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Many of the world’s problems stem from water – yes, problems on a truly global scale. There somehow seems to be too much of it, too little of it, or a negative imbalance of it. These issues lead to flooding, drought, famine, and enormous loss of agriculture. Make no mistake: water, and its implications, is a major problem and it’s one that remains an issue.
Too often, people mistakenly believe the big problems in our world are already solved and that the only room left for innovation is incremental. Thankfully, the founding team behind Parjana didn’t fall into this trap. They realized that groundwater is still in fact a major problem and that they would be able to formulate a solution. Their innovation is making an impact already, by tackling a well-travelled problem with a fresh approach – talk about bold thinking in action.
In 1997, Andrew Niemczyk invented the Energy-passive Groundwater Recharge Product. Fast-forward over a decade and Niemczyk patented the technology and partnered with Greg McPartlin to expand and grow, utilizing this brilliant concept – the company is called Parjana. So what does this EGRP do, exactly? This green solution in water management is installed underground. Once it acclimatizes to the soil, the tube system (with five chambers in it and open channels along its edge) helps reduce surface runoff by increasing infiltration of water, much the same way as the natural environment would. This helps with water during rainfall and then provides moisture during dry moments, keeping the ground at equilibrium.
Groundwater (and its management) is crucial to harvesting crops as well as city planning or management. For too many people, this resource is wasted, and its presence causes problems. In Detroit, groundwater constantly flooded one of our most precious resources. Belle Isle is a major island park, located midway across the Detroit River (between the US side and Canadian side), designed by the same visionary as New York City’s own Central Park. And, up until recently, Belle Isle would dramatically flood – every single time it rained. The soil had long since been unkempt (leading to poor absorption from the neglect). Thankfully, Parjana installed its EGRP system as a pilot study in Belle Isle’s fields. And now, they’re no longer flooded – but the grass isn’t yellow anymore either, from its previous dehydration. The water is actually being absorbed into the ground properly and the runoff into the deeper earth (the lower level of groundwater) is also absorbed properly toward larger water stores (rivers and lakes).
This success has been replicated with equal and even greater levels of success worldwide. Parjana has a series of certified installers who are making a difference everywhere they go. This system is maintenance-free for 25 years, making it a groundbreaking technological leap in the world of groundwater.
This company’s founding team saw a behemoth problem. Though their invention hasn’t solved the world’s water problem in totality, they’ve been able to fix one facet of it. And for their team and their clients, that’s enough – for now.
When you’re faced with something as gargantuan as water, do you shy away from it, figuring that someone else (with a bigger budget or who’s seemingly more qualified) will fix it? Or do you do as Parjana’s team has done and tackled it head on? Here’s a clue: our problems are there to be solved – not ignored. If you’re willing to take a non-traditional approach and make our world better, your customers and community will thank you. So what are you waiting for?
