Objectives.
A state's waste infrastructure was reaching a breaking point: its primary landfill faced closure within three years, PFAS contamination spread through soil and water, and funding gaps blocked treatment upgrades.
Traditional solutions—chemical treatment, incineration, off-site transport—required massive infrastructure builds or created secondary pollutants. None offered near-term relief.
Our challenge: reframe on-site bioremediation from experimental concept to necessary evolution of regional waste strategy.
Strategies.
We conducted a full-spectrum audit across 52 sources—state reports, federal datasets, university studies, investigative journalism—mapping contamination from pre–Clean Water Act discharge to current biosolid and CSO emergencies.
Key friction points identified:
$3.1B infrastructure funding gap, hundreds of projects unfunded
745M gallons untreated sewage discharged in 2024 (244% increase)
Primary landfill projected full by 2028, forcing costly waste exports
We grounded data in human stories—farmers, wastewater directors, affected communities—transforming abstract policy into urgent reality. Every claim was cross-verified against state environmental reports for legislative and scientific credibility.
Our approach: Position the deck as a technical briefing, not a sales pitch. Speak the language of engineers and water-quality directors. Structure moved through four stages:
Expose the scale (century-long trends, cost liabilities)
Humanize the crisis (local voices, tangible impacts)
Deconstruct failed solutions (incineration, filtration, export limits)
Present a viable path (field-tested, non-chemical, on-site deployment)
Outcomes.
Within weeks, two of three municipal teams began internal funding processes for pilot adoption. Each requested deeper briefings on logistics, scaling, and timelines—proof the message reached decision-makers.
Impact:
Policy engagement opened across multiple departments
Two municipalities moved to funding phase
Client positioned as credible, research-grounded partner
New technology reframed as legitimate tool for state resilience
The deck didn't just ask for adoption—it equipped technical leadership with evidence to justify funding at the legislative level.
