For most of us, water is the ultimate commodity: shelf after shelf of bottles at every grocery store, dispensed at sports fields, offices, schools, and airports. But what if this everyday product, supposedly so pure and essential, was quietly undermining our health and the planet?

This question sits at the heart of WaterOuai (WaterOuai.com), a next-generation hydration brand founded by serial entrepreneur Holly Thaggard, known for transforming sunscreen usage with Supergoop!, and her son, Will.

Their mission is not just to promote a healthier, cleaner water, but to help us rethink everyday habits, packaging, and the invisible dangers in common choices.

WaterOuai’s origin story is intertwined with Supergoop!’s success, a brand that turned once-seasonal sunscreen into a daily essential. Thaggard explained, “No one was talking about SPF outside of May, June, or July... The industry treated sun protection as an incredibly seasonal category.” She built Supergoop! on the principle of prevention and daily health, using fun, appealing branding to persuade parents and children alike to embrace sunscreen as much as toothpaste.

The strategy for WaterOuai is the same - focus on behavior change through inspiration, not fear. “Inspiring is much stronger than scaring,” said Thaggard.

The idea for WaterOuai began at the kitchen table, not a corporate boardroom. Thaggard recalled a health expert warning parents: “Don’t let your boys drink from plastic water bottles,” citing concerns over endocrine disruptors, reduced testosterone, and other health issues.

Years later, volunteering with her son Will on trail and park clean-ups, they noticed “everything in our plastic bag was plastic water bottles.” This experience prompted hard questions: Why do we accept plastic bottles as the default? What alternatives exist? Will’s research uncovered another unpleasant truth: Even supposedly better aluminum cans leach microplastics, often due to plastic linings sprayed inside the cans.

With WaterOuai, the family set out to tackle both health and environmental risks by reinventing water packaging, and the habits around it.

Welcome back to Going Zero, the sustainability podcast for leaders making a real impact. In this episode, hosts Seth Combs and Eric Pasewalk sit down with environmental entrepreneur, author, and media personality, Josh Dorfman, co-founder and CMO of Plantd.

With decades of experience spanning sustainable furniture, innovative building materials, and climate-focused media, Josh shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career—from consignment showrooms in Brooklyn to launching Planted, a revolutionary company creating building panels from fast-growing grass.

Join us as Josh explains how understanding real consumer and business needs is crucial for scaling climate tech, the importance of moving from ideal-driven to market-driven solutions, and why optimism and practical solutions are key in the fight against climate change.

You’ll also hear inspiring stories from around the world and actionable advice anyone can use to make a positive difference—starting with where you bank. Dive in for an enlightening conversation at the intersection of innovation, business, and building a greener future.

In this episode, we dive into sustainability where the stakes—and the challenges—are at their highest: music festivals and live events. Our guest is Vivian Belzaguy Hunter, a trailblazer in festival sustainability who has transformed waste diversion, environmental protection, and behavioral change across massive, temporary “pop-up cities.”

From the chaos behind the scenes to the drive toward zero waste, Vivian shares how small decisions lead to big change, why recycling and composting efforts so often fall short, and how proactive planning can turn festivals into immersive classrooms for sustainability. Hear what sets truly green festivals apart from the rest, how organizers, vendors, and even artists play a pivotal role, and the innovations transforming the industry here and abroad. Whether you run a business, lead a campus, or love live music, discover what our wildest events can teach us about going zero—where change is possible, and sometimes, preferred.