Biography
Juan Carlos is an entrepreneur with Industrial Engineering background from Javeriana University of Colombia. He is a CEO of AcuaCare, a company that runs a biological treatment of sewage water using worms for houses and industries. The technology used turns contamination into organic fertilizers and creates the opportunity of making sustainable systems of production with reductions up to 70% in operational cost.
Juan is passionate for innovation, collective creation of knowledge and user experience. He has worked in development of products, financial evaluation, and creation of new lines of business for agriculture, construction and technology. Juan received Master’s degree in construction management from Catholic University of Chile, and he is also Global Shaper and fellow of Georgetown University at their leadership program.
What is your motivation in water sector?
In Colombia, over 80% of the contaminated water goes to the rivers without any kind of treatment. These sanitary issues create enormous problems, and on average, 3 of every 10 children younger than 4 die because of water borne diseases. I am a strong believer that in order to have a steady development, people in my country must seek for ideas, projects, NGOs or companies that create value in a social, environmental and economic way. My motivation regarding AcuaCare, was to create an unusual engineering company that make an exceptional work with the environment and with worms, but at the same time we could use the treated water to create gardens of production systems for people. So at the end, the society around our projects could benefit in multiple ways.
What projects/campaigns/works related to water you are leading (or you have led)?
During our operation, we have build bio-filters with worms for houses in rural areas and we are starting to work with oil camps, milk Industries and mass consumption companies. Additionally to the bio-filters, we have built systems for the reuse of rain waters, creation of organic production systems, gardens where the water for irrigation comes from the water treatment plants and some construction projects.
Our company was selected by the World Environmental center as one of the twelve most sustainable projects in Latin America and Caribbean. Also the Inter-American Bank of Development selected us as one of the best startups of Latin American that could improve lives around the region. We are also the finalist in the Global Innovation and technology summit, and we intend to develop new products for the base of the pyramid.
What are your success, failures and learning?
My success is to realize that the worms that I used to create biofertilizers could also treat water (I had a company that produced humus). I learned this during a trip that I made to Silicon Valley. This technology was in operation in many different countries such as Chile, New Zealand and Spain, but I brought it to the Colombia. This has been highly rewarding as it contributed for better care of nature and improved well being of people.
My difficulties were in establishing this system in the country. I wanted a rapid growth but it was very difficult with the existing traditional systems. I had to made alliances, seek professional assistance, and even learn about a field that I was not trained to manage. It has been by far the toughest task I have ever started.
My biggest learning is to take challenges and pursue own dreams no matter how difficult they may be. If there something that really passionate my soul and create greater impact for people and nations, I would love to contribute. There is nothing more appealing than seeing your ideas turn into reality.
What do you think is the greatest water related challenge in your region and how can it be addressed?
Even though the water treatment is a huge challenge, I am looking forward for solutions. I think the biggest challenge is related with education and culture related to how we take care of our resources. I think it is important to make ideas more tangible and have success stories. We need to show people that taking care of the environment is a good investment for their lives. Traditional awareness campaigns such as “don`t contaminate” are not working anymore. We need to create more models that encourage environmental care, create tax benefits, promote livelihood of low income communities with sustainable practices, facilitates better market conditions for companies that are willing to invest in social and water friendly initiatives. We also need more budget for towns that show exceptional behavior or even games in schools that teach children that if they don`t pollute the river that goes besides their school.
What one message you want to share with other water youth leaders?
I think all of the people that work in this field need to feel a little bit more and think a little bit less. We all need to understand how our work and inventions interact with people, see how they feel, how they react, and how they are used to do things in the past. We need to think as an engineer but feel like an artist. Water is the source of life, productivity and happiness. If we manage water; we are also managing happiness, hope and future.
