In Between Times 4-12-2024
Farming regeneratively, Six Inches of Soil movie, Storing carbon in rocks, Why are EVs in the USA so expensive?
Earthx2024
One Planet - One Mission
There’s no other sustainability gathering like it.
April 22-26 in Dallas - Save Your Place - CLICK HERE
Regenerative agriculture is starting to get the public’s attention
It is a profound concept. Change the way farming is done so the soil and the environment generally can regenerate. For many people across political persuasions this makes sense. Why wouldn’t one farm this way if possible?
The answer is that it costs money and time to switch from typical soil depleting agriculture to a regenerative disposition. But increasingly farmers are seeing that the investment in regenerative ag pays dividends in the marketplace. In a time when many “green” claims from consumer brands are (increasingly) looked at with skepticism, “regenerative” designations hold weight with the public. People understand the value of good stewardship of land. It’s more tangible than many green initiatives.
(From The Food Institute)
“Sustainability, as commonly understood, aims to balance human needs with environmental considerations, minimizing negative impacts and promoting social equity,” Ham told The Food Institute. “It serves as a baseline, conserving resources and meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Regenerative practices go beyond sustainability.
“They actively contribute to the healing and restoration of ecosystems, aiming for positive impacts, enhanced biodiversity, and natural regeneration,” he added. “Regenerative agriculture positions itself as a net-positive force, whereas sustainability, while important, may not achieve the desired transformative impact on a large scale.”
Click here for the article.
ADM (yes ADM) is helping farmers get paid while they convert to regenerative practices
Farmers want to preserve their most important asset, their land. Common agricultural practices often encourage erosion, the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, etc. Regenerative agriculture takes a much broader view of things and considers to a greater extent the natural cycles of a farm which are naturally much more sustainable than simply exploiting a stretch of ground for as long as possible until the soil is depleted of nutrients and life. No one wants a dead piece of land.
But as we said above, converting to regenerative practices is expensive. ADM, one of the largest agriculture companies in the world is actually helping a large number of farmers in the United States get over that transition hump by paying farmers while the land regenerates over multiple years.
(From FarmProgress.com)
Time is a luxury farmers don’t often have.
It takes three to five years to see results from implementing regenerative agricultural practices, both in the field and in the ledger book. That gap of time before a return on investment is realized can often be a stumbling point for farmers who are considering implementing regenerative agricultural practices.
ADM’s Re:generations program is meant to help producers bridge that gap.
It’s not a carbon-credit program like many farmers may be familiar with, according to company officials. Instead, they say, it’s taking a more holistic approach to soil health and regenerative agriculture by paying farmers to execute regenerative ag practices on their farms.
Click here for the article.
The Six Inches of Soil trailer
“Despite all our accomplishments, we owe our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact it rains.”
-Paul Harvey (1978) U.S. radio broadcaster
Study uncovers the role of soil microbes in forest ecosystems
(From Phys.org)
"These findings have important implications for forest management and ecosystem restoration," said Professor Ren, the lead author of the study. "By understanding the role of soil microbes and functional genes in soil nitrogen mineralization, we can optimize afforestation practices and enhance the ecological functions of forest ecosystems.”
The research team hopes that these findings will contribute to the development of more sustainable and effective forest management strategies, especially in regions undergoing afforestation efforts.
Click here for the article.
The 2024 list of agrifood corporations making regenerative agriculture commitments
(From AgFunderNews.com)
In 2024, most major food companies have a page on their websites dedicated to regenerative agriculture (sometimes used interchangeably with “sustainable” agriculture); a large portion of these have clear goals with target dates, too.
As detached observers, we’re not making that judgement call for any of the following companies. Rather, this list is a summary of agrifood corporate involvement in regenerative agriculture. The hope is that it can aid in some small way with tracking progress and holding everyone accountable.
Click here for the extensive list.
“The issue is not “can we” but “we must” engineer our way out of earth’s climate crisis.”
Enhanced rock weathering could become the leading method of carbon sequestration
In this space we have covered direct air capture carbon sequestration and we have discussed biological carbon sequestration like one sees in fast growing kelp and bamboo. But enhanced rock weathering (ERW) could be the most simple method of them all, and possibly the most effective.
(From The Next Web)
Find a big stretch of land such as a farm or field. Sprinkle a welcoming blanket of magic mineral dust over it. Then, rainwater falls.
This rainwater contains atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the currency of climate change, which fixes to the water molecule (H2O) forming a molecule called carbonic acid (CH2O3). When this acid meets rock of a certain type — typically basalt or other silicate rocks — that acid is further mineralised into stable carbonate, which is stored in the soil, or washed out to sea.
You’re familiar with carbonates: they’re pervasive in your daily life as well as in the oceans, with sodium carbonate (NaCH2O3) known more commonly as baking soda, and calcium carbonate (CaCH2O3) as chalk.
The carbonate molecules are good for the oceans, which is where these molecules eventually end up. They help to reverse the de-acidification of the ocean before the carbonate molecules sediment to the seafloor, where they slowly become rock, such as limestone, or coral and crustaceous shells.
But there is one key issue that must be addressed for the technology to become viable. The dust that needs to be “sprinkled” is hard to come by. The dust must be extremely fine and the sources of this sort of dust are few.
Crushing rocks down to less than one tenth of a millimeter is possible of course. But this takes energy to do. The key is being able to create ultrafine dust that is sustainable in terms of energy consumption. If this can be done then ERW becomes very viable.
Click here for the article.
A new innovative approach to improve the energy efficiency of carbon conversion
What is even better than sequestering carbon? How about sequestering it in the form of usable products that previously were waste? In Canada scientists are developing a way to do just that.
(From SciTechDaily.com)
Scientists at McGill University have developed a novel method to enhance the energy efficiency of carbon conversion, utilizing waste material from pulp and paper production. The technique they’ve pioneered using the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan not only reduces the energy required to convert carbon into useful products, but also reduces overall waste in the environment.
“We are one of the first groups to combine biomass recycling or utilization with CO2 capture,” said Ali Seifitokaldani, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Electrocatalysis for Renewable Energy Production and Conversion.
Click here for the article.
Why is the USA lagging when it comes to EV adoption?
In recent months many stories have come out warning of the growing glut of EVs in America’s car dealerships. They aren’t selling at the clip many in Washington (and elsewhere) would like. Why is this?
It’s not culture. OK maybe that’s part of it, but it’s not the biggest factor. Good ole boys will happily put a gun rack in the cab of an electric truck if it provides the same performance at the same price as a gas or diesel fueled truck. We know pickup country very well. This would happen.
But EVs don’t cost the same. In the US they are expensive.
Why are they expensive? There are many reasons but one of them is old school protectionism.
(From Electrek)
The US is behind in EV adoption. There’s no way around it. We have Tesla, but we simply don’t have some of the EV models that are making a difference in China and Europe.
That’s mainly due to protectionist laws in place.
Those laws resulted in significant foreign investments to build EVs in the US, which is good, but they have yet to result in higher volumes as many of those projects are in various stages of development.
One can buy this car in China, the BYD Atto 3, for under $17,000 new, with a range of around 300 miles.
Tell me these things wouldn’t sell like hotcakes at that price.
As of this writing the average price of a new car in the US is $47,338.
Event
Apr 17 - Apr 17
Libraries as Bridging Spaces
National Week of Conversation (#ListenFirst)
Location: Online
WHAT:
Our communities are facing wide-scale challenges like political division, social isolation, and decreasing trust in institutions. Libraries play a critical role in communities and are uniquely poised to make a difference.This interactive panel event will showcase community dialogue happening in libraries across the country. Attendees will walk away with concrete tools to learn about organizing and hosting community discussions in their own communities as well as a deeper understanding of and the impact these conversations can have on their communities.
WHY:
With a divisive election year upon us, we need to better equip communities with the tools to foster understanding and trust. This event was designed with library professionals in mind, from the resources presented to the inspiring library speakers who will share their experiences with community conversations.WHO:
Library professionals and community members.