Welcome to MobileH2O, LLC! We couldn’t be more excited to share with you our company and the development of our new WiseH2O™ app!
First, a little background. The decision to start this company has been a long time coming, with the initial spark igniting more than 25 years ago. At the end of 1993, Carter and I sold everything we owned and spent a year traveling around the world. We had graduated from college, spent a few years working, and believed that the time was right to get out and learn about the world.
Our travels led us to some of the most pristine and gorgeous places on the planet. It took us through villages with the kindest people one could hope to meet and across vast, beautiful landscapes. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.
Carter and Sarah along the Annapurna Range, Nepal (1994)
However, along with incredible landscapes, our journey also exposed us to regions with severe environmental degradation and communities rife with illness and disease. While we certainly expected to see a wide range of conditions, we were struck by the disparity amidst circumstances. It was not lost on us how fortunate we were to be experiencing this year of exploration while others were suffering. When we returned to the US, we took with us this understanding that there existed great needs around the world that we had a responsibility to help address.
Fast forward several years, through a move to Boise, Idaho, the birth of our two daughters, and the “settling down” years. Carter worked for the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI), specializing in water modeling of Hydrology and Hydraulics on domestic and international projects, giving him the opportunity to work on some of the issues that we had witnessed during our travels. After spending several years at home with our girls, I decided to launch a consulting business, Centered Consulting International, LLC, (CCI). My work focused on helping non-profits (higher education, municipal governments, foundations, etc.) with strategic planning, fostering innovation, and change management. In 2013, Carter joined CCI on a full-time basis and the firm doubled in size! Through CCI, we were fortunate to support clients including the World Bank, International Institute for Sustainable Development, US Forest Service, University of Idaho, City of Boise, Office of Species Conservation, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. This period gave us the foundation and expertise later required to form MobileH2O, LLC.
Amidst doing this work, Carter was introduced to technology being used to screen water quality in the pool and spa industry. Learning more about it, we realized that this same technology could be adapted and applied to natural waterways. After much research, we decided to launch MobileH2O, LLC and the development of the WiseH2O™ app(!!!), which we cannot wait to share with you.
WiseH2O test kit
Combining materials small enough to fit in your wallet and our mobile app, you can screen water quality quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Taking this a step further, by putting this technology in the hands of citizens (you), a participating population can become aware of, and take part in, understanding what is in our waterways. As a cherry on top, by using this citizen science approach, the amount of data collected can expand exponentially, providing much larger data sets for water management agencies and others working to solve environmental issues.
Using the WiseH2O™ app
Today, we are incredibly fortunate to have partnered with Trout Unlimited as we introduce our app and work out all of the kinks. The angler scientists have been diligently making observations of the streams they frequent and providing valuable feedback on what works and what still needs improvement. We could not have asked for a better team with which to begin this journey. They clearly share our desire to make a lasting difference on the landscapes that we all share.
If you asked us at the end of our travels in 1994 how we were going to make a difference in the world, we would not have known that life would eventually bring us to this moment. Now that this moment is here, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to do our part in ensuring healthy waterways for all. I hope you will follow along and engage with us as the future unfolds!
Cheers,
Sarah