By Nnamdi Anyadike* The push by governments and the automotive industry to promote electric vehicles (EVs) as a replacement for diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles is rapidly gaining traction. It is a move of historic proportions, as it will effectively end the internal combustion engine’s (ICE’s) 100-year hegemony that helped kick-start the age of the private vehicle in the 20th century. According to a recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimate, twenty-six million plug-in vehicles will be on the road globally by the end of this year, out of a total automotive market of around ninety-two million units. Almost one million EVs a month are being added to the global fleet. That compares with a total global EV fleet of just one million in 2016. The BNEF estimate shows the world EV market is currently dominated by China with 46% of total sales. Europe with 34% of total EV sales is second, followed by the US with 15%. Total EV sales are forecast to reach 31.1 million by 2030. This is out of a forecast total automotive market size of 122.83 million units, according to AutoTechNews. According to a Deloitte report, in 2030, China, Europe, and the US will continue to account for the broadly similar EV market share that they do today, achieving 49%, 27%, and 14%, respectively. Policy Support Supports EV Market Fresh policy support should get the US EV market moving. By 2030, analysts predict the US auto market will have fully recovered from the effects of the recent COVID-19 lockdown slump and returned to its pre-2020 highs of eighteen million units—with 45% of all cars to be EVs. All the major car manufacturers in the US have either developed EV models or are in the process of doing so. Tesla leads the way with a reported 69.95% of the US market share. Nissan is in second place with 8.51%. Other US manufacturers are expanding their products, including Ford and Volkswagen this year. Japan is the second largest auto market in Asia, after China. However, EV adoption has been slow. There are hopes though that this could soon change. BNEF reports that car giants Nissan and Mitsubishi have plans to bring new EV models to market before the end of this year. These will be closely followed by Honda in 2024 and Daihatsu the following year. Meanwhile, in South Korea, EV take-up is strong, on the back of offerings from domestic car makers Hyundai and Kia, with end-2021 EV sales nearing 15%. Challenges The disadvantages that have hampered the growth of EVs over the years are well understood. They include poor performance, compared with ICE vehicles, and a lack of range, compounded by the low availability of charge points; the multiplicity of payment options; and incompatible charging technologies. There is also the problem of slow charge times. These can often be measured in hours, rather than the minutes typical for ICE vehicles at fuel stations. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told the Stuttgarter Zeitung, “As long as the charging structure and the markets have not yet reached the point of switching completely to electric cars, there will continue to be cars with combustion engines.” In recent years though, automotive companies have markedly improved EV performances. More charge points are being installed, and efforts are being made to homogenize their technologies. The “holy grail” of higher EV recharge speed that can compete with the ICE’s fuel pump speed is now close at hand. The fastest EV charge points now promise a vehicle battery recharge of around five minutes for 100 miles of charge. In recent years, automotive companies have markedly improved EV performances. An Israeli EV battery company, StoreDot, is developing Extreme Fast Charging (XFC) technology based on silicon-dominant lithium-ion chemistry, that promises to whittle this time down to as low as “two to three minutes” by 2030. Meanwhile, the China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), one of the world’s leading makers of EV batteries, has announced that its next-generation battery has a range of 621 miles and will debut early next year. This range compares favorably with the Lucid Air battery, which has a range of 520 miles, and the Tesla Model S, with 405 miles. Electricity Price Rise But even as EVs look to making their long-awaited market breakthrough, two issues threaten to derail their progress. The first is the unforeseen rise in electricity prices this year caused in part by the ongoing war in Ukraine. EV market growth relies on an increase in the availability of ever more powerful batteries. This in turn requires rising electricity production and consumption. The unforeseen rise in electricity prices this year threatens to derail EVs progress. Last September, Tesla announced that it was increasing its Supercharger prices “significantly” across Europe. It blamed the skyrocketing costs of both gas and electricity that have risen over the last year. It used to cost between $5 and $10 for a full charge at a Tesla Supercharger. However, many Supercharger stations are now charging $0.50 per kWh. This is equivalent to a cost of $30 to charge 60 kWh. A Tesla email to owners in Europe warned of yet more price increases on the Supercharger network. In the UK, EV customers face higher energy costs following the UK’s planned October electricity price rise. The Problem of Lithium Supply The second issue has to do with the availability of lithium, a key component for EV batteries. According to McKinsey & Co., 98% of all global lithium is produced in China, Latin America, and Australia. Although some private firms in the US are keen to enter the lithium mining sector, they have faced fierce domestic opposition. The same story has unfolded in Serbia and Portugal, which has left the supply chain vulnerable to disruption. compound the supply problem, by 2030 lithium supply is forecast to fall short of demand by 4% for the first time, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). By 2035, the gap is set to expand to 24%. UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) warns that the likely shortages of lithium for electric battery production in the UK could endanger the move towards EVs and instead facilitate a transition to alternative hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The APC claims that as many as 75% of the largest and luxury cars, including vehicles such as the BMW 7 series, the Mercedes S class, and typical Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, could be forced to switch away from electric power supply. The sports utility vehicle (SUV)/four-wheel drive markets might face the same problem, all of which will have a major impact on EV demand. Shortages of lithium for electric battery production could endanger the move towards EVs. An additional factor is the upfront purchase or financing cost of an EV continues to remain stubbornly high compared to ICE vehicles. The cost of financing a Tesla Model 3 in 2022 is around $52,875 against that of a BMW 3 Series gasoline engine model, which costs from $39,986 to $41,676. But while EV proponents admit that the purchase and financing costs of an EV are higher than for an ICE vehicle, they point out that the running cost of an EV over an average lifespan is much lower than for its conventional ICE-powered counterpart. So over ten years an EV vehicle could, in fact, prove to be the cheaper option. Plus, EV battery recharge costs are comparatively low at around 80% cheaper than the refuel cost of an ICE vehicle. “The typical family-sized EV now costs £28.51 [$31.09] using a rapid charger—£64.25 [$70.06] cheaper than filling the same size car with fuel,” Tom Rowlands, managing director, Global EV Solutions at Fleetcor, wrote in Automotive World in September. Maintenance costs for an EV that typically only has around twenty moving parts are also lower compared with an ICE vehicle, which typically has more than 2,000 moving parts. So, in conclusion, while the current cost of purchasing an EV is high, it is now falling. Thereafter, cheaper running costs at least provide opportunities for savings. *Nnamdi Anyadike is an industry journalist specializing in metals, oil, gas, and renewable energy for over thirty-five years.

New Technologies Capturing Untapped Energy Source By Nnamdi Anyadike* Harnessing the clean energy of the oceans’ constant motion has long been the dream of environmental scientists and engineers. Other clean energy sources, like solar and wind power, have their advantages but lack reliability and predictability. In contrast, the oceans’ tides reoccur twice daily on a constant and predictable schedule. Ocean tides are caused when the moon, and to a lesser extent, the sun, exert gravitational forces on the Earth. When the highest point in the tidal wave reaches a coast, it experiences a high tide. When the lowest point, or trough, reaches a coast, it experiences a low tide. The two primary methods of generating electricity from tides are (1) “tidal range” devices that utilize the difference in water levels between high and low tides and (2) “tidal stream” devices that capture energy from flowing water in tidal currents. Industry Started in 1960s The history of tidal energy goes back decades. The first tidal range energy plant is La Rance, on the estuary of the Rance River in Brittany, France. Built in 1966, it still operates today and produces energy for a city of 250,000. Four other similar plants exist around the world in South Korea, Russia, China, and Canada. Today, the industry is focused on developing tidal stream technology. The first multi-device pilot farms were installed in 2016. MeyGen is the world’s largest planned tidal farm, located in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, Scotland, and currently powered by four turbines developed by Andritz Hydro Hammerfest and SIMEC Atlantis Energy. The total capacity of the project is planned to be 398MW through three development phases. The first three turbines of Nova Innovation’s Shetland Tidal Array, Shetland, UK, were deployed in 2016, followed by a fourth one in 2020. In January this year, the array was completed with two more turbines, making it largest in the world. An Untapped Resource The US Department of Energy (DoE) estimates that developing just 5% of tidal energy’s resource potential from the US’ thousands of miles of coastline would generate 12.5 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. In New Jersey, for instance, state lawmakers have been considering ways to fund regional tidal power projects. Tidal energy is seen as a way to help this coastal state reach its ambitious goal of providing 100% clean energy by 2050, and at least 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. However, although the oceans offer much from a green energy perspective, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Ocean Tracking Report, ocean power technologies are below the growth rates needed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Power Technology reports, that according to the IEA, “demonstration and small commercial marine projects remain expensive because the economies of scale necessary for significant cost reductions have not yet been realized.” Marine power’s status remains “not on track” with the projected sustained annual growth of 33% through 2030. Achieving this level of growth generation “would require an average 1GW of capacity additions annually until 2030,” which is far from guaranteed at the current growth rate level, Power Technology says. Some experts estimate the potential energy from tidal movements to be “enormous,” with about 1 terawatt of power stored in the world’s oceans. There is strong belief, though, in the power of the tides to provide significant amounts of renewable energy. To date, solar and wind energy technologies have received the most attention from regulators and industries, according to a report, “Challenges and Promise of Tidal Energy,” by the Parker Hannifin Corporation, a US-headquartered engineering company. Nevertheless, some experts estimate the potential energy from tidal movements to be “enormous,” with about 1 terawatt of power stored in the world’s oceans. “This would be enough to power 10 billion 100-watt lightbulbs at once,” the report says. Because tidal energy is still an emerging innovative technology, relying only on the market to deploy new projects is difficult. To reach higher levels of deployment, the tidal energy sector would need the kind of support that wind and solar energy technologies received to reach maturity. In return, tidal energy would enable a higher penetration of solar and wind energy, because it would enhance flexibility and security of energy supply to a renewables-based grid. Obstacles to Expansion Despite tidal energy being an environmentally friendly and a highly predictable energy source, there are disadvantages. The biggest barrier to tidal energy is the high cost associated with building tidal power stations. There are limits to the location of tidal energy plants as they require strong tides. The Parker Hannifin report also cites “aesthetic concerns,” as the plants cannot be too close to urban locations. But most tidal turbines are at the bottom of the ocean, invisible from the surface. Others float on the surface but are often so low that one cannot see them from the shore. The new tidal energy technologies under development are minimizing the impact of tidal power plants on fish and ocean life, compared with traditional tidal plants now in operation. Another major concern is potentially negative environmental effects on marine life. “Spinning blades can injure living organisms, as can water fouling resulting from various system components,” warns the Parker Hannifin report. Nevertheless, to date, several fish studies have not observed marine wildlife colliding with turbines or fish being harmed, according to Lotta Pirttimaa, Senior Policy Officer, Ocean Energy Europe. The new technologies under development are minimizing the impact of tidal power plants on fish and ocean life, compared with traditional tidal plants now in operation. Nova Scotia’s Floating Tidal Energy Project One example is the Pempa’q In-stream Tidal Energy Project in the Bay of Fundy—famous for having the highest tides in the world—in Nova Scotia, Canada. The project is expected to deliver up to 9 MWs of electricity to the Nova Scotia grid, powering approximately 3,000 homes, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Sustainable Marine Energy Ltd, the UK-founded provider of coastal and nearshore renewable energy solutions, is working to deliver a floating tidal energy array to the Pempa’q Project, to be delivered in multiple phases. “The firm’s in-stream technology differs from traditional tidal energy systems, including barrages (artificial structures that affect water flow), with the electrical generators installed directly into the tidal stream. This means there is no blockage to the water passage from large structures, greatly reducing impact to the surrounding environment and marine life,” the company claims. Last year, as part of the first phase of the Pempa’q Project, Sustainable Marine officially powered up its “next generation” floating tidal energy platform. It is deployed at the site of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE). The goal is to test the technology and environmental monitoring systems before placing them in the Minas Passage in the Bay of Fundy. Floating Hybrid Renewable Energy System in Asia Meanwhile, in Asia, Keppel Infrastructure, the Singapore-based provider of sustainable water solutions and advanced waste-to-energy technologies, the National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University are developing a “first-of-its-kind” floating hybrid renewable energy system for operation in Singapore. The project, launched in October, uses modular offshore floating solar platforms. These can be used with other renewable energy technologies, such as ocean wave energy conversion systems, tidal energy turbines, and paddles and wind turbines. A “first-of-its-kind” floating hybrid renewable energy system can be used with other renewable energy technologies, such as ocean wave energy conversion systems, tidal energy turbines, and paddles and wind turbines. The vision is to design and deploy a pilot system with the capacity to generate at least 100 MW of renewable power. Once successful, this can be scaled up and replicated to other regions. Ms. Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel Infrastructure, said, “With limited land space in Singapore, moving into waters offshore presents opportunities to unlock the potential for more diversified renewable energy sources, thereby enhancing energy security and supporting Singapore’s transition to a greener energy mix.” Elsewhere in Asia, UK-based HydroWing has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state-owned company Indonesia Power to develop and support tidal energy projects in Indonesia. HydroWing’s tidal solution includes a multi-rotor turbine design to increase energy availability and lower energy cost. It uses a particular (Tocardo) turbine that has been in continuous operation for the past eight years in the Netherlands as part of the Oosterschelde Tidal Power 2 Project. Scottish tidal energy developer SIMEC Atlantis Energy made headlines by manufacturing and installing a 500-kW tidal turbine in Japan’s Naru Strait. Clearly, there is much to be done before ocean tidal energy takes its place alongside other renewables in the global energy mix. However, the increase in the number of projects—and the commitment by renewable energy companies to invest in new technology—suggests that harnessing the energy of the ocean’s tides may not be far way. *Nnamdi Anyadike is an industry journalist specializing in metals, oil, gas, and renewable energy for over thirty-five years.

By Norman Shafto* By now, most of us have seen a solar farm—a field of glistening photovoltaic (PV) panels silently generating electricity from sunlight. The first solar farms typically used bare soil, gravel, or grass as ground cover beneath the arrays. These days, however, that space under the panels could be filled with flower meadows, grazing sheep, or even tomato vines. The combination of PV panels and agriculture is known as agrivoltaics and has become an increasingly popular approach to provide land with more than just one purpose. As we continue to strive to make the land we use as productive as possible, researchers have begun to assess the benefits of solar power and crop or livestock co-production. One study published in Nature Sustainability by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concluded that the co-location of solar panels and agriculture could have synergistic effects that support both the production of food and energy. NREL’s study, which took place during a three-month growing season, found that certain crops like tomatoes produce greater yield when shaded by solar panels. Additionally, water-use efficiency was improved since the shade and cooler temperatures decreased evaporation. Even the PV panels themselves experienced benefits in performance. The cooling “microclimate” that occurs in the presence of agriculture decreased panel surface heat and improved energy production compared to typical, ground-mounted panels. The lead researcher noted that “the promising results of this work have broad implications for how solar development and farming across the globe could be integrated to provide mutual benefits.” Another study found that certain croplands are the “land covers with the greatest solar PV power potential” based on an analysis of incoming sunlight, air temperature, and relative humidity. Livestock, especially sheep, have also been found to benefit from the solar panels. The shade effectively reduces heat stress on animals while they graze. Research indicates that solar arrays and farming have a synergistic relationship. Agriculture produces a cooling microclimate that increase solar efficiency while shade from the panels conserves water by reducing excess evaporation. Research in the area is not only happening in the United States, but across the globe. In Germany, the Faunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems recently published guidelines for agrivoltaics in Germany, titled Agrivoltaics: Opportunities for Agriculture and the Energy Transition. This document aims to provide practical advice on agrivoltaics implementation to farmers, municipalities, and companies that are interested in the approach. On the advantages of combining solar generation and agriculture, Max Trommsdorff, Group Head of Agrivoltaics at Fraunhofer ISE, said the combination “reduces competition for arable land and contributes to more efficient land use. In addition, agrivoltaics offers advantages such as protection against hail, frost, and drought damage, eliminating the need for protective foils and other materials. Also, a reduction in wind load and solar radiation underneath the PV modules can help to decrease water consumption in agriculture.” Similar to the NREL, the Fraunhofer ISE researchers also pointed toward increases in yields for some crop types and a significant reduction in water use. Farmers who consider adopting agrivoltaics balance the pros and cons. Less land flexibility and the cost of adoption remain key concerns. While there are some early adopters of agrivoltaics, most of the existing solar plus crop farms are at small scales and used for researching best practices. As with any innovative approach to technology implementation, there are still some limitations to keep in mind. In a study published in Agronomy, the authors interviewed several farmers to discuss their perceptions on the opportunities and barriers to adopting agrivoltaics. The results of these interviews indicated that, while farmers where interested in learning about marrying PV panels and agriculture, barriers include: “(i) desired certainty of long-term land productivity, (ii) market potential, (iii) just compensation, and (iv) a need for predesigned system flexibility to accommodate different scales, types of operations, and changing farming practices.” More specifically, farmers expressed concerns over “putting in permanent structure,” which could make land use less flexible for different types of agriculture. Ensuring the market potential of the crops or livestock grown or raised among the solar panels is critical. Other farmers pointed out that by leasing out land to solar developers they would be able to gain an additional profit, so long as a reasonable agreement could be reached between the two. Finally, farmers said that scale mattered, as solar arrays could impede the large machinery needed to harvest crops in bigger fields. With increasing food and energy requirements and a growing population, agrivoltaics is certainly one approach to consider to meet demand while alleviating the competition for land resources. So, next time you pass by a glistening field of solar panels, check what is beneath them — there could be rabbits or jalapeños. *Norman Shafto is a Senior Sustainability Analyst at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), where he leads EPRI’s Sustainability Assessment Services. Mr. Shafto received a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development and a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy, both from Columbia University.

By Nicholas Newman* The urgent need to cut harmful emissions is spurring governments and industry into action. Critical targets for decarbonization are the electric-power, heating, and transportation sectors, which together account for over 73% of global CO2 emissions. No single technology nor energy source today can achieve net-zero emissions alone. Nonetheless, hydrogen, alongside clean renewable energy sources for power, has the potential to make a significant contribution towards a viable green energy future. In the Dutch part of the North Sea, a pilot project is underway to repurpose a gas platform as a green hydrogen production site. ‘Green’ hydrogen is hydrogen gas produced using renewable sources of energy. As this project demonstrates, existing pipelines can conveniently send produced hydrogen fuel back to the mainland for distribution. The presence of massive offshore wind farms in the area alongside more oil and gas platforms shows promise for a sustainable future of large-scale green hydrogen production. Hydrogen’s Part in the Energy Transition Hydrogen, like electricity and fossil fuels, is a secondary source of energy that can be used both as a fuel or stored for later use. Hydrogen today is mainly supplied to specialist sectors such as refining, chemical manufacturing, and space rockets. However, to reduce harmful air pollution, some cities and towns are now utilizing hydrogen to power buses and generators and to provide heating and energy storage. Hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonizing the transportation sector, and industry leaders are investing accordingly. Some train manufacturers like Alstom and Siemens are already testing hydrogen fuel cell trains to replace diesel on local, regional, and rural routes. Ship engine manufacturers like ABB and Wärtsilä are devising engines suited to hydrogen for barges, car ferries, yachts, and even cargo ships. Also, major power sector manufacturing companies are working with others to develop new power plant turbines for hydrogen in place of natural gas to compete with rival technologies such as batteries, liquified natural gas (LNG), and ammonia. Renewable Energy and Seawater: The Keys to Offshore Hydrogen In most European countries, land-based green hydrogen factories rely on fresh water and offshore wind farms. Germany’s $8.35 million (€7.4 million) Westküste 100 project in Schleswig-Holstein near the German-Danish border is a prime example. Likewise, the Scottish Orkney Island’s hydrogen hub is powered by a combination of offshore and onshore wind plus wave power. Offshore hydrogen production can avoid straining freshwater resources by instead making use of seawater and the power of offshore wind farms. Denmark recently announced plans to build an artificial island to serve as the world’s first wind energy hub in the North Sea. This ambitious plan, which also includes capacity for a gigawatt-sized onsite hydrogen factory, is a substantial step towards leading Europe’s clean energy transition. Pilot Project Tests the Multi-Use of Platforms The Dutch PosHYdon pilot is the world’s first offshore green hydrogen electrolysis project placed on a working gas platform. Electrolysis powered by wind will separate filtered sea water and produce a maximum of four hundred kilograms of green hydrogen per day. The hydrogen would then be exported to the mainland via existing subsea gas pipelines that connect with the Netherland’s gas distribution grid. The project has received a $4.2 million (€3.6 million) subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and attracted investment from a host of energy utility, production, technology, and exploration companies. The project’s backers are confident that it will be much cheaper to use the existing offshore gas infrastructure to produce hydrogen rather than to lay new subsea power cables that link to onshore hydrogen factories. This pilot will be a critical test of those estimates. Patrice Hijsterborg, Neptune Energy Corporate Affairs Manager, realistically notes, “This pilot project finds out what the real-life costs are.” Promising Trends for Future Energy The greening of transportation, heating, heavy industry, and power would make a substantial dent in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Work is already underway to explore the practicalities and impact of diluting natural gas with hydrogen in pipelines for heating and cooking. Meanwhile, the transportation sector is more amenable to decarbonization through the use of alternative fuels, batteries, hydrogen, and LNG. Decarbonizing heavy industrial processes such as making cement, chemicals, and steel is a formidable task that will continue to require substantial investment. The urgency of reducing emissions should strengthen the demand for growth and application of green hydrogen. In fact, key governments of nations including the UK, the European Union, China, Canada, the United States, Russia, and South Africa are working with major energy companies such as BP, Total Energy, Shell, Saudi Aramco, and Gazprom to develop hydrogen-friendly policies that promote the production, distribution, and usage of hydrogen. Because of growing interest and support from governmental and industry leaders, the market for hydrogen is expected to more than double in this decade. Currently, green hydrogen is about three and a half times as expensive as ‘gray’ hydrogen—which is produced with fossil fuels. The only sure way for green hydrogen to compete on price at this time is through scaling up production. Currently, there are around ten such ambitious projects under development including northern Germany’s 10 GW AquaVentus venture. Securing cheap renewable energy, water resources, and scalable electrolysis are the crucial ingredients to bring down the cost of green hydrogen. Global hydrogen production is expected to increase from 71 million metric tons (78 million tons) in 2020 to 168 million metric tons (185 million tons) by 2030, according to a recent report by research firm Frost & Sullivan. Because of the growing interest in hydrogen around the world, the market for hydrogen is expected to grow in value from $177.3 billion in 2020 to $420 billion in 2030. To put these numbers into perspective, Navigant Research valued the global energy market at over $1.6 trillion in 2019. Though it has a long way to go, the future of hydrogen is looking green. *Nicholas Newman is an energy, technology, and business journalist, content writer, and editor based in Oxfordshire, England.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* Excess fat and sugar in your diet during childhood can change your microbiome later in life, even if your eating habits become healthier, a new study measuring nutrition in mice suggests. The research study, conducted by the University of California (UC), is one of the first nutritional reports to explore the juvenile diet and its lasting effect on the microbiome following a significant washout period, which is the equivalent in mice of approximately six human years. Carried out by lead researcher, biologist Theodore Garland of the UC Riverside (UCR) research team, the study shows a high-fat, high-sugar diet had a long-term impact on the microbiome of mice, raising questions as to whether the same findings may be true for humans. Malnutrition can refer to the effects of undernutrition as well as overnutrition. Undernutrition stems from an insufficient intake of nutrients due to not having enough to eat. Overnutrition refers to the excessive intake of nutrients, which can lead to adverse health effects usually arising from an accumulation of body fat. Garland and his team focused their study on overnutrition. Understanding Long-Lasting Effects of Diet and Exercise Explaining what spurred the UCR researchers to explore the long-term impact of childhood diet, Garland said, “Children are dependent on their parents and other aspects of their environment for the availability of food, but within those constraints, they and their parents make choices as to what foods to eat.” These food choices that children and parents make and their eating habits can have immediate health impacts. “But the possibility of long-lasting effects, over the course of years, have been less studied,” Garland added, “As have the possible long-term effects of early-life exercise such as riding your bike versus sedentary behavior like playing video games.” The study, entitled, “Early-Life Effects of the Juvenile Western Diet and Exercise on Adult Gut Microbiome Composition in Mice,” was inspired by the transition in actions and habits that take place from childhood to adulthood. Commenting on what inspired the study, Garland shared that the impetus related to: “Our lab's general interest in what determines adult patterns of exercise behavior.” “We have been studying the genetic side of things in mice for decades, and more recently turned to studying possible early-life environmental effects,” added Garland. The Role of the Microbiome The microbiome refers to all bacteria, along with fungi, protozoa, and viruses that live both on and inside animals or humans. The majority of these microorganisms that reside in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are found in our intestines. On the whole, the microorganisms constituting our microbiome are beneficial, as they help us digest food, regulate our immune system, develop vitamins, and protect against other bacteria that cause disease. A healthy person or animal with a healthy microbiome will have both the beneficial microorganisms and those that cause disease, known as pathogenic microorganisms. If healthy gut bacteria are detrimentally impacted by factors such as changes in diet or antibiotic use, the resulting shift in microorganisms may result in the host becoming more prone to illness. Measuring Microbiome Impact of Diet and Exercise A paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology on the study saw the research team explore implications on the microbiome by splitting the mice into four groups: One group of mice was fed the standard ‘healthy’ diet, with no access to a running wheel for exercise; Another group was fed the less healthy ‘Western’ diet, with no access to the running wheel; Some of the mice had a standard ‘healthy’ diet, with access to the running wheel; and The final group was given the ‘Western’ diet, with access to the running wheel. The mice remained in these four groups and continued to have their diet and exercise monitored for three weeks. After this time, the animals returned to their typical laboratory conditions, where they received a standard diet and no exercise. After 14 weeks, the researchers assessed the diversity, composition, and amount of bacteria in the mice. How Did Diet and Exercise Affect the Microbiome? Key findings reveal that the abundance of bacteria such as Muribaculum intestinale—a type of bacteria used in carbohydrate metabolism—was considerably lower in the mice that received the Western diet. Examining their results, the team identified a decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria in the mature mice that were fed unhealthy diets as juveniles. “We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to kids having a Western diet, high in fat and sugar and their gut microbiome still being affected up to six years after puberty,” noted Garland in a recent UCR news article. After analysis, the researchers also found that gut bacteria were sensitive to the amount of exercise the mice received. The abundance of Muribaculum bacteria grew in the group of mice fed a standard diet and who had access to a running wheel. Simultaneously, it reduced in mice on a high-fat diet regardless of whether they exercised. Based on the study’s findings, the researchers believe that the specific bacteria species, Muribaculum bacteria, and its wider family might affect the amount of energy belonging to the host. Overall, the UCR research team found that an early-life Western diet in the mice had more long-lasting effects on the animal’s microbiome than exercise in early life did. The researchers say it is notable that the effects were still visible for such a long period after changing their eating habits and after returning to their standard diet. Key Research Takeaways As Garland opined that the average person does not consider the lifelong ramifications of what they feed their children, the study asserts a clear message regarding the possible implications of its findings for human health: “As parents, we should think carefully about what we feed our kids and how we encourage them to be physically active.” Emphasizing that information and guidance are also a crucial part of supporting parents with their children’s nutrition, Garland continued, “We should educate them as to the possible long-term consequences of their choices.” Commenting on how the study’s findings might inform campaigns to end our global nutrition crisis, Garland warned, “What you eat (or cannot eat) as a child may haunt you or help you for years to come.” Further Research is Underway Focusing on the next steps following the nutritional study, the researchers are continuing to expand their exploration of the early-life effects of diet and exercise. In a companion paper, Garland noted how the research team reports effects on adult behavior, physiology, and anatomy. To further understand the longer-term implications of our diets and exercise in childhood and how they affect us into adulthood, the researchers are also conducting a similar study with early-life fructose in the diet. *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal and sociological perspectives. She has also written for market intelligence companies like Innova Market Insights and WGSN. Natasha has also been interviewed herself as an insights provider for research institutes and conferences.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* Florida Research Leads the Way Imagine a world where every neighborhood had tanks filled with recirculating seawater big enough to grow plenty of fresh, sustainable seafood for every meal of the day. Sound too good to be true? Read on. From its humble beginnings as a two-person research team in a tiny Florida lab, an independent nonprofit known as Mote has become a leading marine research facility with more than twenty research projects under its umbrella. As the Sarasota-based Mote Aquaculture Research Park celebrates its twentieth anniversary in sustainable aquaculture research, we spoke with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium to find out about an especially exciting project: a system that could provide fresh, local, sustainable seafood to most inland spots on the globe. A new twist on aquaculture Over the years, Mote’s research taught them a lot about aquaculture, the fish-farming practice that’s been around for centuries. Now Mote is adding a sustainable twist to its aquaculture—it is using large tanks about twenty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico to grow both fish and sea vegetables. Dr. Kevan Main gets us started on the basics behind Mote’s unique research. Dr. Main is Mote’s associate vice president for research, program manager for marine and freshwater aquaculture research, and senior scientist. “Aquaculture is something that people don’t really understand very well. It is the same thing as agriculture: It’s the farming of animals or plants in water,” she says. Adds Mote’s public relations manager, Stephannie Kettle, “Aquaponics, which combines aquaculture and hydroponics, is simply growing fish and plants in water.” But Mote does aquaponics differently. Mote uses recirculating seawater in land-based tanks, and while most aquaculture projects of this nature grow freshwater fish together with agricultural crops, such as lettuce, Mote made the pioneering decision to raise marine fish species together with sea vegetables. The secret is in the system How does their recirculating sustainable system work? Kettle explains: “Water in the fish habitat is filtered and cleaned and then run through the plant system before returning back to the fish system. The fish waste is utilized by the plants.” When asked what makes a recirculating system clean and sustainable, Kettle adds: “As plants are able to use fish waste as ‘food’ and the plants assist in filtering water, the fish are consistently provided [with] clean water.” And how long does it take the water to recirculate? Depending on the system in use, water “turns over," which means it is filtered and runs through the entire system, in just one to three hours. Mote confirms that some seawater is lost during the process, via uptake by plants and evaporation, and does need to be replaced. However, their research team continues to drill down on how to minimize water use and filter it so that it can be reused repeatedly. “We have been able to prove that an inland seawater recirculating system is possible,” Kettle says. Why does Mote do this? As a sustainable aquaculture technology developer, Mote first pioneered its innovative aquaculture method to help secure the globe’s food needs and replenish depleted species. It also aims to contribute to a viable domestic aquaculture industry in the US. “To ensure a stable supply of quality protein, and to lessen the impacts on wild fish populations, sustainable, recirculating aquaculture systems are a necessity,” Kettle explains. To meet the United States’ increasing demand for seafood and to restock depleted recreational and commercial stocks, Mote’s researchers are also developing spawning, larval, fingerling, and grow-out culture methods for marine or freshwater species. “We really focus on trying to unlock the methods, the mysteries of how these animals are able to reproduce or grow in nature and try to make that environment here in the laboratories,” says Dr. Main, detailing Mote’s research. What are they growing in those tanks? Mote’s research team is focused at this time on growing marine finfish, as well as marine shellfish. On the plant side of the system, they raise marine vegetation such as sea purslane or mangrove trees. Marine species that are native to the Gulf of Mexico, including almaco jack and redfish, are Mote’s primary focus. “These are fish that are tasty and for which there is an existing market,” says Kettle. Advanced spawning and rearing technologies have been deployed by Mote to analyze a wider variety of species, as well, including common and Pacific snook, Florida pompano, southern flounder, greater amberjack, red drum, red snapper, zebrafish, abalone, shrimp, hard corals and long-spined sea urchins. “The species we work with the most is the common snook, which is not produced or fished commercially. We grow common snook juveniles for habitat restoration purposes,” says Kettle. Snook are sensitive to environmental threats such as cold stun and red tide events. Commercial fishing for snook is prohibited due to past population declines. “Common snook is extremely valuable as a driver in the sportfish/tourism industry,” Kettle says. Mote’s task is to grow and release juvenile snook to increase their populations in the region. Sea vegetables, otherwise known as sea purslane, are also a species of focus. “Sea purslane grows well in an aquaponics system, has good nutritional value, and is a tasty, not-too-salty addition to many dishes,” Kettle says. (Mote is coming out with a sea purslane cookbook.) Is there commercial interest? For commercial operations, a key question has to be whether tank-raised fish compare in taste and quality with wild-caught fish? Kettle explains: “Aquaculture-grown species are especially valuable to restaurants that are looking for consistent fish products to create their menus around—the supply is consistent and not seasonal, and fish are grown to a consistent, desirable market size.” “Fish in aquaculture systems are fed carefully selected diets and do not face the same stress as wild fish (for example, having to hide from predators, seek food, seek shelter, seek mates). Their lighting and temperature conditions are also optimal,” says Kettle. “This results in a quality fish product that is extremely consistent.” A study conducted by Mote’s researchers and supported by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation found that seafood farmers can raise fish successfully on a diet of wild-caught mullet, a plentiful fish in Florida’s waters. The nutritional findings of their study indicate that feeding with mullet can improve the sustainability of seafood farming and add value to fisheries, which it did for a major Florida fishery. “We saw a unique opportunity to transform a locally available by-product—excess mullet from the fishery in Cortez, Florida—into a valuable fish meal product that could be used in commercial aquaculture feeds,” Dr. Main says. In terms of profitability, Mote’s recirculating technology solves a couple of major headaches for farmed-fish producers. It provides a solution to the rising coastal property costs and the regulatory constraints attached to production that pressure Florida’s shifting and challenging aquaculture landscape. “We regularly communicate with others in the industry, including other researchers, local restaurateurs and chefs, state and federal agencies,” says Kettle. Commenting on the impact that its model may have on commercial applications, Kettle says: “We hope that our aquaculture research projects can show how recirculating seawater systems can create a sustainable, reliable source of quality protein.” Getting the message out to global producers is crucial. “Over 90 percent of the seafood that is coming into this country [the United States] is raised in some areas of the world that don't have the highest standards of environmental controls,” says Dr. Michael P. Crosby PhD, president and CEO, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. “It calls into question not only the quality of the seafood that we are bringing in but also the impact of those aquaculture operations around the world,” Dr. Crosby says. Looking ahead, Mote’s research will center on growing salable products, incorporating alternative energy into system designs to boost the sustainability and economic feasibility of recirculating systems, and further developing sustainable marine aquaculture. With inland fish farming in tanks on the rise and with Mote leading the way, the global availability of fresh, local, sustainable seafood is increasing. “The world population is growing. The only way we are going to be able to feed that ever-growing population is through aquaculture,” Dr. Main says. What Mote’s research is creating, she says, is “aquaculture for the 21st century.” *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal and sociological perspectives. She has also written for market intelligence companies like Innova Market Insights and WGSN. Natasha has also been interviewed herself as an insights provider for research institutes and conferences.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* Trees are known to compete for sunlight and soil resources, but forest researchers have discovered a deeper reality beneath the ground. Trees actually relate to one another in communities and even share essential nutrients through their roots. Dr. Camille Defrenne, an ecologist specializing in plant-fungal symbioses at the Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, is one such researcher who has studied the inner workings of this remarkable phenomenon. Fungi Bridge the Gap Between Trees During her Ph.D. studies at the University of British Columbia, Defrenne spent four years studying the fine roots of Douglas-fir trees at the side of Dr. Suzanne Simard, best-selling author and professor of forest and conservation sciences. Simard’s research on the observed ‘intelligence’ and communication between trees has sparked widespread interest in this increasingly popular field. “In most forests around the world, trees share resources, such as carbon and nutrients, and information such as defense signals,” explains Defrenne. They are able to do so because they are interconnected below the ground thanks to mycorrhizal fungi. For 400 million years, these fungi physically associated with the tips of fine roots, creating exchange sites where a tree can trade the carbon it gets from photosynthesis for resources acquired from the soil by fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi connect multiple trees beneath the soil surface through their microscopic filaments that grow out from the root tips. These filaments form the basic links of mycorrhizal networks, which were coined the “Wood Wide Web” in Suzanne Simard’s seminal 1997 research. Carbon and nutrients flow through mycorrhizal networks from where they are more abundant to where they are less abundant, a circumstance known as source-sink gradient. “Research shows that these resource fluxes are sufficiently large in some cases to facilitate tree establishment and growth,” says Defrenne. “Highly connected hub trees, also named ‘Mother Trees,’ share their excess carbon and nitrogen with the understory seedlings, which can increase their survival.” Humans and Nature Thrive in Balanced Ecosystems Research led by Simard, Dr. Teresa Ryan of the Tsimshian Nation, and colleagues at the University of British Columbia has shown that in Pacific coastal rainforests, the salmon, trees, mycorrhizal fungi, and Aboriginal people are interdependent. “The Aboriginal people of the Pacific Coast are sustainably embedded in a complex system including forests, rivers, and the ocean,” adds Defrenne. A large part of the nutrients that mycorrhizal fungi take up in these rainforests is from salmon origins—the salmon are caught by predators that leave the fish carcasses on the forest floor. “The salmon nutrients contribute to faster tree growth along salmon streams and mediate the high productivity of these ecosystems,” shares Defrenne, “In turn, trees modulate the water temperature of the rivers and transmit nutrients to the ebb tides through seepage.” As a result, a cycle is formed that promotes the health and productivity of the fish. “Closing the circle, the Aboriginal people harvest tree bark and roots to make clothing and tools to catch salmon,” details Defrenne. “The integrity of this circle of life depends on what the Aboriginals call reciprocity—the trade of mutual respect.” The benefits of interdependence in forest ecosystems speak to human ecosystems, as well. As Defrenne describes, “The idea that trees in forest ecosystems may interact in apparently similar ways to humans and animals is fascinating because it makes it easier to relate.” If we look at examples of how trees, our bodies, and people coexist harmoniously, we can see that they communicate and engage in cooperative relationships. “For example, trees and mycorrhizal fungi depend on each other for survival in forest ecosystems; white blood cells and antibodies collaborate to fight infection in our immune system, and individuals are interconnected through institutions and social media in human societies,” shares Defrenne. All of these complex systems adapt to changing conditions in their efforts to survive, function, and thrive. Rethinking Our Approach to Nature The more we study forest ecosystems, the more we learn about managing them well: “Research in forest ecology provides invaluable quantitative information and tools for resource managers and policymakers,” details Defrenne. “Especially, experiments manipulating climate or forest practices are essential to predict and maintain the functioning of forest ecosystems in the future” Defrenne goes on to say. The structure and function of forest ecosystems might even inspire design practices of the future. The 2019 Google's Annual Design and Technology Conference featured a workshop entitled ‘Towards Resilient Systems.’ Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy and Research team offered the idea that designers should rethink human-centric design in both discussion and practice. Workshop organizers encouraged designers to re-prioritize relationships between individuals, species, and the surrounding landscape in their designs. How to Reconnect to Our Natural World From plants to animals to ecosystems, there is a whole world out there of interdependent ecosystems to explore and enjoy. Defrenne shares her advice for making the most of it: Bring yourself and your kids to the forest. Educate yourself and others about our environment. For example, listen to and share good podcasts on the environment such as Science Friday, For the Wild, and TED. Stay informed by engaging with the scientific community. You can Skype with a scientist. Learn more at: https://www.skypeascientist.com. Engage with environmental organizations to protect vulnerable ecosystems. Take a virtual tour of the SPRUCE experiment. The SPRUCE experiment assesses the response of northern peatland ecosystems to increases in temperature and exposures to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. An increasing number of people feel disconnected from the natural world. Being aware that trees are far more connected than previously thought can change our thinking about forests and ourselves. Adds Defrenne: “It also encourages people to educate themselves and others about their environment and to remain humble in front of the natural world and its mysteries.” *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past ten years, she has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* While vertical farming (VF) enjoys opportunities and rapid growth—bringing the sector significant investment, hype, and hope as a potential provider of global food security—widespread concerns remain about energy costs, taste, nutrition, and VF’s adaptability to a broad range of crops. Will the VF sector expand to fill a niche or burgeon to successfully feed the world? Vertical farming—a rapidly growing sector of indoor agriculture—primarily produces hydroponically grown greens and herbs near a densely populated customer base. The sustainable agricultural practice gets its name from stacking multiple rows of growing plants, thus creating vertical indoor towers that cultivate far more produce per acre than a traditional farm. Automated climate controls provide optimal growing temperatures, artificial lighting, and nutrient-dense water inputs that allow for a steady, year-round yield that can be produced and customized with fewer workers. One UK Firm Has Its Eye on Europe One UK-based vertical farming brand, Vertical Future, focuses on manipulating light to improve taste, plant longevity and plant quality. To further achieve its goals, the company is closely monitoring the European region’s regulatory framework and developments to plan its next move in this advancing area of agriculture. “The vertical farming sector is still very much in its infancy relative to where it can and will get to, both in terms of market share as a percentage of total fresh produce production and in terms of capital investment,” says Jamie Burrows, Founder and CEO of Vertical Future, describing the status and potential of vertical farming in the company’s domestic market— the UK—and in wider Europe. “This being said, the amount of growth within the sector itself is quite astounding—with growth being driven by many factors, including population growth, environmental factors, and wider supply chain and health concerns as a result of COVID-19,” adds Burrows. As technological innovation in vertical farming evolves, growth in the European sector has come mostly from the rapid development of small-scale vertical farms which generally focus on servicing local populations with higher-margin crops. “There has been less ‘large-scale’ activity in the UK and EU vertical farming sectors, but this has been mainly due to a less developed or sophisticated investor ecosystem, especially when compared to the US, where the focus is on growth, initial public offerings, and special purpose acquisition companies, irrespective of evidence (or lack thereof) of profitability,” Burrows says. The Vertical Farm is an Ecosystem Having operated its own farms since 2016, Vertical Future’s Burrows says, “We quickly realized that there is a massive lack of innovative thinking in this sector regarding both hardware and software solutions.” Focused on environmental renewal from the beginning, Vertical Future started by learning how to grow crops and how to service different customer types. Innovation grew from seeing the vertical farm as a “system”—an integration of various parts—with energy utilization, utility, and space optimization being front and center. Vertical Future built on this concept, investing heavily in developing hardware and software solutions of its own that are suitable for the mass market. Vertical Future is rolling out these technologies across the UK today within different customer archetypes. Burrows described, “Our plans are also far greater, with a number of large-scale partnerships set to be announced this quarter.” Scaling Vertical Farming to Meet European Market Demands There are a number of challenges facing the vertical farming sector in Europe. According to Burrows, questions around the availability of capital, the lack of evidence of proven success over time, and the narrow crop focus, which is driven by technological and biological barriers, are particularly daunting. “Evidently, like any new market, it will take a number of years, some large-scale successes, and probably many (smaller) failures to properly prove the market for vertical farming,” Burrows emphasizes. Another challenge is meeting customer taste and quality expectations. A research study published in March 2021 details concern from Russian consumers surveyed about the taste and quality of vertically farmed vegetables. Some respondents reported positive attitudes, perceiving vertically-farmed vegetables to be safe, tasty, and of good quality, whereas others considered them to be unnatural, less nutritious, bad-tasting, and even dangerous—potentially due to misconceptions or lack of knowledge. Increasingly, vertical farming innovators are focusing on how to address consumers’ taste and nutritional quality concerns. Vertical Future does so by concentrating on the inputs needed to grow a plant. To meet consumer expectations for taste and nutritional quality, Dr. Jen Bromley, Head of Plant Research and Development at Vertical Future, identifies three major factors to consider: The quality and quantity of light provided; The composition of the nutrients delivered to the crop and the mechanism by which these are delivered, such as hydroponics versus aeroponics; and The crop variety. Vertical Future’s plant research and development (R&D) team focuses on these three variables, among others, to understand how each impacts taste and nutrition and to make recommendations for which crops to grow and how to grow them. Various industrywide approaches are being taken to improve taste and nutritional quality. “The critical aspect to being able to fully address these is a system that is sufficiently flexible to allow appropriate changes to be made to light and nutrient delivery,” says Bromley. Regulatory Guidance on Organic Status Varies by Region Questions exist within the European vertical farming community about whether or not regulators are allowing vertically-farmed produce to be certified as organic. In the UK, the Soil Association is the primary certification body for organic produce. “At present, vertically farmed produce is not classified as organic since it is grown with hydroponic or aeroponic nutrient delivery,” Bromley says. In the UK, to be certified organic, plants need to be grown in soil. “In Europe, the situation is similar with vertically farmed produce currently excluded from organic certification, as much of the certification is around the land upon which the crop is grown as well as the production method,” says Bromley, referring to European legislative guidance. “We are also told by colleagues in Italy that they are unable to certify vertically farmed produce as organic,” notes Bromley. In the US, where growth in the soil is not a requirement for organic certification, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken a different view from that of the UK’s Soil Association. “In the US market, we see that vertically farmed produce is certified and labeled as organic,” Bromley says. “However, what is important to realize is that organic farming is about production practices that seek to minimize the use of environmentally harmful agrochemicals such as herbicides and pesticides,” adds Bromley. In Vertical Future’s R&D center, for example, the company has demonstrated that its technology can operate without pesticides or herbicides, even those that are certified for use with organic growing methods. Maximizing Nutrition through Vertical Farming Inputs Consumers and the farming community want to know what nutrients are in the water used in vertical farming, as well as how these nutrients are sourced and whether they can replicate or even surpass the nutrition present in regenerated soil. “The nutrients we supply to the plants are exactly those that are needed and so the makeup of the fertigation (injecting fertilizer into irrigation systems) medium varies depending on the plant,” says Bromley. “The key three macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphate and potassium (NPK) and a whole host of micronutrients such as manganese, calcium, boron, and iron among others.” The macronutrients and micronutrients used in vertical farming can be inorganic or organic in origin, reports Vertical Future. Inorganic nutrients are synthetic, artificial forms of plant nutrients or naturally occurring mined minerals, whereas organic fertilizers are derived from plant or animal sources and contain nutrients in a purely organic form. To proponents of vertical farming methods, supplying nutrients independently of soil provides no downsides to the quality of the plant produced. “There is even the opportunity to improve the quality,” says Bromley. For example, it is possible to supply mineral nutrients that are not typically available in regenerated soils that are important for human health. “One such mineral is selenium which has low bioavailability in soils but is readily taken up by plants if made bioavailable,” says Bromley. By providing selenium in a bioavailable form through hydroponics or aeroponics, it is possible to fortify plants with this and other minerals. Sharing Knowledge for a Vertical Farming Future Looking ahead, with the expected growth of vertical farming ventures throughout Europe and the world, vertical farms will collectively accumulate information, knowledge, and insights that can be shared across the international VF sector. “The more farms we roll out, the greater the amount of data we are able to amass. Our view is that this data and associated learning will play a vital role in growing the sector in future years,” Burrows says. *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past ten years, she has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives.

The United Nations Human Rights Council confirms the human right to a healthy environment in a landmark declaration. How did this newly observed right come into recognition? And what does it mean for member states and global citizens? By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* In October 2021, the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations adopted two resolutions related to human rights and climate change. The first recognizes the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment while the second is a resolution that addresses the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. According to a statement by Mazhat Shameen Khan, President of the HRC, these resolutions are the “culmination of years of work.” The Right to a Healthy Environment: From Idea to Implementation Founded in 1945, the United Nations (UN) was established with a mandate to secure the rights that lead to a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy world for all. Despite that mandate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost a quarter (24%) of all deaths around the world—approximately 13.7 million deaths a year—are linked to environmental factors, such as air pollution and exposure to chemicals. Conscious actions that led the UN to acknowledge and deem a healthy environment to be a human right included dedicated efforts by member states and civil society organizations, youth groups, national human rights institutions, indigenous peoples’ organizations, and businesses. Therefore, following the UN HRC’s recent declaration of the human right to a healthy environment, member states and individuals around the world want to know what we can expect from this milestone declaration. “Recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is about protecting people and the planet—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat.” —Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Tabled by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland, the resolution was passed by 43 votes in favor, with four abstentions from Russia, India, China, and Japan. “The recognition that having a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right is a vital step towards addressing the climate crisis and achieving environmental justice, and, thus, improving people’s lives,” detailed a spokesperson from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking to The Earth & I. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in her speech welcoming the adoptions: “…recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is about protecting people and the planet—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat.” A second UN resolution set out the Council’s commitment to the importance of understanding the relationship between climate change and human rights by creating a Special Rapporteur to specifically focus on the global issue. The core group behind the resolution creating the new Special Rapporteur consists of the Bahamas, the European Union, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Panama, Paraguay, and Sudan. The adoption of these two resolutions contributes to raising awareness of environmental protection as a requirement by human rights norms. It also highlights the importance of environmental protection for human dignity, equality, and freedom. Following the adoption of the two resolutions, the HRC says that the issue will now go to the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, for consideration by all member states. The UN’s COP26: How Adequate Were Its Commitments? The recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which took place from October 31 to November 12, 2021, saw global leaders come to Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss the importance of collaboration to tackle climate change as the world strives to move ahead with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. One of the main results of the conference was the creation of the Glasgow Climate Pact. The global sustainability event’s final outcome document purposefully asks 197 countries to report their progress towards their climate ambitions next year at COP27 which will take place in Egypt. Along with short-term plans, the Pact also confirms global goals to progress climate action throughout the decade, to 2030. For the first time, negotiators explicitly discussed shifting away from coal and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, although, in a last-minute announcement made by China and India, wording that was previously cited in an earlier draft of the agreement as “the phase-out of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels” was softened and revised to “phase down” coal use. “As we emerge from COP26, this action sends a resounding message to world leaders that human rights must be placed at the center of climate action as they follow up to their commitments to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change,” —OHCHR spokesperson COP26 President Alok Sharma shared his apologies for “the way the process has unfolded.” He also expressed that he understood some delegations would be “deeply disappointed” that more definite language had not been written into the final agreement. On the final day, following an extension of the COP26 climate negotiations by an additional day, the UN chief emphasized that it was time to go into “emergency mode.” To succeed in providing $100 billion in finance dedicated to climate action, the UN chief confirmed these commitments require the world to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies, phase out the use of coal, place an economic value on carbon, and safeguard vulnerable communities. In addition, Sharma stated that while the global organization did not achieve its goals at the conference, it has made some building blocks for progress. “As we emerge from COP26, this action sends a resounding message to world leaders that human rights must be placed at the center of climate action as they follow up to their commitments to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change,” says OHCHR’s spokesperson. Standards to Follow to Achieve a Healthy Environment In speaking with The Earth & I on the need for greater recognition of all individuals’ needs for a healthy environment, the OHCHR’s spokesperson focused on disproportionately impacted populations and the difficulties those communities have experienced in protecting their rights: “Now is the time for States to beef up their commitment to urgently address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and nature loss which disproportionately impacts the rights of persons and groups in vulnerable situations—those who historically have contributed the least to its creation. The inclusion of affected communities and people in climate action is of paramount importance.” A people-centered approach is key to human rights-based environmental action and entails that the rights to participation, access to information and access to justice are fully respected and protected. With an unprecedented number of environmental human rights defenders killed last year, there is an urgent need for firm measures by States to protect and empower them.” The HRC has striven to bring awareness to the connection between human rights and climate change through providing ongoing and specific clarifications of the ways climate change affects human rights. These efforts include the development and implementation of a series of resolutions concerning climate change and human rights. The OHCHR explains that through the adoption of this landmark resolution, states are encouraged: To develop capacities for proactive initiatives to protect the environment to fulfill their human rights obligations and commitments, and to enhance cooperation with multiple actors in that concern, including with other States, UN bodies and civil society; To continue to share good practices; To implement policies for the enjoyment of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as appropriate, including those that relate to biodiversity and ecosystems; To maintain the consideration of human rights obligations and commitments relating to the enjoyment of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in the implementation of and follow-up to the Sustainable Development Goals. Legislating the Right to a Healthy Environment Before agreeing on implementing the resolution, more than 80% (or over 150) of UN member states already recognized the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through their constitutions, legislation, or ratification of regional human rights treaties. According to the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, constitutional recognition of the right to a healthy environment “raised the profile and importance of environmental protection and provided a basis for the enactment of stronger environmental laws.” “When applied by the judiciary, it has helped to provide a safety net to protect against gaps in statutory laws and created opportunities for better access to justice,” the Special Rapporteur concluded. Beyond the UN Declaration A number of other significant developments have emerged this year in addition to the UN’s formal recognition that a healthy environment is a human right. In April 2021, for example, the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as the Escazú Agreement, came into force. The agreement places the onus on states to commit to protecting environmental human rights defenders and the right to a healthy environment. The Meeting of the Parties also adopted a rapid response mechanism for the protection of environmental defenders to the Aarhus Convention in October 2021. Commenting on what this means for people’s access to a healthy environment, the OHCHR spokesperson explained that It marks “an important step for the advancement of environmental democracy and helps to uphold the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” In 2021, the Special Rapporteur submitted two reports to the UNHRC and the UN General Assembly on good practices related to reducing the environmental impacts of food systems on human rights and the effects of the global water crisis on human rights. “Bold action is now required to ensure this resolution on the right to a healthy environment serves as a springboard to push for transformative economic, social and environmental policies that will protect people and nature,” Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged in a statement. In September 2021, a common agenda was produced, containing twelve commitments that “outline an effort of solidarity and long-term thinking that fulfils our principles and can rebuild people's trust in the future.” The agenda and its commitments “hold out hope for a world that, instead of lurching from crisis to calamity, manages to navigate and resolve threats with the guidance of principle and the exercise of foresight and solidarity.” With an unequivocal sense of urgency, in a statement, Bachelet emphasized: “The choice is ours.” *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives. Natasha has also been interviewed herself as an insights provider for research institutes and conferences.

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* Building safe and sustainable housing is a challenge, especially in disaster-prone regions, and ensuring that it is affordable and accessible can seem impossible. At last, as The Earth & I learned from its interview with Dastan Khalili, carefully designed and patented Superadobe home construction is available, providing a simple and easy way for people everywhere to create attractive, resilient dwellings. Adobe homes have been around for at least 8,000 years, but natural disasters have shown how vulnerable to collapse they can be if specific steps are not taken in their design and construction. [Editorial note: See an explanation of adobe homes]. Disaster-proof residential design, previously limited to expensive architectural firms and their affluent clients, has made strides in increased affordability, democratizing the opportunity to build strong and sustainable homes, regardless of size, budget, or location. As a powerful tool for tackling the global housing crisis, adobe construction is currently used worldwide to help rebuild communities. This housing breakthrough is in part attributed to the Cal-Earth Institute, a non-profit that has proven how, if done correctly, adobe construction can be affordable and resilient, with the creation of environmentally conscious and aesthetically pleasing homes. Envisioning a Building System for All Architect and Cal-Earth founder, the late Nader Khalili, developed a form of earthbag architecture called Superadobe, inspired by traditional earth architecture in the deserts of his native Iran. Khalili drew on influences from years of meditation, as well as hands-on research and development, to adapt ancient tradition to modern applications. He conceptualized and developed a technology and system that was simple enough that anyone could build a sound adobe home. Preserving and honoring their father’s mission and goals, Nader Khalili’s children continue to pursue Cal-Earth’s architectural vision based on the natural elements of earth, water, air, and fire and their unity in service to humanity. The architect, author, humanitarian, teacher, and innovator’s children continue his mission to provide shelter for the world’s homeless and displaced, empower people to participate in the creation of their own homes and communities, and help preserve the planet that we all share. “Nader Khalili’s vision is to empower individuals to be able to build a safe shelter for themselves that is in harmony with nature and has the ability to respond to natural disasters,” says Dastan Khalili, President of the Cal-Earth Institute. In developing Cal-Earth, Nader focused on the idea of using the most abundant available material, which Dastan Khalili says, “is the earth below our feet.” Superaobe Built to Withstand Natural Disasters Cal-Earth has eliminated the weaknesses of traditional adobe construction, resulting in products and building techniques that make adobe construction resilient. Dastan Khalili says that their Superadobe structures can withstand various weather and natural disasters, including earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes “due to material usage, geometry, and physics.” “The key is not the usage of material so much, but the understanding of geometry and forces of physics,” says Khalili. By using the arch or the dome and stabilizing the earth with 10% to 15% cement lime or other available stabilizing materials, one of their buildings can achieve its levels of resiliency and effectiveness. The arch dome, or vault, creates a monolithic structure that, with time, compresses and becomes even stronger due to gravity and the geometry of the circle. Examples of this can be seen in nature. Think of caves that are subjected to millions of tons of weight in mountains or lava tubes that run underground—they are almost always in the shape of a vault or a dome. A Track Record of Response to Disaster Over the past three decades, Cal-Earth’s Superadobe structures have responded to natural disasters around the world. The non-profit has witnessed its Superadobe buildings surviving many weather-based disasters, including multiple earthquakes in Nepal, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and the Thomas fire in California. In response to the earthquake in October 2005 in northern Pakistan, Cal-Earth partnered with The Strategic Actions Social Impact (SASI) Foundation to create an initiative called, “Cal-Earth Pakistan.” (SASI supports initiatives that reduce poverty and create global opportunities for the disadvantaged.) According to SASI, as a result of its joint initiative with Cal-Earth Pakistan, hundreds of refugees, as well as national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and military emergency relief units, received hands-on training in the Cal-Earth method. As the initiative’s building system passed tests in California, the shelters were approved by the authorities in Pakistan. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti devastated Port-au-Prince and surrounding cities, Cal-Earth was invited to design a potential temporary housing alternative for those who had lost their homes and were living in tent villages. After connecting and talking with many families living in the camps, the Cal-Earth team returned to the US and designed a structure based on requests from the people they met. The result was the development of a new structural alternative to the organization’s single dome designs. Globally, people and communities have responded positively to Cal-Earth’s adaptable Superadobe building method. “The response has been overwhelming in the almost 30 years that Cal-Earth has existed,” says Khalili. “Thousands and thousands of individuals have been trained from all walks of life.” To date, Cal-Earth has inspired and developed Superadobe building projects in 54 countries around the world. The Superadobe construction system has been recognized by NASA, endorsed by the United Nations, and was awarded the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004. International Building Code Aspirations Move Forward Barriers still exist, however, to the global acceptance and uptake of adobe construction. Not all local building codes allow it. At present, adobe construction is considered an alternative to adobe masonry and is now within the International Residential Code (IRC) and has received an International Code Council Evaluation Service Report (ICCESR) number. (Residential codes set the regulations and standards that buildings and structures must meet.) “Ultimately, the goal that we are striving for is to create a chapter in the International Building Code that is specific to Superadobe and true to its actual capabilities and resilience, which is far greater than most conventional residential construction today,” says Khalili. Superadobe homes have already passed California earthquake code tests and withstood a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Nepal. How to Build Superadobe Homes In developing Superadobe homes, builders use long or short sandbags filled with moistened earth arranged in layers or long coils. Strands of barbed wire are placed between each layer of sandbags to act as both mortar and reinforcement. Stabilizers such as cement, lime, or asphalt emulsion can be added. Builders then stack coils made up of earthbags to create a structure. The Superadobe building system can be used for structural arches, domes and vaults, or conventional rectilinear shapes. Utilizing the same methods, developers can also build silos, landscaping elements, infrastructure like dams, cisterns, roads, and bridges, and structures that stabilize shorelines and watercourses. Cal-Earth’s building designs range from small, one-person emergency shelters that take one day to build, to temporary villages and larger homes that can include three bedrooms and a two-car garage. Importantly, regardless of their purpose or the land available, Superadobe homes are all built using the same proven principles. The basic materials required to build Superadobe homes are few. They include synthetic, UV (ultraviolet) resistant degradable sandbags, four-point, two-strand, galvanized barbed wire, shovels, tampers, and soil and water. Although the building process is intentionally simple, the structural integrity of Superadobe homes is the result of years of research. The structural design uses modern engineering concepts like base isolation (decoupling the ridged connection between structure and ground) and post-tensioning. The long coils of sandbags provide compression strength, vertically, while the barbed wire adds tensile strength, horizontally. The sandbags provide additional flood resistance and the earth that Superadobe homes are built on provides insulation and fire-proofing. Founded with the principles of simplicity, accessibility, and inclusivity at its heart, Cal-Earth deemed that there should be no heavy lifting or backaches during construction, no expensive equipment to buy, and the building process be flexible and fast. Small containers like coffee cans or kitchen utensils are used to fill empty bags that are in place atop the highest layer of the home’s rising walls. Addressing the Housing Needs of the Future Cal-Earth understands that there are approximately twenty to forty million refugees and displaced persons today, and hundreds of millions more living in substandard or slum housing. When creating and following his architectural vision, Nader Khalili saw that the greatest rebuilding costs after global disasters go to infrastructure requirements and human shelter needs. In the coming decades, the organization anticipates that this housing shortage will only become more severe with compounding environmental challenges and the acceleration of natural and man-made disasters. Therefore, to meet pressing global needs for safe, comfortable, affordable, sustainable, and beautiful homes, Cal-Earth trains hundreds of people each year on environmentally sustainable building designs through on-site, international, and web-based educational programs on its California campus. Cal-Earth also organizes youth programs to foster respect for the environment and an awareness of sustainability practices. In June 2021, after two years of research, testing, and fundraising, Cal-Earth was issued an ICC-ES number for Superadobe cement-stabilized earthbags. Calling it a “major accomplishment,” Cal-Earth says that obtaining this number, along with an accompanying report and supplemental testing data, provides reassurance to building departments of Superadobe’s compliance with the International Building Code. An Urgent Call for Adaptation Cal-Earth knows the need is ever more urgent to build self-help, emergency shelters that can become sustainable, permanent structures. Cal-Earth has created such shelters that have passed strict tests and building codes. As a result, it urges the United Nations and other agencies to pay serious attention to alternative ways of building. For almost 50 years, Cal-Earth has been dedicated to researching and developing strong, eco-friendly, low-cost Superadobe homes, offering their results to humanity. Looking ahead, the organization will continue to educate people on how to use these timeless techniques to reflect their own culture and environment. Cal-Earth describes education as “the only missing link” in making advancements in earth architecture. *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives. Natasha has also been interviewed herself as an insights provider for research institutes and conferences. Editorial notes Source: Interview with Dastan Khalili, President, Cal-Earth Institute

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* The solution to some of the world’s most prevalent and catastrophic problems, such as natural disasters, may be closer than we think. In fact, it may be right beneath our feet. Healthy soil benefits every aspect of life, either directly or indirectly. One of the most instrumental—and perhaps surprising—ways soil impacts life for both people and the planet is by helping to mitigate natural disasters. Often, well-intentioned government policies react to natural disasters with initiatives to improve weather forecasting, and crop insurance and disaster relief programs. However, their focus primarily addresses the symptoms of disasters, rather than their causes. Soil conditions play a major role in many natural disasters, such as droughts, flooding, landslides, erosion, and dust storms. Creating optimum soil health not only increases the chances of good harvests, but it protects against natural disasters—healthy soil, for example, can more easily handle flooding than soil that has been neglected and is dry and compacted. What is Healthy Soil? Soil environments that are surrounded by various relevant and luscious plants and organic matter and filled with worms, insects and microbes are considered to be flourishing and healthy. In contrast, when soil has low biological activity, it sets off a cascade of negative effects. For example, low soil biology leads to the collapse of soil aggregation, resulting in compaction. Compacted soil has poor rates of water infiltration and water retention. Soil that water cannot infiltrate, either by precipitation or irrigation, is highly susceptible to disasters like flooding, runoff, erosion, drought, and dust storms. An infamous example is the 1930s Dust Bowl disaster in the United States. That decade-long calamity occurred after inexperienced farmers moved into the semi-arid Southern Plains territories and removed acres of deep-rooted prairie grass to plant cash crops like wheat and corn. As the Great Depression deepened and seed prices rose, thousands of farmers left their acres bare. As severe droughts struck, these flat, treeless lands became parched, and high winds created huge dust storms that caused unprecedented topsoil loss—and deepened the poverty and displacement of the settlers. Droughts, erosion, dust storms and other natural disasters “are exacerbated by poor soil health management,” said Dr. Allen Williams, a sixth-generation family farmer and founding partner of Understanding Ag, LLC, and non-profit Soil Health Academy, both headquartered in Fort Payne, Alabama. “It is impossible to separate the disaster issues from poor soil health,” he said, adding that—as happened during the Dust Bowl days—“soils exposed to nature’s elements are far more likely to experience natural disasters.” “Regenerative Agriculture” Both Understanding Ag and Soil Health Academy are at the forefront of “regenerative agriculture,” a promising approach to farming and food systems. “Regenerative agriculture” is an umbrella term for a variety of practices—such as the use of cover crops and livestock and reducing or eliminating tillage—to intentionally enhancing soil health and rehabilitating and conserving land. Building soil health is a structural improvement that conserves and retains water during drought conditions or absorbs and constrains it during floods. Moreover, regenerative agricultural practices work to keep the soil and its health intact during all weather conditions to ensure it is not blown or washed away or otherwise adversely affected. Education in regenerative agriculture principles and practices is a core sustainable tool available to farmers and owners of the land, large or small. “We do not need special technology, tools and software to implement regenerative principles successfully,” said Dr. Williams, who has consulted with some 4,000 farmers and ranchers in 34 countries on implementing the new practices. The 6-3-4 Approach to Soil Health The agricultural industry consultancy, Understanding Ag, is made of farmers and ranchers who believe the practice of regenerative agriculture will lead to productive, profitable, and resilient farms worldwide. Its key training mechanism is called the “6-3-4” approach, which comprises six principles of soil health, three rules of adaptive stewardship, and four ecosystem processes. These core principles are: 6 Principles of Soil Health. Know one’s context; minimize soil disturbance; cover soil and build surface armor; mix it up; keep living roots in the soil; and grow healthy animals and soil together. 3 Rules of Adaptive Stewardship. Respect nature—namely considerations and activities relating to its diversity, compounding or interdependence, and disruption. 4 Ecosystem Processes. Energy flow, water cycle, mineral and nutrient cycle, and plant and animal diversity should be understood and prioritized. “Through many years of very practical, hands-on experience, the Six Principles, Three Rules and Four Ecosystem processes are the key to successful regenerative agriculture,” said Dr. Williams. “Knowing your context, minimizing disturbance, keeping soil covered or armored, [keeping] living roots in the ground year-round, increasing diversity (of plants, soil microbes, insects, birds), and the proper livestock integration are all equally important,” said Dr. Williams. Farmers may want to “cherry-pick” their principles, but that system can result in less-than-desirable results, he added. Criticism and education Sceptics of regenerative agriculture fault it for its lofty claims. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” Andrew McGuire, an agronomist with Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, wrote in 2018. Research, for instance, hasn’t answered enough questions about whether mixtures of cover crops are superior to monoculture cover crops, he wrote. Other critics worry that some no-till farmers will use chemicals to remove crops at the end of a season or that the regenerative methods are overhyped, and/or not feasible for all farmers. Understanding Ag said farmers in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada have successfully applied and implemented the 6-3-4 approach across all soil types and climates, and with all agricultural products, such as row crops, produce crops, fruit crops, nut crops and livestock. The company further said it knows of case studies in which regenerative farms exhibited great resilience in flooding and drought conditions, and that there is evidence deserts can be “greened” using regenerative principles “We have personally witnessed significant improvement in soil health, ecosystem health, water quality, and food nutrient density” using the method, Dr. Williams said, adding that in the US, about 32 million acres are under regenerative transition. Food companies have shown interest in the 6-3-4 approach, according to Understanding Ag, which said it is working with General Mills to educate their wheat, oat, and dairy farmers in regenerative agriculture principles. Educating consumers Understanding Ag and the Soil Health Academy are offering educational resources through their schools, online curriculum, monthly articles and webinars, podcasts, workshops, conferences, and farm tours. Consumer-oriented workshops and farm tours introduce regenerative agriculture. These activities aim to show, first-hand, what healthy soil looks like and smells like, and show how much better water infiltrates the land. When people see it, “they are immediately sold on the concept,” Dr. Williams said. Citizens can play a pivotal role in promoting positive soil health by learning how regenerative agriculture can mitigate natural disasters, improve ecosystem health, and produce nutrient-dense foods that promote health and well-being. Consumers can also vote with their food-purchase dollars and ask for foods produced through regenerative agriculture principles. “Just like the farmers must educate themselves, consumers must also have an awareness and understanding of the importance and potential of regenerative agriculture,” said Dr. Williams. “Farmers represent a very small percentage of the population,” he added, “so consumers hold the real power of meaningful change.” *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives. Natasha has also been interviewed as an insight provider for research institutes and conferences. Editorial notes Sources: Interview with Dr Allen Williams, sixth generation family farmer and Founding Partner of Understanding Ag and Soil Health Academy Case Studies - Understanding Ag Las Damas Ranch Case Study - Understanding Ag

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe* Christian Non-profit Empowers Families Worldwide by Teaching Small-scale Farming For forty years, ECHO has fought global hunger and malnutrition by teaching small-scale, sustainable farming to those in need. Its strength lies in building partnerships in low-income communities to provide people with agricultural skills and resources. ECHO’s core values for its Hope Against Hunger mission are rooted in its Christian faith. By aligning its behaviors, motivations, and attitudes with its religious foundation, ECHO has been able to help people around the world by sharing the organization’s efforts, knowledge, and experience. ECHO, which is based in North Fort Myers, Florida, currently has impact centers in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Arusha, Tanzania; and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. “These regions represent some of the greatest needs globally and give us the opportunities to reach out regionally to equip and train farmers where they live,” says Danielle Flood, ECHO’s public relations and communications manager. ECHO describes itself as more of an “equipping organization” than a “project-based organization.” The charity found it has the broadest impact by working to educate local families in many locations rather than focusing on physical projects in a few locations. It is also dedicated to feeding people in its Florida campus’s backyard. “Overall, ECHO’s mission hasn’t changed in 40 years, [it’s] just expanded,” says Flood. “Sharing these same things with our own community just makes sense.” Embracing Farmer-Driven “Permaculture” ECHO’s approach to ending hunger is different from charities that gather and distribute donations of food, including processed, packaged products that have a long shelf life. The heart of ECHO’s work is equipping farmers with training, skills, knowledge, and seeds to build a successful permaculture, or an agricultural system that is renewable, in harmony with local ecosystems, and imbued with indigenous wisdom. “There’s inherent dignity in being able to work the land and have a strong harvest that you’re proud of,” says Flood. ECHO has found that lasting impacts are best achieved through sustainable agriculture Often, farmers face challenges that are out of their control, such as weather patterns or political instability in their nation. Faced with these realities, ECHO has found that lasting impacts are best achieved through sustainable agriculture. ECHO first partners with people who already know the language and culture of the community and are familiar with local agricultural challenges, says Flood. Farmers may not know how to address certain endemic challenges, which is where ECHO can come in, she explains. However, farmers typically have centuries-old farming traditions and are skeptical of risky new technologies. “Imagine being one failed harvest away from starvation,” says Flood. As a result, ECHO finds one or two farmers in an area who are willing to try ECHO’s methods on a small space of land. When farmers see an improved harvest, they are more willing to use ECHO’s methods on a larger plot the following season, and word and adaptation can spread. Farmers and others who receive ECHO’s services can log onto ECHO’s website to ask questions and request seeds or information. Interns Drive ECHO’s Success ECHO’s mission relies on trained volunteers who can spread ECHO’s message of hope, and its Florida Gulf Coast farm is geared to keep a steady stream of interns in the pipeline. Applicants, many of whom are in university agriculture programs, go through a formal process to join ECHO; on average, ECHO has twenty-five applicants each year for eight spots. ECHO’s Florida campus offers training in sustainable agriculture, and interns are taught how to grow various tropical plants, trees, crops and livestock. ECHO’s campus has a tilapia and duck pond that models a way for farmers to supplement their food needs. The tilapia thrive on phytoplankton, which is nourished by duck manure. Plants, microbes, ducks, and tilapia all flourish together in the pond. In May 2022, the first group of ECHO interns finished an accredited program that offers Graduate Certificates in Tropical Agricultural Development. Three of these graduates are planning to work with ECHO in Thailand and Senegal. ECHO is also engaged in serving low-income communities near its Florida’s Gulf Coast headquarters and tropical farm. “We exist to share knowledge freely—to make the most impact possible,” says Flood. Stories of Physical and Spiritual Transformation Arnaud, from Burkina Faso, was evicted from his farmland by his Muslim family after he and his wife chose to become followers of Jesus, says Flood. All that he was allowed to farm was some “worthless” land along a built-up road. “He said that God met him at his time of desperation through ECHO training,” Flood says. He and his wife worked on that hardscrabble patch, took all they had learned from ECHO, and had the best crop in the village. Now people traveling along that road stop to ask Arnaud what he is doing and why his crops are so good. Recently, when asked to share their practices with the same villagers who had cast them out, they graciously agreed. They have now reconciled with their family and been invited back into the village. ECHO has also taken steps to address the scarcity of biogas stoves in Tanzania. Biogas stoves use organic matter, such as manure and kitchen scraps, to produce gas for cooking and lighting as well as fertilizer for crops. Searching for solutions to this problem, Lucy, a mechanical engineering lecturer at Tanzania’s Arusha Technical College, developed a gas-efficient biogas stove that uses a burner made of brass materials that will not easily corrode due to the biogas. Lucy is now thinking of ways she can expand her production to make these stoves available to others, and ECHO is working to connect Lucy with biogas users to conduct testing and gather feedback so she can improve her technology. Another standout moment for ECHO came from its work in Burkina Faso. Agriculture is the backbone of this West Africa nation’s economy, but its food demands are growing and putting pressure on its limited arable land. ECHO recently partnered with local NGO Job Booster to provide ten-day training for 564 people in market gardening techniques to help them improve their food production. “As a housewife, I had never learned about gardening. I managed to plant the vegetables, but it didn’t work because worms would attack my plants,” says Abigaelle Kini, who attended the ECHO training. “I learned how to make good natural products to eradicate the worms from my garden. My husband and I work together in the garden and often, our young children help us. We are teaching them little by little all that we have learned.” Seed Banks to Banish Hunger Along with forty years of experience, documentation, and knowledge to share, ECHO also has more than 350 varieties of seeds to share, thanks to the climate-controlled, refrigerated ECHO Global Seed Bank facility on its Florida campus. As they have done since its humble beginnings, ECHO’s staff members still sort the seeds by hand and offer well-researched answers to seed inquiries. In addition to its Global Seed Bank, ECHO maintains regional seed banks for underutilized varieties of seeds that thrive according to geographical location. Regional development workers have access to ten free seed packets per year with expectations that they will propagate plants, such as nutrient-rich moringa, through seed and cutting sharing. Farmers are also taught seed-saving and storage techniques that protect seeds from pests. ECHO currently partners with governments, NGOs, and hundreds of other organizations, offering staff training on how to equip farmers with vital information and skills. ECHO trains in churches and mosques, under trees, and in health care centers. Its goal is to reach the most people possible with its message of hope against hunger. Looking ahead, ECHO seeks to expand to seven countries in South Asia and open more impact centers. “We will continue our core elements of training and resourcing to benefit 1.5 million people per year,” says Flood. The charity’s website and its mobile app have recently been updated to provide support in nine of the most common languages in the world. ECHO is looking to provide this app free of charge to thousands more agriculturalists globally to access the resources and guidance they need to improve their livelihoods. *Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe is a freelance journalist and editor. Over the past 10 years, Natasha has reported for a host of publications, exploring the wider world and industries from environmental, scientific, business, legal, and sociological perspectives. Natasha has also been interviewed as an insight provider for research institutes and conferences. Editorial notes Sources: Interview with Danielle Flood, PR and Communications Manager of ECHO ECHO News, Hope Against Hunger, volume 45, issue 2.