I'm Kaylee Nitsiza, and this is the Peyakoskan Podcast. One Nation. One Tribe.

I was one of the delegates at the 2023 Growing The North Conference in Grande Prairie, Alberta, which brought together many economic leaders and innovators from around the province. One of the themes of this conference was discussing technology's role in driving growth and innovation in the North, from things like remote sensing and precision agriculture to renewable energy and digital infrastructure.

Technology is transforming economic development within Northern regions nowadays. Nipiy Industries was one of these companies that attended the conference, and they're working towards building sustainable practices. Jason Lizotte, the founder and CEO of Nippy Industries, created an environmentally conscious product that is the first of its kind in North America. The name of this Indigenous-owned business, "Nipiy," translates to "water" in his native Cree language.

They make solar-powered handwash stations that are fully automated, touchless and portable. With this kind of leading-edge technology, they're helping to bring a sustainable solution to creating clean hands with clean energy. It was amazing to hear about how this Indigenous man started his own business around sustainable technology. I met with Jason during the conference and asked him a few questions about his business journey. Here is our interview.

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www.peyakoskanpodcast.com