As the world population has steadily grown, there has been a heightened demand for food. To keep up with this demand, farmers increasingly rely on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maximize crop yields and ensure food security.
Technological advancements in agriculture have made these products readily available. However, these quick solutions have a long-term negative impact on soil health and food safety.
Susan Kaminskyj and Mike Cavanaugh, two highly experienced scientists and entrepreneurs, are addressing the world's unhealthy dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The pair founded GreenSTEM Technology Corporation™ in 2018 to utilize microbes to restore and maintain land health affected by or vulnerable to chemical contamination. The company is known for its cutting-edge biosafe solutions that have been applied from British Columbia through the Northwest territories.
Susan, who serves as Chief Scientific Officer, is a retired professor of biology at the University of Saskatchewan and has been named among Canada's 13 most important environmentalists. She had been a distinguished faculty member for 27 years, sharing her wisdom on scientific concepts with young minds. Susan's love for biology traces back to her childhood when she first discovered her fascination with how organisms thrived or suffered in various environments. She was deeply interested in the factors that allowed plants to survive in extreme heat and cold, where soil nutrients are particularly scarce. Susan has explored the intricacies of biology throughout her academic career, focusing on plant pathology, cell biology, and fungal molecular genetics specifically.
After realizing the similar compounds found in plants living in inhospitable growing conditions via a student project in Canadian oil sands, Susan became committed to finding solutions for helping plants thrive in nutrient-deprived environments. This passion was a major factor driving Susan to partner with Mike to found GreenSTEM Technology Corp. "The company name notes our use of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, hence 'In Science We Trust.'"
Chief Executive Officer Mike has a diverse background that complements Susan's expertise in scientific research. He studied microbiology and spent almost 20 years working in critical care as a certified nurse. Along the way, Mike also ventured into entrepreneurship, opening an electronics store that he now aims to convert into a research lab. His deep knowledge of business has been pivotal for GreenSTEM's growth, and his partnership with Susan has rekindled his love for science. Mike is committed to advancing bioremediation treatments and compares these breakthroughs in fungi and plant pathology to that of computers becoming high-resolution, ultra-fast machines. It's not only possible to discover the magic of these scientific solutions, but it's also deeply beneficial for society.
Together, Mike and Susan are developing synergistic treatment solutions across Canada that have global impacts. Within six months of launching GreenSTEM Technology Corp, the company completed successful community outreach programs and cultivated strong research partnerships. GreenSTEM Technology Corp is poised to change forever how people view agriculture and its processes. The company is reducing chemical contamination, restoring marginal land, and actively searching for more organisms capable of remediating as many subsoil toxins as possible.
"Our mission to decontaminate soil and water is meant to be achieved in our lifetime," Susan says. "We have a moral and ethical obligation to use our knowledge across business, academia, and science to bring about powerful solutions that can be utilized today."
"The road to reclaiming our Earth is long, but GreenSTEM Technology Corp strongly believes science is capable of making this a reality," Mike adds. "Our team is fully committed to achieving this feat through clean biotech solutions."
