- Words by Tess van Straaten Photogrpahy by Lia Crowe

Serial entrepreneur Andrew Crawford is passionate about plants, but the origin of his latest venture香蕉视频直播擮rigen Air香蕉视频直播攃ame after an unlikely discovery.

香蕉视频直播淥rigen Air was born out of an unfortunate truth,香蕉视频直播� explains Andrew, Origen香蕉视频直播檚 co-founder and chief development officer. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檇 started a living-wall company in Victoria with the intention of delivering the cleanest, greenest and most stunning plant-based installations for my clients. Over the years we completed some great projects, but kind of like when you buy a puppy for your kids and you香蕉视频直播檙e initially the hero, within a few months, you start to become the only person that wants to take care of the dog.香蕉视频直播�

Andrew says the same thing happened with the living walls香蕉视频直播攁fter all the excitement wore off, it was just a living thing on the wall that nobody wanted to take care of.

香蕉视频直播淚t was this emergent pain point that drove my desire to develop a more sustainable business model that delivered more than just green aesthetics,香蕉视频直播� Andrew says.

Determined to make things healthier and happier indoors using plants, Andrew started digging into scientific research data hoping to prove his belief about the restorative power of plants.

香蕉视频直播淚 was raised by an accountant, so numbers need to talk, and I quickly learned that a normal plant growing inside a pot doesn香蕉视频直播檛 really do much of anything for improving the overall air quality,香蕉视频直播� he says.

But that disappointing discovery quickly led Andrew to the University of Washington (UW), where Dr. Stuart Strand had developed a tropical houseplant that had been scientifically proven to remove man-made toxins from indoor air. Calling it a 香蕉视频直播渨atershed moment,香蕉视频直播� Andrew contacted Dr. Strand to see if he could secure the distribution rights for the so-called 香蕉视频直播渕agic plants香蕉视频直播� capable of removing airborne toxins 80,000 times smaller than the best HEPA filters.

香蕉视频直播淎t that point, I realized I needed to get very serious, very quickly, on a level that I was not qualified for,香蕉视频直播� says the 45-year-old father of two. 香蕉视频直播淟uckily, I香蕉视频直播榙 already found my soulmate and life partner, Susan, and I asked her if she wanted to launch a cleantech company with me.香蕉视频直播�

Origen co-founder and CEO Susan Blanchet picks up the story here, saying, 香蕉视频直播淚 was still practicing as legal counsel for the Province of BC, although I have always been very into environmental causes. I have a degree in environmental studies and I香蕉视频直播檇 done a lot of contaminated site litigation, but over the years, I just found I wasn香蕉视频直播檛 doing the things that I loved, and the pursuit of litigation wasn香蕉视频直播檛 the fastest way to make a change.香蕉视频直播�

An expert at negotiating legal contracts, and born with an entrepreneurial spirit of her own, Susan was able to obtain the rights to UW香蕉视频直播檚 genetically-modified plants and Origen Air香蕉视频直播攚hich uses the plants for indoor air purification香蕉视频直播攚as founded in 2019.

It didn香蕉视频直播檛 take long for Susan to leave her secure government job to become the CEO and co-founder of the company. But a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

香蕉视频直播淐OVID slammed us, yet it also put us on a different path,香蕉视频直播� recalls the 48-year-old mother of three. 香蕉视频直播淎t the time, we had no intention of building the units ourselves. But we realized there was no way we could build them with someone else quickly enough, so we said to our engineers, 香蕉视频直播楯ust build it!香蕉视频直播� and we did香蕉视频直播攊n our 1,500-square-foot office!香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚 think the pandemic really galvanized us as a company and escalated our 香蕉视频直播榳hy?香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� Andrew adds. 香蕉视频直播淭he reason we left all of our offices and ran home was that a significant airborne threat was now present in our shared airspaces. This invisible virus suddenly forced the world to scrutinize the health and safety of our indoor environments.香蕉视频直播�

Origen香蕉视频直播檚 original team of two has now grown to 16 and the company has installed around 20 units香蕉视频直播攆rom KPMG in Vancouver and CHEK Media and the Bay Centre in Victoria to office buildings in Toronto. Production is ramping up and 200 units are under construction now, with another 200 planned for Ontario early next year.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e breathing life back into buildings. We want to welcome people back to their offices and collaborative workspaces,香蕉视频直播� Andrew says. 香蕉视频直播淵ou breathe 18,000 litres of air every single day. If the air you inhale isn香蕉视频直播檛 good, it香蕉视频直播檚 going to have a compounding effect on your health.香蕉视频直播�

Looking toward the future, Origen Air is planning the development of a smaller, living air purification unit for the home market. The current flagship model, known as The Pinnacle, has been designed, built and priced to serve larger commercial and institutional spaces.

香蕉视频直播淥ur systems represent the divine intersection of biotech, engineering and modern design. It is as alive as the people it protects,香蕉视频直播� says Susan.

香蕉视频直播淥n the tech start-up road, it was a steep uphill climb,香蕉视频直播� she adds. 香蕉视频直播淓verything I applied for was a 香蕉视频直播榥o,香蕉视频直播� and there were a lot of sleepless nights, and a lot of tough decisions. We had to stay afloat on small grants, subsidies and our personal bank accounts. Maybe my mistake was thinking it would move faster, but I kept holding strong and making sure we had a plan to stay alive.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淕iving while living香蕉视频直播� is an important motto to the couple. They have mandated for every 10 units that a single company buys, one brand new Pinnacle unit will be donated to a non-profit such as Ronald McDonald House or Habitat for Humanity. And, in true entrepreneurial fashion, they also have another moon-shot goal on their to-do list.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e working over the next 12 to 18 months to produce a building integrated version. This nature-based solution, dubbed The Canopy, will take existing green-roof technology and amplify both health and energy efficiency benefits by an exponential margin for building owners and occupants. If you imagine a gigantic greenhouse on top of a building filled with tropical plants, you get the basic idea behind this energy efficiency-driven project.

香蕉视频直播淚 am inspired by a future vision of flying into a city, looking down at the urban metropolis below and seeing our lush green canopies capping the tops of buildings. It香蕉视频直播檚 a grand vision, and one that keeps me inspired and thrilled to be a part of this company,香蕉视频直播� Andrew says.

香蕉视频直播淣ature always wins,香蕉视频直播� he smiles.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on