- Words by Tess van Straaten Photogrpahy by Lia Crowe

Serial entrepreneur Andrew Crawford is passionate about plants, but the origin of his latest ventureB次元官网网址擮rigen AirB次元官网网址攃ame after an unlikely discovery.

B次元官网网址淥rigen Air was born out of an unfortunate truth,B次元官网网址� explains Andrew, OrigenB次元官网网址檚 co-founder and chief development officer. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 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 youB次元官网网址檙e initially the hero, within a few months, you start to become the only person that wants to take care of the dog.B次元官网网址�

Andrew says the same thing happened with the living wallsB次元官网网址攁fter all the excitement wore off, it was just a living thing on the wall that nobody wanted to take care of.

B次元官网网址淚t was this emergent pain point that drove my desire to develop a more sustainable business model that delivered more than just green aesthetics,B次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淚 was raised by an accountant, so numbers need to talk, and I quickly learned that a normal plant growing inside a pot doesnB次元官网网址檛 really do much of anything for improving the overall air quality,B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址渨atershed moment,B次元官网网址� Andrew contacted Dr. Strand to see if he could secure the distribution rights for the so-called B次元官网网址渕agic plantsB次元官网网址� capable of removing airborne toxins 80,000 times smaller than the best HEPA filters.

B次元官网网址淎t that point, I realized I needed to get very serious, very quickly, on a level that I was not qualified for,B次元官网网址� says the 45-year-old father of two. B次元官网网址淟uckily, IB次元官网网址榙 already found my soulmate and life partner, Susan, and I asked her if she wanted to launch a cleantech company with me.B次元官网网址�

Origen co-founder and CEO Susan Blanchet picks up the story here, saying, B次元官网网址淚 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 IB次元官网网址檇 done a lot of contaminated site litigation, but over the years, I just found I wasnB次元官网网址檛 doing the things that I loved, and the pursuit of litigation wasnB次元官网网址檛 the fastest way to make a change.B次元官网网址�

An expert at negotiating legal contracts, and born with an entrepreneurial spirit of her own, Susan was able to obtain the rights to UWB次元官网网址檚 genetically-modified plants and Origen AirB次元官网网址攚hich uses the plants for indoor air purificationB次元官网网址攚as founded in 2019.

It didnB次元官网网址檛 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.

B次元官网网址淐OVID slammed us, yet it also put us on a different path,B次元官网网址� recalls the 48-year-old mother of three. B次元官网网址淎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, B次元官网网址楯ust build it!B次元官网网址� and we didB次元官网网址攊n our 1,500-square-foot office!B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 think the pandemic really galvanized us as a company and escalated our B次元官网网址榳hy?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Andrew adds. B次元官网网址淭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.B次元官网网址�

OrigenB次元官网网址檚 original team of two has now grown to 16 and the company has installed around 20 unitsB次元官网网址攆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.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e breathing life back into buildings. We want to welcome people back to their offices and collaborative workspaces,B次元官网网址� Andrew says. B次元官网网址淵ou breathe 18,000 litres of air every single day. If the air you inhale isnB次元官网网址檛 good, itB次元官网网址檚 going to have a compounding effect on your health.B次元官网网址�

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.

B次元官网网址淥ur systems represent the divine intersection of biotech, engineering and modern design. It is as alive as the people it protects,B次元官网网址� says Susan.

B次元官网网址淥n the tech start-up road, it was a steep uphill climb,B次元官网网址� she adds. B次元官网网址淓verything I applied for was a B次元官网网址榥o,B次元官网网址� 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.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淕iving while livingB次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙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.

B次元官网网址淚 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. ItB次元官网网址檚 a grand vision, and one that keeps me inspired and thrilled to be a part of this company,B次元官网网址� Andrew says.

B次元官网网址淣ature always wins,B次元官网网址� he smiles.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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