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.
Carbon negative land-based algae farms could feed 10 billion humans by 2050. An Israeli startup is 3D printing plant-based salmon. Advanced membrane startup ZwitterCo raises record $33M. Alaska cancels snow crab season over population collapse. The EPA is sued for lack of tighter Clean Water Act enforcement for factory farms. US Navy sailors are said to have been drinking jet-fuel-contaminated water. Study shows 100% of tested local surfaces waters are contaminated with PFAS. Dr. Peter Fiske is this week's highlighted WELL member.
Your weekly Bonus - Would you recognize the Ocean as a living being? These scientists do.
This week's water quote:
A miracle unfolding
That’s what I see today,
A world reflecting nothing less than
Miracles at play
The planets in their yearly dance
Around the golden sun,
The wax and wane of silver moon
Life cycles every one
The leaves that turn from green to yellow, orange and red,
The blossoms that bear the fruit
That is our daily bread
The earth a home and resting place
For creatures great and small,
Each one unique and magical,
Contributing to the unity of All
Coded deep within
These miracles is pure Love,
For eyes and hearts behold as miracles
Outpouring from spirit above
Above, below, within, without,
Nowhere they are not found,
It’s everywhere and everything
Love’s miracles abound
A miracle unfolding
That’s what I feel today,
A world reflecting
Miracles each and every day
Tech & Innovation
These land-based algae farms could feed 10 billion humans by 2050
The naturally 'carbon-eating' microorganisms could mean the farms will be carbon negative too.
Israeli startup's plant-based salmons saves fish population thanks to 3D printing
Plantish began competing in the salmon market and now provides veggie fillets created using a unique 3D printing process. The organization has already raised $12.5 million and plans to market its fish through a network of restaurateurs.
Corporate & Deals
ADVANCED MEMBRANE START-UP RAISES RECORD $33M SERIES A
Advanced membrane technology company ZwitterCo has raised one of the largest Series A funding rounds in history for a water technology company.
Core & Main acquires Ohio-based waterworks company
Core & Main, Inc. has closed its previously announced acquisition of substantially all of the assets of the municipal waterworks division of Trumbull Industries, Inc., as well as the assets of an affiliated entity, a supplier of specialty and private label products for the municipal and industrial markets, based in Ohio.
Water & the Environment
The cost to capture carbon? More water and electricity
A carbon capture proposal for a central Louisiana power plant has been titled “Project Diamond Vault” by its owner, Louisiana utility Cleco. The utility says the project will have “precious value” to the company, customers and state.
Alaska cancels snow crab season over population decline
The causes of the population collapse are being researched but likely include increased predation and stresses from warmer water, which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes may have prompted the crabs to shift away from coasts.
EPA sued over lack of plan to regulate water pollution from factory farms
Suit claims the agency has yet to respond to legal petition demanding tighter Clean Water Act enforcement for factory farms.
England could be in drought beyond spring 2023, say ministers
The news will be particularly problematic for farmers, who were hoping for a damp autumn and winter to refill reservoirs so they could plant and harvest crops into next year.
'Blue Spaces' Seem to Have an Effect on People That Ripples Even Decades Later
The fun of splashing at the beach or exploring a creek is an iconic part of childhood for countless kids around the world. It may also be a valuable investment in lifelong mental health, according to a new study.
PFAS & Chemicals
Veterans Say U.S. Navy Sailors Have Been Drinking Jet-Fuel-Contaminated Water
As the U.S. military attempted to recover from its latest drinking water contamination scandal, Navy sailors came forward to claim that they were put at undue risk of consuming jet fuel in drinking water aboard numerous warships.
Landmark Waterkeeper study shows 100 percent of our local surface waters tested contain PFAS pollution
A new national study serves as a wake up call when it comes to widespread PFAS pollution in our surface waters both across the United States, and here at home in Western New York.
Scientists Say PFAS Contamination Should Be Presumed At Over 57,000 U.S. Sites
Tens of thousands of locations across the United States may be contaminated by PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), according to a study published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Dr. Peter S. Fiske is the Director of the Water-Energy Resilience Research Institute (WERRI) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is a seasoned executive with more than 2 decades of experience leading technology organizations and initiatives across industries such as Water, Renewable Energy, Defense, and Natural Resources. He has successfully commercialized several technologies including Reactive Atom Plasma (RAP) processing for optics and semiconductor manufacturing, biomimicry-inspired high-efficiency fluid mixing and process control technology (PAX Water) and has served as a board member or advisor to a number of technology start-ups.
Fiske is also a nationally-recognized author and lecturer, teaching innovation, entrepreneurship and personal career strategy to scientists and engineers in industry and research. He is a regular contributor to Nature (the #1 international science journal) and a past columnist for Science (the #1 US scientific journal). His articles have also appeared in The New Scientist. Fiske is the author of Put Your Science to WORK!, the most widely-read career strategy guide for early-career scientists and engineers. He is a frequent keynote speaker and lecturer at leading research universities such as MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Caltech and has given his acclaimed 2-hour workshop to over 25,000 scientists and engineers in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
Thank you Peter for your efforts in water innovation and advocacy and for sharing your expertise and passion with our Water Emissaries and the WELL community.
Ocean & Justice
Scientists Call For The Ocean to Be Recognized as a Living Being With Inherent Rights
"International law needs to evolve to reflect the Ocean's inherent rights to exist, flourish, and regenerate. Ocean health is human health."
