Château Palmer’s Post

GREEN INITIATIVES 💚🌎: Topcon Positioning Systems has announced a series of new developments and initiatives as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts. First, a new global team dedicated to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been formed. Michael Gomes will lead it as vice president of Global Sustainability and CSR. Much of his career with Topcon has been dedicated to advancing more sustainable agricultural practices. He will now lead a global team dedicated to sustainability for all markets and product lines, connecting to Topcon’s parent organisation, Topcon Corporation, in Japan to support the corporation’s multiple divisions effectively. “Sustainability has long been a part of the fabric of Topcon and is something we take very seriously as we take actions to support our global initiatives,” said Gomes. “As we look ahead, we’ll endeavour to support, at every level, the advancement of the industries and communities we serve. The work we do is modelled on the sustainable development goals adopted at the United Nations Summit in 2015 and has been part of Topcon’s vision statement since 2016.” Topcon’s dedication to sustainability is further demonstrated by the inauguration of a new 60-acre Research & Validation Center at its global headquarters in Livermore, California. Its team has worked closely with Alameda County to approve and develop this expansive, ecologically diverse location that will support the increasing need for research and validation of new technologies. The site was strategically planned in collaboration with students and faculty from the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The team employed a multi-disciplinary approach, providing a site analysis with soil evaluations and recommended crops, maps for planting, and additional site development recommendations. This new facility joins global validation centres in Concordia, Italy, and Adelaide, Australia, all working on research and validation of innovative precision technologies. “Through these three centres, there is research and testing underway at Topcon, somewhere in the world, any time of day,” Gomes said. Another recent initiative is the conversion to solar power for the Livermore campus. Initial planning began in October 2022, and the project is underway. Once the project is completed, the campus, including multiple buildings, manufacturing facilities and electric car charging stations, will be powered by solar energy. “This is a great opportunity for us to reduce our Scope 2 emissions and energy costs,” Gomes said. Achiel Sturm Murray Lodge II #sustainability #california

💻 WEBINAR: Navigating the sustainability transition: A case study from UK horticulture 🌲 📅 Thursday 21 March, 1-2pm ➡ Register to join us: https://lnkd.in/ewfQj2hm Join Dr.-Ing. Diana Khripko in looking at the complexities of transitioning to #sustainability and how this can be achieved through using a structured approach for evaluating technologies. Diana will cover: ✅ The importance of taking a systems-thinking approach to sustainability transitions ✅ Evaluating the impact of new technologies in ecosystems ✅ Developing a diverse portfolio of solutions for sustainable transition ✅ Integrating #technology analysis into your strategic planning processes This will be presented by sharing a recent case study on defining a #decarbonisation pathway for energy systems in UK #horticulture, offering practical insights into applying these methodologies in real-world scenarios. #technologymanagement #technologystrategy #sustainabilitystrategy Imoh Michael Ilevbare, Theresa McKeon, Nicky Athanassopoulou, Louise Wood

Downforce Technologies, a global climate tech company, has closed a $4.2 million funding round led by Equator VC to scale its Downforce technology, which measures and predicts soil organic carbon levels. The technology is designed to provide reliable, impartial, and cost-effective measurements of soil organic carbon, enabling farmers, landowners, and corporations to track progress towards sustainability goals, unlock new revenue streams, and drive climate action. “We’ve built robust technology based on excellent science, a fantastic product, and a growing client base,” said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Downforce’s Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer. “This funding allows us to democratize access to the technology and empower a wider audience to make data-driven decisions for soil health and climate action.” #ClimateTech #Sustainability #SoilHealth #CarbonMeasurement #EnvironmentalSolutions #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateAction #FundingAnnouncement #VentureCapital #Agriculture #FoodSecurity #Africa #Innovation

🚀 Exciting news! Downforce Technologies has partnered with OxCarbon to provide a transparent, trustworthy and impactful carbon project ecosystem! Do you... ✅ Want to ensure real world impact? Then choose to work with mission-driven, 3rd party audited companies like Downforce & OxCarbon! ✅ Want to create supply chain sustainability? Lets collaboratively develop carbon programs with suppliers, and inset surplus credits up the supply chain! ✅ Fear double counting or risk of greenwashing? Use formalized registries (e.g. OxCarbon powered by S&P Global's Global Environmental Registry) and certified project methodologies (e.g. Downforce's projects are ISO14604-2 certified and GHG Protocol aligned)! Want to find out more? Shoot me a message and lets have a chat! #CarbonMarkets #Sustainability #RegenerativeAgriculture

Very interesting article about how important #RegenerativeAgriculture is and will be in the near future. Restoring Degraded Lands and Securing Our Global #FoodFuture. #Sustainability #ClimateAction #SoilHealth #AgTech #CircularEconomy #FutureOfFarming https://lc.cx/eGu4OR

Revolutionizing Regenerative Agriculture with Innovation, Biotech & Biologicals Regenerative agriculture is key to addressing environmental challenges like soil degradation and biodiversity loss. By incorporating biotechnology and biologicals, we can enhance these sustainable practices. Biotechnology enables us to develop crops that are more resilient to environmental stresses, crucial for maintaining productivity. Meanwhile, biologicals (biofertilizers, biopesticides, biostimulants) offer natural alternatives to chemical inputs, promoting healthier plant growth and soil fertility. At Kimitec and the MAAVi Innovation Center, our commitment is to pioneer these technologies, developing natural, effective, innovative and sustainable solutions leading the change toward a more sustainable and regenerative future in agriculture. Let’s innovate together! #RegenerativeAgriculture #Biotechnology #Kimitec #MAAViInnovationCenter #SustainableFarming #AgTech https://lnkd.in/d8ugWJrT

💚 Rather than another doom post, I thought I would highlight the opportunity a chance to innovate, transform, and for businesses to contribute to being part of the biodiversity and nature solution, rather than being the problem. 💚 The commercial argument is strong. The World Economic Forum estimates that business models that reverse nature loss could offer opportunities for new products and services worth $10 trillion a year to businesses. NatureMetrics, a UK-based start-up that uses cutting-edge genetic techniques to monitor and report on biodiversity. NatureMetrics collects and analyses “environmental DNA”, traces of DNA that organisms leave as they move through the environment. The company then feeds this data into interactive maps, charts and dashboards for businesses, governments and NGOs around the world so they can reliably measure and track investments in biodiversity. 🌿 Boomitra, a US-company that uses artificial intelligence and remote sensing to report and verify carbon content in soils. Boomitra works with farmers to adopt agricultural practices that accelerate carbon removal from their land, and quantifies the carbon captured to generate verified carbon credits which the start-up can sell to corporations and governments eager to meet their sustainability goals. The company currently manages over five million acres of land and was one of the recent recipients of the Earthshot Prize. 🌏 CELLUGY® is unleashing the potential of bio-fabricated cellulose to create consumer goods that enable a healthy planet, challenging the need for petrochemicals in our everyday products.🙌 @CoralVita grows climate change resilient coral up to 50x faster via a process known as micro-fragmentation, while deploying a commercial model to restore dying reefs at scale.🌊 Ivu Biologics has developed a seed coating that reduces farmer reliance on fertiliser and pesticide. The coating uses technology inspired by the natural world to extend the life of delicate microbes that are beneficial for plants and soil.🌱 Sparxell United Kingdom - creates the next generation of colors and effects with vibrant, metal-like pigments, all from plant-based cellulose.🌿 Vitiport has developed a globally unique type of marking pheromones that prevent pests from laying eggs on crops, without using toxins, and bringing to life a new market category in crop protection.🦟 Social norms and expectations of businesses are quickly evolving, with CEOs and boards focusing on long-term resilience and anticipating future regulation and legal frameworks. Businesses need to ask themselves: "How are we contributing to creating a nature-positive economy by 2030?”. #business #naturepositive #economy #innovation #nomoredoom #people #planet #positve #opporunity

Who is joining the Regenerative Agriculture Summit Europe in Amsterdam 3-5 Sep? My colleague Niki van der Steenstraten and me will be there and are keen to connect with likeminded organizations. Why are we there? 🌳 The potential of regen ag is significant. If implemented globally, it could sequester 20% of carbon emissions globally (at 1-3 Gigatons CO2/year). Not to speak of its other benefits on #biodiversity, #water, and #land. What do we have to offer? 💡 With NewForesight, we accelerate transitions. This is one of them. We work on, - #standard-setting - building #incentives and #financing mechanisms: how do we enable the transition? - #verification and #assurance - #monitoring & #evaluation: how do we measure progress at farm, supply chain and sector level? Feel free to PM me. Regenerative Agriculture Summit Series

There’s no denying it: The gigantic role that lighting is playing in modern horticulture isn’t without its controversies. Advanced LED systems like those Powerplus Group help facilitate really are game-changers. They promise boundless potential in regards to revolutionising plant growth. But that doesn’t mean that energy consumption and environmental impact aren’t topics we need to discuss. And that’s one of the biggest reasons we’ll be attending GreenTech this year. Engaging in open dialogues about the ways in which we’re balancing productivity and sustainability is important. We want to engage with industry experts, share insights and address how we’re contributing to technical advancement in a responsible way. So if you happen to bump into or recognise one of our lot, make sure to say hi. We love a chin-wag. (Especially if it means we get to talk about what we’re up to at one of the biggest horticulture events of the year.) #Greentech2024 #Greentech #Stewardship #Sustainability 

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is a well-known expression, and one often applied to nature and climate action, since a failure of measurement has contributed to the environmental crises we face. At New Food Finance, our focus is driving a green transition in food production. We have created a taxonomy to define this transition, including relevant sectors, sub-sectors, markets and technologies. Monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) is one of our 500 markets. We have disaggregated MRV into monitoring of regenerative agriculture, carbon, regulatory compliance, biodiversity and soil health - see Chart below. Our database shows that these MRV companies collectively have attracted $428 million to date. Following are examples of companies leading this space: * Regen Ag MRV - Example - Hummingbird Technologies Ltd uses satellite-based remote sensing to enable large-scale detection of regenerative practices, including planting of cover crops, a diversified rotation and no-till versus conventional tillage ($43.1m to date). * Carbon MRV - HabiTerre specialises in the quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to inform and predict environmental and productivity performance. ($1.3m to date) * Compliance MRV - FARMEYE says that it measures and verifies soil nutrients, to allow farmers to measure, monitor and demonstrate the sustainability metrics of their farms, including compliance with requirements to make soil management plans. ($0.4m to date) * Biodiversity MRV - Descartes Labs is a wholly-owned government subsidiary which uses satellite imagery, weather, market data, land use data and artificial intelligence, to monitor land-use changes, including tracking carbon emissions and biodiversity losses. ($59.8m to date) * Soil health MRV - Trace Genomics provides soil analysis with metagenomics sequencing, measuring the soil’s microbiology as well as chemical compositions such as carbon levels. ($55.2m to date)