Water We Doing?

Welcome to the first episode of the Water We Doing Podcast!
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone across this planet, has tested our ability to adapt, develop and role out vaccines and figure out efficient ways to test and monitor our entire population.
When testing is limited, what is the best way to understand the spread of a virus in a large population? In this episode we learn about Wastewater Surveillance and how you can test samples from our sewers to understand where the virus has spread. We get insight from Dr. Steve Hrudey the Chair of the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition from the Canadian Water Network. Dr. Hrudey helps us understand how this technology works, where it's been used before, and how it can be used in the future.
You don't have to be a math whiz to know that being able to test an entire population with one sample versus testing everyone individually means a lot less work. This technology is becoming even more important as we begin tracking new variants within our communities and begin planning to protect ourselves for any potential future pandemics.
To find out more about the wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in Canada and the Canadian Water Network COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition Click Here.
To find out more about the Aquatic Biosphere Project Click Here.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of our oceans through a series of captivating films on November 30th at the Stanley Milner Library in Edmonton, AB.

One Ocean Film Tour - Nov 30th Edmonton
One Ocean Film Tour presented by the Aquatic Biosphere Project in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

We're not in a material crisis, we're in an atoms and molecules crisis. Welcome to the age of metals.
Polymetallic nodules sit on the sea floor and accumulate atoms from the Seawater. Every element on the periodic table is in solution in the Ocean. Halfway between Mexico and Hawaii there is a very high concentration of Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, and Copper which is all of the metals that we need for electric cars. So why are we still strip mining huge areas around the world when we could just be picking up rocks from the bottom of the ocean?
"We go down from a ship on the surface. Then there’s a vehicle on the bottom. We haven’t come up with the word for it yet, it’s not really mining, it’s more like hoovering or vacuuming. We’re not destroying, we’re not fracking, we’re not grinding, we’re just picking rocks up." - Dr. Greg Stone

Listen to this episode for our full interview with Dr. Greg Stone, Chief Ocean Scientist from The Metals Company.

To learn more about the Metals Company click here. To learn more about Dr. Greg Stone Click Here and to listen to his podcast the Sea Has Many Voices click here.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of our oceans through a series of captivating films on November 30th at the Stanley Milner Library in Edmonton, AB.

One Ocean Film Tour - Nov 30th Edmonton
One Ocean Film Tour presented by the Aquatic Biosphere Project in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

The future of our pharmaceuticals are from down under.... the surface of course!
Coral reefs are the new tropical rainforests when it comes to drug research. When you think about it, how else do you protect yourself when you are a sea sponge, you can't move, don't have any spines or spikes and are free game for any of the thousands of species living nearby? Well chemistry of course! Turns out some of this chemistry may help with the future of our pharmaceuticals!
And then to our crabbiest ally that you never knew about! The fact that we rely on Horseshoe crab blood to test all of our internal medical devices and vaccines is stunning! And the fact that we are affecting the environment in such a drastic fashion yet have a synthetic alternative that we can turn to is wild. Yet we still remain crab vampires in the name of healthcare!
For more information on the future of drugs from the sea and Dr. Marc Slattery's research click here. To watch his Ted talk "Drugs from the Sea: What do we lose when Coral reefs die?" click here.
For more information about the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition Click here. Check out Dr. Larry Niles blog about his work right here.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of our oceans through a series of captivating films on November 30th at the Stanley Milner Library in Edmonton, AB.

One Ocean Film Tour - Nov 30th Edmonton
One Ocean Film Tour presented by the Aquatic Biosphere Project in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

The future of green energy of course involves water. The biggest increases in consistent renewable energy production all involve water. Of course the next issue is how do we store all of this green energy? Well the ocean may hold the answer to this question too.
In this episode you will learn all about Wave Energy from Michael Henriksen, the CEO of Wavepiston. Wavepiston is changing the game when it comes to capturing wave energy and transferring it to electricity.
You'll also learn all about the future of geothermal energy in Canada from Dr. Steve Grasby the President of Geothermal Canada. Canada is one of the only countries with active volcanoes that doesn't produce geothermal energy. Tune in to hear how Dr. Steve is planning on changing that.
Now how can we store all of this green energy? Did someone say batteries? Or even better how about electric vehicles? Dr. Greg Stone the Chief Ocean Scientist from the Metals Company lets us in on the little secret sitting on the ocean floor that may revolutionize the future of electric vehicle batteries.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of our oceans through a series of captivating films on November 30th at the Stanley Milner Library in Edmonton, AB.

One Ocean Film Tour - Nov 30th Edmonton
One Ocean Film Tour presented by the Aquatic Biosphere Project in Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Today we're discussing wave energy! Oceans cover 71% of the surface of the globe and guess what! Waves are everywhere! It's estimated that just the wave energy potential along the continental US could be 33-65% of the total electricity demand in the US.
You'll hear from Michael Henricksen the CEO of WavePiston. WavePiston is changing the game when it comes to capturing and converting wave energy into electrical potential or desalinated seawater. Based in Denmark, they are creating a non-intrusive, simple, robust and low-cost solution to capturing the energy potential of the ocean.
Interested in learning more about Wave Energy in Canada? Click here!
To learn more about the WavePiston system Click Here.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of our oceans through a series of captivating films on November 30th at the Stanley Milner Library in Edmonton, AB.

One Ocean Film Tour - Nov 30th Edmonton
One Ocean Film Tour presented by the Aquatic Biosphere Project in Edmonton, AB, Canada.