Ejutla De Crespo | June 2022
Visiting Potential Pilot-Testing Villages In Mexico, Aquaperla, & Reconnection
Hello! Let me briefly introduce myself if you do not know me. My name is Carlos Jarquín. I am passionate about making a positive impact in the material science sector. I am currently working on my knowledge of aerogels and a research proposal called Aquaperla.
Carlos! What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?? And I also do not know how to pronounce Ejutla.
I have been researching the conditions of two potential pilot-test villages for Aquaperla. The first village is San Jose Del Progreso, Oaxaca, Mexico. The second village is Heroica Ciudad De Ejutla De Crespo, Oaxaca, Mexico.
The past 3 weeks were spent talking to the locals, researching the distribution channels of resources, mining wastewater contamination in San Jose Del Progreso, and living my life whilst on my mission to capitalize on water contamination.
Pilot-Test Research In Mexico! 🏺
The highlight of the month was visiting my hometown Ejutla De Crespo and working on pilot-test research! Some important updates after the trip are:
Aquaperla will have an initial spearhead market for water treatment in villages. Initial geographic locations include The United States, Mexico, & Bangladesh.
Further expansion will include Heavy Metal Extraction from mining wastewater. The wastewater can seep into groundwater, rivers, aquifers, etc.
Aquaperla’s business model (canvas) is centered on our anionic-based materials
Our Aerogel Perlas (consumable) will be the key financial driver
The feedback and the observations from the locals and town businesses:
The product should cost under 200 MXN Maximum and filter 1 liter of wastewater under 0,41 MXN
Every business in San Jose Del Progreso & Ejutla De Crespo has a WhatsApp Number for delivering products, feedback/complaints, and negotiations.
The most-consumed products are the first things you see in any store and the Market Day on Thursdays. In the hardware store, water bottles were the first thing you’d see. The following thing was Rotoplas tinacos to store water during the rainy season. The next thing was filters. The Rotoplas filters and additional brands had to be maintained every 2-6 months.
The higher contamination levels of water occurred at the edges of the towns. Wealthier people live closer to the central church/supermarkets. Poorer people live near the mountains/edges of the village.
Almost everyone outside of the central part of town (church + supermarkets) owns a well/pozo. This water is used for agricultural purposes because the people living out in the mountains are farmers.
Mining in San Jose Del Progreso divided the city into two: for or against mining for economic incentives of the town. The water in a small river in San Jose is now contaminated with lead.
Reflections Of The Month… 🔍
Some of my reflections may offend people. Trigger Warning Is Advised.
Being advanced at something is doing the basics at scale. (Ex: Lionel Messi’s freekicks contain the basics: shooting, precision, power, run-up, etc. The difference is that each basic part of the free-kick has been practiced with immense amounts of volume to scale up each aspect of the freekick.)
One must perform immense amounts of value to acquire a skill. (See the previous example).
The value of life is in the simplicity of things. It will always be.
Document your story whenever possible. Bonus points when others are included.
Ego is the fancy Greek word for INSECURITY.
Do less if you want to do more. (You could cook or read that book. But it is hard to do both tasks simultaneously at an impressive level. Pick one.)
Be responsible for more people to mature faster. (Ex: Work and pay for food for yourself or your family. Be genuinely interested in your friends’ life and the decisions that they make.)
Ignorance = Happiness (For Simplicity Of Life)
Attention is the real money. Not time. (Ex: You & I have 24 hours in a day. But you may have the attention span of a goldfish. I do not. That is why I have a higher potential in creating something in x amount of time than you. I PAY more attention than you.)
Don't take the deal(s) that force you to settle. Do not settle at such a young age. Twist. Reject. (Ex: Create that project or take that risk before settling for that $100K corporate job)
Set goals in decades to be dangerous A.F. (Ex: Who is the future self you want to meet in a decade?)
Systems > Goals. BUT…. the best goals are written in the form of questions. (Ex: How do I create value to create a company worth $100 Million? What traits does a tidy person have?)
Your support system is like the soccer team: It is the reason why you win, the team wins, and you travel far to compete. Make sure the soccer team is a strong and talented group to go far. (This one is personal lol)
And A Photo… Because Why Not? 📸
How You Can Help Me! 📝
If you have space in a lab in Los Angeles (school institutions, college/university, or private), let me know! This is a big one!
If you are researching/have researched aerogels and/or anionic materials, I would like feedback on our proposal.
Let me know if any of these are of interest to you, or if you'd like to contact me about anything else!
The Footprints Of July… 👣
Here is my blueprint for the next month:
Working on the individual Aquaperla filter and trying to get as near proof of concept as possible
Building the pitch decks, business model (canvas), and website
Securing laboratory space at my college or at BioLabs LA
Music Time! 🎵
Algo Me Gusta De Ti - Wisin & Yandel
Kane Brown - Like a Rodeo (Audio)
Eva - Connexion (Audio Officiel)
Carlinhos Brown - Vc, O Amor E Eu Feat. Quésia Luz (Clipe Oficial)