Altitude

David Hodgson, a former designer of computer games, is using his systems design expertise to support ecosystem regeneration strategies in Central and South America.  He explains the origins of the concept and why we so desperately need more of it.  The advancement of creative financing mechanisms and communication about these solutions are developing and will further support greater ecosystem restoration around the world. 

S2G Ventures is investing from soil to shelf in the sustainable food & agtech industries, finding where innovation can drive healthier and more environmentally conscious food choices. Aaron Rudberg, Managing Director sits down with us to tell us the motivation behind their investing strategy, how they tell the difference between a trend and a fad, and where they see this market going.

Paul Seidler, Managing Director of Clean Energy Trust, sits down to explain the 501(vc) model and investment thesis behind CET and the role that CET's early-stage investment plays in accelerating clean tech solutions.  He tells us about some of the most promising companies in CET's portfolio, the technological innovation he is most excited about, and where he sees the fund headed the next 2-3 years. 

Join us for a conversation with the Rodale Institute, the pioneers of the organic standard, and the people behind the longest running field trials of organic versus conventional agriculture.  Their work has helped shape the present and future of chemical-free agriculture, and now they are setting their sights on proving the links to carbon sequestration and human health.

Chad Reed of Blue Forest Conservation explains the concept of a Forest Resilience Bond, which is a new investment tool to incentivize proactive forest restoration, which can reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.  There are numerous ecological benefits associated with forest restoration, as well as job creation and protection of tourism, commercial, and insurance economic interests.

We sat down for a live conversation at Northwestern Law School with Eric Cohen, former associate regional counsel of the EPA Region 5, and Jane Montgomery, environmental attorney at Schiff Hardin to discuss EPA's new rule to regulate carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, known as the Affordable Clean Energy Plan.  EPA promulgated this rule as a replacement for the Clean Power Plan, which was stayed by the Supreme Court two years ago.  Jane and Eric debate the pros and cons of the new rule and its likely impact.

Nicole Chavas, CEO of Greenprint Partners, shares how the company found an innovative financing structure to advance the installation of green stormwater infrastructure in urban cities across the US, and all of the benefits that go along with it: cleaner water, lower costs for water utilities, enhanced gardens and parks for residents, and habitat for birds and insects. All of that, plus a positive financial return, which makes Greenprint Partners an attractive option for impact investors. 

An author tells us how her personal health issues led her on a journey to discover the world of industrial agriculture, GMOs, pesticides, and herbicides, and learned about the potential side effects for human health.  Caitlin points out that many of the chemicals that Rachel Carson sounded the alarm about 50 years ago are still in uninhibited use across America, including 2-4-D, one of the major components in Agent Orange. The awareness that all of this stuff is at use in conventional farms presents us with an opportunity to choose organic, especially for our kids, and to tell everyone we know why. 

A geomorphologist explains the significance of healthy soil to the survival of civilizations throughout human history and the simple practices that can be adopted to rejuvenate soil health and reduce the need for chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. In addition to restoring soil health, regenerative agricultural practices can increase yields for farmers and reduce the need for labor and inputs. David gives some insight into how these practices are implemented across the world in different environments and climates. 

Episode 9_This Is Regenerative Agriculture Show Notes

Guests

David Montgomery, University of Washington Professor, Author

Twitter: @dig2grow

Website: dig2grow.com

Recommended Further Reading:

Article: Junk Food is Bad for Plants Too

Article: Trading biodiversity for pest problems

Episode Summary by the Minute:

Minute 00:00: Opening with Erin & Allyson

Minute 3:00: Introduction to David

Minute 7:00: David explains regegnerative agriculture and why it's so important today.

Minute 10:40: David explains how farmers he's visited, around the world, improve their soils. There are 3 main practices: (1) don't disturb the soil too much (2) have cover crops and (3) plant a diversity of crops.

Minute 13:20: "Let nature farm for you."

Minute 15:00: to build a good soil, you have to reduce erosion.

Minute 18:00: Impacts of using synthetic fertilizers.

Minute 24:30: Why societies have failed after they're degraded their soil.

Minute 27:30: Societies that don't take care of the land - the soil also doesn't take care of the societies.

Minute 30:00: David discussed how we can offset a huge portion of our nitrogen fertilizer use.

Minute 31:00: How can we encourage a change in behavior? What makes David optimistic about regenerative agricultural practices.

Minute 33:30: how policy can shift behavior, even those of CAFOs and conventional farms.

Minute 42:00: Organic versus conventional versus organic-ish.

Minute 47:00: How diverse does the crop need to be? It depends where and how you're growing crops.

Minute 50:00: The role of carbon in the soil is really important; it's tied to high soil fertility. Regenerative practices rebuild soil carbon.

Minute 54:00: David explains his background and how his career led him to this work.

Minute 58:00: How we can follow along and support David's work -Twitter, buy the books, and grow your own garden and pay attention to the soil!

Minute 1:00:47: David's book recommendations.

Minute 1:03:00: David's easy habit changes- make some compost!

Sustainability strategy for businesses, universities, and organizations is not limited to green buildings anymore. Mike Stopka tells us about how he approaches sustainability holistically, by looking at an entire organization's footprint, what their brand is, how they define their objectives, and the values of their community, which results in a powerful cultural shift toward more environmentally conscious policies. He also explains how we have moved beyond LEED, and the gold standard being set by living buildings. Much of what's going on in this space is now focused on carbon drawdown, and innovation and creativity is driving new sustainability-driven businesses.