It's inherently low carbon, inherently green. But what other steps you do think that needs to be taken to modernize water infrastructure in America and to make it more resilient?
00:08:34
Speaker
Well, I think I'd like to see our cities become more permeable, so using more of our permeable like material and use more green space would help, but on a larger scale.
00:08:49
Speaker
What's very interesting is we have in most cities, we've built gray infrastructure. So when I say gray infrastructure, that's water infrastructure that you can't see. So it's everything like under the street, the pipes, the tanks, storm drains, like everything when it rains that takes this water somewhere to be treated.
00:09:12
Speaker
Well, the problem is, and people might not be aware of this, is those systems are built on data. It's called Atlas 14 data, and it's like the average of precipitation that cities or regions get over time. Well, this data, in some cases, like in the Pacific Northwest where we're at, they're basing it off of data from like 1970 something.
00:09:37
Speaker
And so we're getting these huge rain events and they're like, well, you know, our grain infrastructure systems are being overwhelmed and it's because you're basing your numbers and sort of how you're designing infrastructure on decades old data.
Interest from Drought-Prone Cities
00:09:52
Speaker
So that's one thing that can be improved. The second thing I think is obviously looking at other solutions to getting water back into the ground where it falls. So I go back to like permeable pavement, rain gardens,
00:10:07
Speaker
more green space. And then on a very, you know, a much larger scale.
00:10:14
Speaker
I think like the LA County, Los Angeles County has done some things where they have these big spreading grounds where they basically divert stormwater to these huge like earthen bowls that then get them back, gets that water back into aquifers. So I think more of that type of approach I think could help. So it's not one thing. I think it's multiple things that we need to do in the United States to bring our infrastructure up to date.
00:10:42
Speaker
So you need new numbers and better solutions. And what happened with the infrastructure you made? Have you implemented this somewhere? Have you seen some improvements within the communities?
00:10:54
Speaker
Yeah, well, for us, we're still kind of in the proof of concept stage. So we've been in research and development for almost six years now, and it's been like really tedious. It's been deep science to get this technology right. So we're at the kind of the proof of concept stage. We have a lot of interest right now from cities and communities in the Western US. And what we've noticed is really interesting is
00:11:22
Speaker
These are cities in Nevada, Arizona, California, don't get much rain. But when they do get rain, because they've been going through drought, it's so critical that they're able to get that water back into the ground or be able to reuse it.
00:11:38
Speaker
And so just that amount of interest gives me hope because I think now communities and elected officials, people that are making these decisions are starting to see that this is a big problem. And they're going to have some money now to be able to solve these issues from the big infrastructure bill. And so we're hopeful. We're very hopeful.
00:12:00
Speaker
I wanted to ask you, I didn't know that you started as a real estate. So how someone who's actually working in real estate can educate, how did you educate yourself in water problems? You're doing some really important things, innovative things. How is that happening?
00:12:23
Speaker
It's a weird long story, but I just, I just got interested in it. I've always been interested in environmental type issues and being able to, you know, be good custodian of the environment. So right off the top of my head, I mean, that was the first thing. And then the second thing being in real estate, I just saw this pain point. There
Scaling Permeable Technology and Adoption Hurdles
00:12:44
Speaker
was this constant pain point.
00:12:45
Speaker
And it made me start to think, well, there's got to be a better solution out there than some of the stuff that developers were implementing. And so I started researching it. I was just curious. And that's how I started to learn more about permeable pavement.
00:13:05
Speaker
So permeable pavements been around for a long time. But I also noticed like those solutions, they're decades old, they're not very good. So like the old permeable paving technology just relies on it's like porous asphalt has huge voids in the surface. And so those get clogged up very quickly with all the dirt and debris and everything that would be in a parking lot or on a street.
00:13:32
Speaker
And so I just realized like this is not a very good solution. And just curiosity got me deeper and deeper into it. And I also realized like I didn't want to be in real estate. I didn't want to be in the corporate world. I've always had like an entrepreneurial bug. So I just took a leap of faith with my co-founder, Kevin. And that was like 12 years ago. And then when we started Aquapor,
00:13:58
Speaker
It's a even longer story, but I'll make it real short was we were importing the product from overseas and we're like, well, this isn't a very good business model. We need to have our own technology so we can make material in the U S or if we're going to set up in Europe, we could make material in Europe, but we own the technology. And, um, so we kind of got lucky. We met a material scientist who was working on cement technology here in Spokane and we just came together and
00:14:28
Speaker
it didn't happen that quick, but basically it was like, hey man, we have a market for this, let's start Aquapor and we did and here we are. Yeah, well, can you talk about the role that technology can play in addressing the issue? Because while you're doing that now,
00:14:47
Speaker
I think technology has an outsized role to play. We have to have better technologies to solve these issues. And here's the beauty is they're out there. They're out there. So I think
00:15:02
Speaker
I can't remember who said it, but I like the quote that the biggest challenges we face as a culture, as a society, as a world can be solved with the right combination of people, technology, and capital. And so I think that we have brilliant people out there, technology is out there, and we have the capital to want to solve these issues. Now, the next step is we have to have this collective want or this will
00:15:31
Speaker
to solve these big issues. And that's the next step. But I would say technology plays a huge role. And I just have to believe that there's already technologies being developed that can solve it. Now we just have to want to do it.
00:15:49
Speaker
And when I say we, it's like elected elected officials it's like the people that make these decisions from the highest level. They give a pretty good lip service and I think in the United States.
00:16:02
Speaker
Other cities are much more progressive this way than others. But there's this sort of path dependency that I think in America we've gotten too caught up on where it's like we don't take risks the way that we used to. And I think we need to get back to that. We need to think much more boldly about the future. But how would you like Equiport to support the modernization of the water infrastructure in America?
00:16:29
Speaker
Well, how is it and to support its resilience?
00:16:34
Speaker
I would like to see us have a seat at the table to be able to help solve the issues. I don't think we can solve, like our solution isn't the silver bullet to do it, but I think anywhere- Nothing is, I mean by itself, yeah. Nothing is, but I will say this. Here's an example. In Los Angeles County, they have 9,000 miles of sidewalk that needs to be replaced.
00:17:00
Speaker
And they've been talking about billions of dollars. We need all this money to replace sidewalks just to make them more up to date. Here's my thought is.
00:17:14
Speaker
And by the way, our technology can't go everywhere. It needs to be engineered and it needs to be engineered based on soil hydrology and some other factors. But my thing is like, if you're going to replace 9,000 miles of sidewalks, why not make them permeable to solve two issues at once? Three issues at once. You're going to get water back into the ground naturally. It's going to be a low carbon
00:17:39
Speaker
alternative to normal concrete. And the third piece is you're gonna improve your sidewalk. It's just gonna be a newer sidewalk. So I don't think I directly answered your question, but I'd like us to have a seat at the table when they're talking about replacing any physical hard surface area in cities. Why not make it with permeable aquapor material? And what are the biggest challenges that you see with the implementation?
00:18:06
Speaker
Well, I think being new a new technology is really hard. So I go back to kind of what I talked about a minute ago was cities are pretty path dependent. Like they want they're going to go with the things that they know and the contractors that they know. And and so overcoming that, I think, is a challenge.
00:18:25
Speaker
you know, we're getting to the point now, and this is why we've been so deep into R&D, is getting this concrete, our material to the point where it's really cost competitive with normal concrete, which in the end is almost unfair because it's like, we feel like our solution solves two issues at once again, whereas normal concrete is just paved surface.
00:18:51
Speaker
But that's the way people think. They're like, well, we don't want to pay two times the cost for something. And it's like, OK, we'll drive our costs down. And we have to get it to that point, which we're very close to. So I think those two main issues, and then just, again, getting people and decision makers to have the collective will and the want to want to solve these huge issues and saying, yeah, let's go for it. Let's think bold about the next 5, 10, 15 years.
Optimism for Future Water Management
00:19:21
Speaker
And are you optimistic about that? How do you see the future of water evolving in the next decade? I'm, I'm super, I'm super optimistic about it. And you know, why is because I talked to, there's two sides of it. I talked to, you know, people at the city level and engineers and, and that can be.
00:19:41
Speaker
at times like, oh my, you want to just like beat your head against the wall or beat their head against the wall. Wake up. But on the other hand, I talked to weekly young, bold entrepreneurs working in the water space, working in other spaces, robotics, aerospace, critical minerals. And there's this movement right now of super optimistic, very bright young people working on things.
00:20:11
Speaker
that will solve some of these grand challenges. And that keeps me very optimistic, not just optimistic, like excited. Because I think we have this young generation, we have the collective will and the brains to want to solve these issues.
00:20:29
Speaker
So you think they're gonna be able to overcome the system, the political system? Yeah. It's good to try. It's always good to try. Yeah, yeah. I mean, maybe not, but there's ways to work with the political system too. And yeah, yeah, I do, I do. I think, I don't know, I'm an optimist. I'm a rational optimist, but I'm, yeah, I think so.
00:20:55
Speaker
Well, can you share some personal challenges that you faced maybe for those future generations and young people who are going to listen to this podcast?
Personal Challenges and Perseverance in Innovation
00:21:07
Speaker
Yeah, it's hard when you're starting something new, it's obviously hard. And what happens is you come out of the gates with your idea and it's super exciting. And you're like, I'm an entrepreneur now. And the first year is just very like your high energy. But the thing is, it's a long road, it's a track. And so you have to be able to have grit
00:21:35
Speaker
And grit is like, you know what you want and you know the issue that you're going to solve. And so you're gonna get knocked down.
00:21:44
Speaker
every week, almost every day. So there's not a day that goes by where it's not a new challenge or a new obstacle. And I think it's a mindset thing. So if you can just shift your mindset to saying, it's another obstacle, I'm going to figure out how to work through this issue, and then you move on to the kind of the next step. And so it's having just that perseverance
00:22:08
Speaker
Never lose faith. If you believe in something deeply enough, you know, you again, you're gonna get knocked down. Never lose faith. And I would say just surround yourself with people that keep you uplifted and read the right stuff. I'd stay away from too much social media and news and doom and gloom and all that. That doesn't help.
00:22:34
Speaker
So I don't know, I think it's just mindset. If you believe in something deeply enough, you can find a way.
Encouraging Community Sustainability Efforts
00:22:42
Speaker
Yeah, I have to say, I totally agree with you, especially with surrounding yourself with people who are optimistic and who are already in the industry. That's why we started this podcast, you know, to make a community of like-minded people so that we don't lose optimism because it's really easy, actually. It is. Yeah, it's always easier to give up, yeah.
00:23:10
Speaker
I know, especially today, it's like there's so much going on in the world that just seems so negative. And so that can suck the energy out of you and you got to stay away from that. It's fine to be informed, I think, of what's going on in the world, but you don't want to consume yourself with that crap.
00:23:31
Speaker
Yeah, I know, but it's a thin balance, you know, you have to stay connected, but then you have to pick your connections. So yeah, it's not that easy, especially if you're new. Yeah, that's so well said, you have to stay connected, but you have to pick your connections. So yeah, in the end, like, how do you think that individuals and communities should get evolved? And how can we like all together shape or better tomorrow?
00:24:01
Speaker
You know, I think it's just, it can be very small things. I think if you live in a city, you know, little measures of conservation, just being conscientious about, like here's an example in, I live in Spokane, Washington, and we sit atop, I think one of the most pristine aquifers in America. Like we have this freshwater abundance that is such a blessing, but
00:24:28
Speaker
We take it for granted people here take it for granted. And I think if people bring it back to Spokane if you just think like you don't need to keep the water on the whole time you're brushing your teeth for two and a half minutes or whatever little things like that. I think, and I know this sounds so trivial but
00:24:48
Speaker
you know, I walk around in my neighborhood, I'm walking my dog, there's trash everywhere, you know, or little trash on the trail, just picking that stuff up. And it changes your mindset. Cause now you're like, you know what, I'm, I'm doing my part, my little small part, but I think then you get to the bigger level and being able to, if you vote, okay, voting is important. You have constituent, you're a constituent in your city or in your town, um, city council, uh,
00:25:19
Speaker
you'll have their ear or you should, and you should be vocal about certain things that you think need to be implemented in terms of environmental stewardship and stuff like that.
Supporting Genuine Sustainability Initiatives
00:25:30
Speaker
And then I think at the bigger level is thinking about the greatest way you can vote is with your wallet.
00:25:36
Speaker
And so if you're buying things that are sustainable for the most part, I think you're voting that way. I think investing in companies and movements that are sustainable is another step you can take. And then, yeah, I don't know. I think it's just being conscientious about those types of things.
00:26:04
Speaker
And I would like, I would add that you have to educate yourself because we have too much greenwashing these days. So yeah, in order to invest, to support, to do whatever you need to know who you're supporting. So. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. That's a big one. Yeah.
00:26:22
Speaker
Thank you, Greg. Do you have something else to add to this conversation? No, I mean, I guess in closing, well, first I want to thank you for shining the light and doing everything you're doing to shine the light on people and companies that are trying to do well in the world.
00:26:40
Speaker
I would just leave by saying, you know, if anyone's interested in learning more about what we're doing, just go to aquapor.com. We're at A-Q-U-I-P-O-R.com. And other than that, I just really appreciate you having me on.
00:26:56
Speaker
No, thank you. We're going to leave all the links below in the description. Don't worry. We're going to tag you everywhere. You're pretty active on social media. You and your co-host have followed you everywhere. So your content is actually really good. You guys are startup co-founders and influencers. Hold on.
00:27:23
Speaker
Not influencers. I prefer thought leaders. Yeah, yeah, yeah. True, true. Yeah. Influencers in the business space. Yeah, that's right. Thanks again, Greg. I wish you all the best in your aquapor way.
Conclusion: Optimism for Sustainability
00:27:43
Speaker
I wish you two to make a future better. You're already like started. Yeah, so thank you again.
00:27:51
Speaker
Thank you very much and keep up the good work. Bye. Bye bye.
00:28:01
Speaker
Well, that's a wrap on this episode of GMP Launchpad. We hope you got some valuable insight and inspiration out of today's episode. If you did, give us a shout out on social media and let us know your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you. And hey, if you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, what are you waiting for? We've got some more awesome episodes coming your way, featuring amazing guests from the sustainability space.
00:28:23
Speaker
So we'll be back with more talks, with more guests, with more episodes, so until then, keep dreaming, keep launching and keep making a positive impact on the world. Bye!