The Waterly
"The Waterly" is a weekly all-things-water newsletter we share with our community covering the latest innovations and investment deal flow in the water sector and recent news on climate change and water-related crises.
A message from the WIA team:
Our founder Stuart had an accident last week while bodysurfing in the ocean and fractured his neck. While we were all shocked by the seriousness of the injury, we are glad to share that he is back home in Kauai to start his recovery. He is very fortunate that he did not drown and is not fully paralyzed. The trauma of the injury is causing intense nerve pain from his hands up to his shoulders. Please hold Stuart in your prayers and blessings for full healing and recovery. Cheers, Didier
Happy Earth Week! Check out Google's time-lapse satellite images of Mount Kilimanjaro or the Greenland. A startup wants to create genetically engineered carbon-sucking super-trees. Biden is injecting $6B in nuclear, is it the right move? Tune into Cate Blanchett's new climate crisis podcast. Big oil companies betrayed us all. Mark Chasan, CEO of AWE Global, is this week's highlighted WELL member.
Your weekly Bonus - Are we going to reach space water soon?
This week's water fact:
The Three Gorges Dam slows the rotation of Earth by 0.06 microseconds
Tech & Innovation
A timber cargo ship could sail entire oceans without fossil fuels
While the continued rise of electric vehicles (EVs) represents perhaps the most visible such effort in the public’s mind, automakers are far from alone in their plans to bring low or zero-emission transport options to market.
A startup plans to fight climate change with genetically engineered super-trees
IE sat down with Tao to discuss what his team has accomplished and how it might — might — help solve one of our planet's biggest challenges.
How robots and indoor farming can help save water and grow crops year round
“We have different robots that are tending to the plants, they’re checking on it, they’re scanning for issues, and they’re adjusting the amount of nutrients it gets, the amount of water it gets”
Corporate & Deals
California injects $40M into heat pump water heater effort amid broader push to decarbonize buildings
California energy regulators Thursday approved an additional $40 million in funding from the 2023 gas cap-and-trade allowance auction to promote heat pump water heaters, on top of a previously authorized $44.7 million.
Biden launches $6bn effort to save America’s distressed nuclear plants
The Biden administration is launching a $6bn effort to rescue nuclear power plants at risk of closing, citing the need to continue nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power that helps to combat climate change.
Waterplan closes $7 million seed round led by Transition Global and Giant Ventures
Waterplan, a B2B SaaS start-up utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze climate data models and water data, enhancing organizations’ water security, recently announced the close of a $7 million seed funding round.
Water & the Environment
‘We’re trying to turn the magnet towards optimism’: Cate Blanchett on her new climate crisis podcast
In Climate of Change, old friends actor Cate Blanchett and clean energy entrepreneur Danny Kennedy aim to offer ordinary people real-life solutions to environmental disaster.
Google doodle marks Earth Day 2022 with stark images of climate crisis
Time-lapse satellite images show glacial retreat at Mount Kilimanjaro, Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching, deforestation in Germany and Greenland glacial melt.
‘What we now know … they lied’: how big oil companies betrayed us all
A quarter of a century later, Hagel acknowledges that the vote was wrong, and blames the oil industry for malignly claiming the science of climate change was not proved when companies such as Exxon and Shell already knew otherwise from their own research.
Americans are fleeing climate change — here’s where they can go
Climate havens or climate destinations are situated in places that avoid the worst effects of natural disasters and have the infrastructure to support a larger population. Many of these legacy cities are located in the Northeast.
PFAS & Chemicals
OCWD is first public lab in California to achieve PFAS detection certification
The lab previously became the first public agency lab to receive ELAP certification for PFAS analysis via EPA Method 537.
Study shows everyday plastic products release trillions of microscopic particles into water
Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have analyzed a couple of widely used consumer products to better understand these microscopic plastics. They found that when the plastic products are exposed to hot water, they release trillions of nanoparticles per liter into the water.
Mark Chasan is a digital media pioneer, lawyer, merchant banker, entrepreneur, and regenerative developer. He is known for founding eMusic, the first digital music distribution company. Currently, Mark is the Chairman and CEO of AWE Global, a company developing sustainable communities as well as integrated conscious & healthy workspaces. Mark is the CEO of Transformative, which helps eco-social entrepreneurs obtain financial and advisory resources necessary for success.
Thank you Mark for adding your legal counsel, expertise and passion to WIA and the WELL community.
Space & Water
Water in Europa's surface might be in reach of its first visiting spacecraft
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications provides evidence that the icy shell may be less obstructive than we thought.
