Wastewater? More Like Wonder Water! The Surprising Solution to Climate Change
From Waste to Wonder
Did you know that we produce over 359 billion gallons of wastewater globally each year? That's enough to fill over 500,000 Olympic-sized pools 🏊. Unfortunately, a lot of this wastewater never gets treated and ends up polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans, contributing to the global problem of climate change.
But there's good news. Companies are now finding ways to treat and reuse wastewater in sustainable and impactful ways.
One company leading the way in this field is Epic Cleantec. You might remember them from our micro-documentary way back in February 2022. When we profiled them, we shared CEO & Founder Aaron Tartakovsky’s vision to take building wastewater and convert it into three outputs: clean water, soil products, and recovered wastewater heat energy. By producing this high-quality water, they can help buildings reuse anywhere from 50% to 95% of their wastewater.
But we recently heard they’ve gone one step further by using recycled wastewater to create beer 🍺. Epic has developed a unique process that treats and purifies wastewater to a level that's safe for human consumption. Not only does this reduce the amount of water the company uses in its brewing process, but it also helps to address the issue of drought in California.
But It’s Not Just Booze…
In addition to the beer industry, recycled wastewater has numerous applications that can help us fight climate change. It can be used for irrigation, toilet flushing, and even industrial processes. By reducing the demand for freshwater, we can conserve this valuable resource and reduce our carbon footprint.
Of course, recycling wastewater is just one part of the solution. We also need to focus on reducing the amount of wastewater we produce in the first place. This means investing in water-efficient technologies, improving wastewater treatment infrastructure, and educating individuals and communities on the importance of water conservation.
Thankfully, there are many organizations and initiatives working towards this goal. From the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation to local community-based efforts, there's a growing movement to protect our water resources and reduce our impact on the environment.
So I guess the only question is, will you raise a (recycled wastewater) glass to this innovative solution helping us tackle climate change?
What We’re Watching 🎥, Reading 📚, and Listening to 🎧
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