Inside Israeli innovations

By Monica Goodwin, Israel Advocacy Committee Member

An Israeli flag flying over the Caloosahatchee River, you say? At the WP Franklin Lock in Olga to be precise. I was as curious as you!

Algae is a major environmental problem. Here in Florida, it has a severe impact on human health, aquatic ecosystems, tourism and the economy. In 2018, Florida suffered a catastrophic tourist season because of red tide and blue-green algae. This is where Israeli innovation comes in.

Governor Ron DeSantis has a big concern over the quality of our water and signed a $ 2.5 billion executive order to improve the state’s water quality. He also passed a mandate to find innovative algae fighting technology.

Blue Green Water Technologies (BGWT), an Israeli company whose mission is to eradicate harmful algae blooms globally and make water safe again, operates on five continents.

Governor DeSantis met BGWT when he led a business development mission to Israel and signed, along with other agreements, a contract with the company in 2019.

Blue-green algae are a cyanobacteria that thrive on stagnant water, warm temperature and sunlight. If not treated, it gets worse in frequency and severity and can choke waterways. It has also been linked to health problems, ranging from rashes to liver cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS).

What the Israelis have done is encapsulate materials that kill and destroy the toxins. But the beauty of their product is that it is safe for the environment and the natural habitat of fish and wildlife.

So how does it work? ‘Lake guard oxy’ is a powdered, completely biodegradable algae idea that uses oxygen to trigger cyanobacteria to kill the algae. The active ingredient, hydrogen peroxide, breaks down into water and oxygen, then completely disappears from the environment in three to four hours, according to the CEO of BGWT.

Southwest Florida Water Management says addressing harmful algae blooms is one of its top priorities. With promising progress, this study seems to be effective as the stench and blue-green swirls of algae are gone.

“It is good for what it may do in confined areas, such as a canal. It may be able to treat the canals and oxidize the cyanobacteria. It is a work in progress,” says Barry Rosen, Professor of The Water School and Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies at FGCU.

So far so good!

The Israel Advocacy Committee of Greater Naples is in the process of planning programs and events for the next season. If you have a suggestion for a program, please contact Harvey Cohen, IAC chair, at hwcohen@gmail.com.