252: Ed Vaccaro on Hydration for Outdoor Small Animals

252: Ed Vaccaro on Hydration for Outdoor Pets and Small AnimalsCreating a product for animals that also helps plants and then getting it to market.In this podcast:  We learn about the motivation to create an ingenious watering device for animals which directs discarded water into useful watering for plants. Ed Vaccaro shares more than just how his unique product works, he shares how he was able to get it onto store shelves and make a new business from a great idea. Ed grew up in northern California during the 70’s. His parents were in the flower business and his uncle was in the plant business. His relationship with his family and their businesses influenced the direction he took in life. A keen animal lover from early childhood, he joined the famed animal husbandry organization 4-H.After working in the solar industry for a while in the 80’s, he eventually went back to his roots and launched his own plant business.  He quickly won accounts with two large grocery store chains and opened a store in the San Francisco Flower Market.These days Ed is the proprietor of HydroPet an automatic outdoor water bowl for pets – that periodically automatically refreshes itself while repurposing old water to nearby trees, shrubs and plants.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/24/ed-vaccaro/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.