David is a co-founder of GO2 Water, a company that designs and builds sustainable wastewater treatment facilities suitable for cities, employing a biomimetic technology that is low energy, low maintenance, low cost, carbon-neutral, and produces no residual sludge.  This is possibly the most sustainable wastewater treatment technology currently available.

David Hammond is trained as an Environmental Chemist with a broad interdisciplinary background in chemical ecology, biomimicry, natural products chemistry, sustainable agriculture, biological wastewater treatment, international community development, product innovation, and systems ecology.   

David earned a M.S. degree from UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry, specializing in chemical ecology, the interaction of plants and animals at the chemical level.

In 1986 he founded a non-profit corporation called ALTERTEC dedicated to fostering sensible development in Latin American communities, including potable water systems and sustainable agriculture techniques.  The theoretical and practical framework for Altertec’s work is Permaculture Design, which espouses the conscious design of agricultural ecosystems that mimic natural ecosystems, particularly in their diversity of species and their symbiotic interactions.  

David also consults to companies, helping them innovate and problem-solve by learning from nature, with projects including promotion of biomimicry at NIKE, prevention and removal of musty odors from cork, pest control in export crops, naturally inspired wastewater treatment, bioremediation of soil contaminants, and application of nature’s experience and techniques to the design of better products, processes, and packages.