Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle

A system approach to healthy cities.

The current water cycle of evaporation from the ocean to clouds to rain, then collection, use and  dumping back into the rivers or oceans is unsustainable. A short circuit urban water cycle starts with water lightly used (greywater) from bathroom sinks, showers and condensation from air conditioners.  This water is used to grow lush landscapes, that clean the water and give off plant transpiration, that adds atmosphere vapor, where air conditioners condensate to water again. This condensation is basically distilled water, with some cleaning a great drinkable source. The solution is cutting out the ocean, clouds and rain.

Other benefits:
Most cities have air conditioners. Increase global temperatures are increasing atmospheric vapor, the lush landscape clean cool the urban heat island, clean the air and provide green space. Less waste water less sewage cleaning issues, and more... as you read on.

Unsustainable urban design also creates unhealthy cities.  Our solution should not be look at as ONE item solved, but a system approach. Where we solve one item that enable others items to be solve, and that creates even more solutions.

At the core is the reuse of water. Moving from a liner one time use to multiply uses, from the first shower, then as a water source to irrigate landscapes subsurface with our Aquifer Pipe (already develop, tested and deployed in Los Angeles). This enable lush landscapes without using drinkable water. But also lower the need to centralize clean this waste water that lowers the pressure on sewage plants, or the risk of untreated sewage events.  

The lush landscapes naturally cleans the greywater through transpiration into the surrounding atmospheric vapor, thereby cooling the area around us, this vapor is collected on the air condensation coils as condensation. Every building with a small air conditioner is producing 25 gallons a day of condensation and larger 5 story buildings up to 5,000 gallons.

We use greywater now across all social economic groups as a way to grow plants including food with lightly used water. We foresee every home from multimillionaire homes to slum shacks using greywater to grow plants and food. The plants cut urban heat by shading structures, clean the air of pollution for the region, and cut demand on the waste water infrastructure.

In slums where space is limited we expect to see green walls from vines acting also as second skins to buildings, cutting the thermal heat. As plants grow they naturally cool the surrounding environment and provide not only food but green back drops to improve health.

Greywater reuse enables more that water conservation.

A integrated system approach of treating greywater by using plants that provide food, urban cooling, air pollution control and atmospheric vapor.

The diversion of the greywater lowers pressure on sewage treatment centers and the energy needed to run them, this also lowers the need to transport water just for single use. 
The short circuit of the water cycle when applied is the reuse of the water molecule over and over again within the same urban center. Think about that, millions of gallons reuse over and over again all with very little energy in a decentralize infrastructure.

The invention of the Aquifer Pipe was out of a personal desire to green up my landscape with laundry water. There was no items on the market so the Aquifer Pipe was invented to solve this issue. Over time and interaction with scientist the innovation had bigger social benefits than just keeping a lawn green.
The main goal was to protect human health by delivering greywater subsurface away from human contact. The end result was a high efficient irrigation the cut water lost to evaporation thus saving 50% of the water needed to grow plants and increasing yields by 70%.  Serendipity with facilities manager brought up the increase of condensation as a greywater source, and this was follow up with NASA scientist that express the same process of using plants to clean water and collect it for drinking is study for space travel. We already have market fit for greywater and condensation collection, the next step is cleaning for drinking.  

The core technology is our Aquifer Pipe, that enable the distribution of greywater 12 inches subsurface away from human contract, thus avoiding any puddling or potential danger of reusing greywater.  The soil microbes clean the water as it wicks into the surrounding soils.

There is no change of soap, detergents or hair products.

The science journals are full of reports on the benefits of plants, a in the last decade science paper have been publish on the use of Condensation for reuse, even a calculator to determine the volume has been develop.  On a separate path the creation of companies focus on Atmospheric Water Generation have been launched.  So much of the core structure is in the public domain, our approach to the reuse of water in the Aquifer Pipe is new, and has been proven by our paid customer installs.

We know that we can build a total solution to the point of producing Net Posative Water buildings. These are buildings that produce more water than they use, through the system approach we have described. The big challenge is the policy changes to drive wide regional / global adoption on existing buildings.  New buildings will already be design with the correct elements due to programs such a LEED and Living Building Challenge.

We are at the point of growth.
Paying customers stand a 50, this next funding should allow us to expand to few 1000, then scale nationally with online sales through Lowe's and Home depot aimed at DIY installers.

On the commercial side we have started talks with major corporations such as Whole Foods and Costco to take the condensation fro landscape use with a path to using the condensation water for toilet flushing and eventually drinkable water. 

Our next step is to develop the processes to clean condensation for drinking water.

With in the next year we are seeking the seed funding round now. That is important to secure before going to the next level.

Next level steps:  Greywater Rebate Programs by agencies, the increase in green urban landscapes.

Green second skin walls to cut urban heat island
Condensation for toilet flushing - a retrofit business model
Condensation of Drinkable water from existing air conditioning equipment - A EPA title 22 authorization

Financial to scale
We have already design, deployed and found market acceptance on the core greywater distribution equipment.

Our next big challenge is the use of Condensation for Toilet flushing, the plumbing code requires a NSF 350 testing and listing, which to use is more of a paper work procedure.

The final challenge is the use of condensation for drinking water, this too is a EPA standard that needs to be meet.

The finance road block is solve by good old fund raising through meeting investors who are interesting in Social Impact Solutions.

The technical issues are all standard procedures that will have unforeseen road blocks that we are more than confidant we can solve.

Full time: 3 we are very much a start up still, with a proven product set and paid active customers. Feel we have found market fit.

Part time: 5 , content writers, social media support, executive staff with other full time jobs
Volunteers Interns: 7 all from a local college studying biology and specifically waste water solutions.

Scientist / Professors: 11
We have engage a number of college professors who are bullish on our product (the Aquifer Pipe) and the greater solution it can bring globally.

Contractors: 8
These are individuals who install our Aquifer Pipe as independent contractors or resellers.

We are pioneering much of the total system approach elements. In the process as pioneers we are figuring out the economics of each element and building payer paths from either the direct building owners or agencies interested in key elements.

Example we have secure greywater use for trees, through a grant by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, not for the water savings but for the energy savings trees will provide on the buildings.

In other cases we are using the condensation reuse for wholesale water credits rebates.  In other words we are entrench within the multiple separate silos that drive our solution. At the same time we are speaking at conference highlight this new system solution path and the economic models that make it work, giving others the tools to build the same ecosystem solutions for healthy cities.

We partner up with a few organizations:
First i am an active speaker at the following conferences, each industry being a partner of ours.

On the nonprofit side we are partner with:
Community Healing Gardens
Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator

Our key direct customers are homeowners and building owners who buy our greywater solution for two reasons.
a) it is the environmentally right thing to due for long term water sustainability.

b) the utility water savings from using less water and the associated sewage changes to the project.  On average the return on investment is 6 years.

We are ready for growth and actively seeking VC investors that will finance the addition of sales people and market expansion. We already have a economic model that works, just need to scale it for sustainable cash flow.

Social Change, i just read a opinion article that social change has to take on a new paradigm of thinking and solving the challenges that face us today. For the thinking path of the past, is what got us to a climate crises and unhealthy cities today.  These current built up views need multiple voices that encourage new perspectives and approaches.  This is where the Solver teams can help. We need other voices and advocates in the media and in networking events to spread the word of the Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle concepts. 

As a scaling startup, we focus on the beach head product of greywater revenue, then each step of innovation to bring the total Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle to market.

The larger bigger system approach that will produce healthy safe cities, is made up of many small innovations that need time for the general public to conceptualize and learn. This is also a long runway for urban cities to adopt, with many conflicting government agencies. Such a long runway would not be wise for any business and the return would be too risky. 

So what is proposed is that the Solver team act as our third party partner who can help us lay a parallel course around public discussion and policy for the long game of a holistic Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle urban design model

Help create the dialog message for the bigger picture on what a Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle means for cities in the 21st city.  What i mean by this is the learning path we need to bring agency and stake holder along to bring them in the fold of a holistic solution.

Many times each stake holder is concern about there isolated silo, example is a water agency is only concern about water and water conservation. Thus green landscapes are not on there agenda.  Even if these green landscapes clean the greywater and generate atmospheric water vapor, that is too far disconnected from the agency's current mind set.

On the global page, i would like to partner with Woman empowerment groups. Our technology is disruptive and new, with no preconceive worker type. I like to make it that this is a woman dominated /exclusive trade globally and that women are the leaders in the core technology at all levels. From the installation, to the urban design of atmospheric vapor generator landscapes. I feel places like India or the middle east the exclusive woman trade, allows woman to participate in economic growth without risking custom of the separation of men and women in the work place.

On the USA national stage, the market is moving in our direction. New rules that make greywater enable buildings is now mandatory. We would like to partner up with organization that can help bring our total system approach of a Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle solution into focus, and the use of greywater as the first step to this goal.

AI plays a key role in planning the Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle models.  From urban green space that will maximize transpiration vapor for down stream condensation collection.  Example: Think of the air around a urban center as streams of vapor flowing along with the natural wind paths. AI model of lining the wind paths with the ideal green plants that transpire the most water vapor before they reach a bank of air conditioners would be idea to maximize condensation collection. 

Adding to this,  the design placement of the air conditioner for maximum condensation would be a AI exercise that could place the equipment on the north side of a building instead of the south-side of example.

A new profession in urban transpiration design would utilize such AI tools for designing how to maximize a buildings atmospheric water generation capacity. Making building Net Water Positive water islands.

The common element you see in slums and poor urban areas around the globe from India to South Central Los Angels, is the lack of green landscape and trees. The green element mitigates the infection diseases by providing natural air cleaners of the plant to scrum the the air of pollutants that weaken the humans natural immune system.  Studies have show people around green spaces are healthier and recover from surgery faster.

Enabling the green element, also lessen the standing water from sewage or other water waste that harbor vector breeding sources.

Our solution encourages the diversion of greywater to grow green landscapes and food crops, that cool the environment and make it healthy and the same time lowering the volume water sent to a over stress sewage system. One that may break in many parts and cause further opportunities for vector-borne illness

Statistical data shows that trees and lush landscapes lower Gun Violence in urban areas.  With our solution the mapping of a tree canopy is easy to collection from tools like USDA's I-Tree and the crime data from police records. The correlation can be measure over the years as the tree canopies grow and more trees are planted.

Our solution is noncontroversial and holistic in the application with long term effects.

On the global page, i would like to partner with Woman empowerment

groups. Our technology is disruptive and new, with no preconceive worker
type. I like to make it that this is a woman dominated /exclusive trade
globally and that women are the leaders in the core technology at all
levels. From the installation, to the urban design of atmospheric vapor
generator landscapes. I feel places like India or the middle east the
exclusive woman trade, allows woman to participate in economic growth
without risking custom of the separation of men and women in the work
place.

AI-based solutions are a big integrated solution to perfect the Urban Short Circuit Water Cycle system model. From analyzing and modeling optimal urban trade winds to maximize condensation water generation, to landscape planting models to maximize transpiration.  The AI data collection is a powerful tool when we extended it out to understand ideal plant mix for transpiration during different parts of the day.   

The profitability of such a tool increase the need for buildings to be self water generating grows as water scarcity increases.  The AI tool can also be overlaid with the landscape planting to gun violence data or air pollution data to violence the need for new planting along specific corridors. Enabling the payer of the planting either from the public side to lower gun violence or from the private side due to the increase in water collection down stream of the transpiration vapor.  We see AI as a valuable tools set for the 21st city.

From our global expansion plan, we plan of empowering more woman in the work force, but enabling a new elusive trade in our technology.

Our technology is disruptive and new, with no preconceive worker type. I like to make it that this is a woman dominated /exclusive trade globally and that women are the leaders in the core technology at all levels. From the installation, to the urban design of atmospheric vapor generator landscapes. I feel places like India or the middle east the exclusive woman trade, allows woman to participate in economic growth without risking custom of the separation of men and women in the work place.

What better way to improve the health of woman than by enabling them to create a industry model that caters to there needs from a income perspective but also for the health care benefits perspective. This sub grant will be use to develop the community health clinic model to support the new industry we are proposing and the woman in each neighborhood of the distribution.   We are in the early stages of this, thus an idea stage to integrate the interrelationship of the clinics.