Water Is Infrastructure: Inside the Midwest’s Blue Economy with Alaina Harkness

Описание: Water isn’t just essential, it’s infrastructure.

It’s economic security. It’s power. And it’s shaping the future faster than most of us realize.

In this episode of Unbottled, Manuela sits down with Alaina Harkness, CEO of Current, a water innovation hub based in Chicago, and CEO of Great Lakes RENEW, the National Science Foundation–funded Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine.

Together, they explore why the Midwest is quietly becoming a global leader in the blue economy — and what’s at stake as water scarcity, PFAS contamination, microplastics, and climate pressures collide with rapid technological growth.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:
Why water security is emerging as a national economic priority
How the Great Lakes region holds 20% of the world’s fresh surface water — and why that matters
What the “blue economy” actually is (and why it’s not just about oceans)
The hidden water footprint of AI, data centers, and quantum computing
Why reuse, circular systems, and decentralized infrastructure are critical to the future
How innovation, policy, and workforce development intersect to reshape water systems
What it will take to build a circular, waste-to-wealth water economy

Alaina also shares her personal journey — from growing up near Lake Michigan to leading one of the country’s most ambitious water innovation coalitions — and why solving water challenges requires long-term thinking, cross-sector collaboration, and relentless optimism.

Because when it comes to water, what’s invisible today will define our future tomorrow.

💧 Unbottled is brought to you by Kadeya, building closed-loop beverage systems for a world beyond single-use.
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Follow & Support Current, Chicago’s Water Innovation Hub:

Website: https://currentwater.org/
IG:   / greatlakescurrent  
Linkedin:   / currentwater  
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Follow Alaina Harkness:

Linkedin:   / alaina-harkness  
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Instagram:   / kadeya.club  
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Website: https://www.kadeya.com/

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Follow Manuela:

Linkedin:   / manuelasweb  
Instagram:   / manuelasweb  

Substack: https://manuelazoninsein.substack.com/
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Building the future of beverage—one sip, one story at a time.

Unbottled shares raw conversations with the people rethinking everything we know about water, plastic, and sustainability. Because the future of beverage isn’t bottled—it’s built. New episodes every Monday.

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