In this episode, our host Joe Hanson discusses a SUBSTANCE that is literally vital: water. Former NASA expert, now entrepreneur Diana Yousef and BASF scientist Ligia Azevedo make it clear in their stories, that the economical use of clean drinking water is essential for our survival and how new technologies can help us preserve it.

Diana Yousef, PhD, experienced water scarcity in her family history and, as founder and CEO of change:WATER Labs, wants to change how and how much of it we use. With her experience in space research, she developed a waterless toilet.

Ligia Azevedo, PhD, works at the Agricultural Solutions division of BASF and is involved in an innovative method to reduce water consumption and methane emissions in rice cultivation. That is a decisive lever: Rice is the staple food for more than two-thirds of the world’s population with a traditional cultivation that consumes vast amounts of freshwater.

Responsible water use concerns us all. This episode inspires you with two concrete examples of how things can be changed to the better.

You find more information about this podcast episode in this article: https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/magazine/creatingchemistrystories/2026/smart-solutions-for-a-thirsty-tradition

SUBSTANCE is a podcast by BASF, produced by TERRITORY Agency, in collaboration with Wake Word and Joe Hanson.