Sustainable Agriculture Certification Marks 20 Years Working for Traceability and Transparency/RNN

Growth in organic markets is key to changes in our economy.  We see it here on the food side.  Of course over the past months we've profiled this growth on the radio show as well.

Organizations like the one profiled in this story on our main site, Food Alliance, help pave the way for increasing sales by auditing and certifying the quality of products.  Ultimately, it leads to a stage when all farms, in this case, will get certified or get left out of the race for better returns and profits.

$160 million worth of Food Alliance Certified products sold in 2016.

At a time when consumers worldwide are increasingly seeking more socially and environmentally responsible products, the non-profit Food Alliance is celebrating 20 years as the most comprehensive certification for sustainable agriculture and food handling in North America.

“Working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to develop sustainability standards and criteria, Food Alliance has shown that greater transparency and continuous incremental improvement of management practices benefit farmers, the food industry, consumers, and the planet,” said director Matthew Buck. “We remain committed to partnering with the research, advocacy, and business communities to define and deliver Good Food for a Healthy Future.”

“Food Alliance has conducted over 1,000 farms, ranch, and facility audits,” he added. “That experience has given us insights into how farm and food businesses benefit from the implementation of more sustainable practices, what values retailers and consumers want to be represented in the food they buy, and what social and environmental marketing claims are both credible and compelling.”

Food Alliance started in 1994 as a project of Oregon State University, Washington State University, and the Washington State Department of Agriculture, with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to develop standards for sustainable agriculture. Food Alliance was launched as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1997. Stahlbush Island Farms outside Corvallis, Oregon became the first Food Alliance certified farm in September that year — and now markets Food Alliance certified frozen fruits and vegetables nationwide. Director of Agriculture Quality & Compliance Tina Galloway said, “Now there is a growing chorus of claims about where food comes from and how it is grown. Food Alliance was there back at the beginning of the conversation and has always been a steadfast, credible and authentic advocate for sustainability.”

Over the last two decades, Food Alliance has diversified by product category and geography.  Criteria for livestock were introduced in 2000. Certification for food handlers, including packers, processors, and distributors, debuted in 2006. Programs followed for grassfed livestock claims (2009), farmed shellfish (2011), and nursery products (2012). Food Alliance certification has also spread from the Pacific Northwest to 25 US states. An update to Food Alliance standards and criteria implemented in 2015 now allows certification anywhere in North America.

In 2016, Food Alliance partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rainforest Alliance to develop a Grasslands Alliance standard for regenerative grazing in North America. That draft standard is posted for public review and comment at grasslandsalliance.org. Starting in 2017, Food Alliance will also be providing audits for the National Audubon Society’s Conservation Ranching program for restoration and enhancement of habitat important to grassland birds.

In 2016 sales of Food Alliance Certified products reached $160 million, a figure representing the farm gate value of fresh products, and added a wholesale value of processed products. Since the inception of the program, over $1.2 billion in Food Alliance Certified products have been sold.

Formula E Electrifies New York and Richard Bransen’s DS Virgin Team Shines/RNN

More on Formula E and more from our main network site at Renewable Now Network.com

Use this link to look at the video and see the remarkable work NYC had done in reducing emissions.  The City is a great venue for showcasing Formula E's commitment to EV technology:  http://www.renewablenownetwork.com/formula-e-electrifies-new-york-richard-bransens-ds-virgin-team-shines/

This past weekend New York City was the place to be as the city played host to the world’s premier electric motorsport league, Formula-E.

In a historic race  Sam Bird became the first driver to win an international motor race in New York, with a superb drive in the FIA Formula E Qualcomm New York City ePrix.

The DS Virgin Racing driver had to work hard for his win. His rookie team-mate Alex Lynn scored a stunning pole position on his debut, while fellow front row starter Daniel Abt of ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport both had to be overcome before the Brit could lead the race.

Once he worked his way into the lead, Bird pulled out a comfortable advantage, which meant he was able to re-join still in top spot following his mandatory mid-race car change. However, he could not afford to relax in the closing stages.

When a broken driveshaft caused Nick Heidfeld to stop at the side of the road, the Qualcomm Safety Car was deployed and Bird’s lead over the TECHEETAH of Jean-Eric Vergne was neutralized.

This left just two nerve-wracking laps for Bird to endure before he could etch his name into motor racing history. But he timed his restart to perfection and gave Vergne no opportunity to deny him the landmark win.

“It was incredible!” he said. “Firstly, it’s incredible that we’re here and congratulations to everyone at Formula E for putting this event on, I can imagine how difficult it was, but it’s been an amazing week so far. We had pretty good speed today. We learned a lot from Berlin and that was a real turning point for us, it may not have looked like it at the time, but I think we demonstrated that this weekend. Also hats off to my team-mate this weekend Alex Lynn, who did a scintillating job in Super Pole to take pole position.”

After a battling first part of the race, Vergne was able to stay out for a lap longer than most of his rivals before making a car switch. This allowed him to move into second place during the pitstops and even though he couldn’t quite get close enough to put pressure on Bird, with his new TECHEETAH team-mate Stephane Sarrazin in third, Vergne was very pleased with his day’s work.

“As a team, we’ve worked really hard this season and finally it’s our first double podium with my team-mate and that’s what I feel most happy about. As for myself I believe the start cost me the win. It was extremely dirty off-line and everybody who started on the left-hand side lost a position. I had a pretty safe beginning of the race, I lost a couple of positions, which I knew we would get back again, and that’s what I did and I finished the first stint in second position. I pushed hard to save more energy than this guy [Bird], but he didn’t make any mistakes and he deserved the win.”

Sarrazin started the race in 11th, but was the man on the move during the first half of the race, fighting his way up to fifth before the stops and then gaining a further position to run fourth going onto the final lap. When Daniel Abt overshot the hairpin following an issue with his car, Sarrazin dived through to record only his second podium in Formula E – the previous one coming in Long Beach in season two.

“I feel very good, it’s a great day for us at TECHEETAH. I made a small mistake in qualifying which meant I started from P11, but I knew I had a good car for the race and I started to overtake, and then I got a bit lucky on the last lap with Abt going straight on.”

Pope endorses campaign to put 'Laudato Sì' into action

We are very excited to see the Pope's endorsement of GCCM.  RNN was one of the first media outlets to introduce you to GCCM, and we've followed their progress for two years.

Congratulations to GCCM.  Good group doing excellent work around the world.


 On Care of our Common Home”, Pope Francis has endorsed a pledge campaign that aims to mobilize at least 1 million people to directly engage in turning the encyclical’s message into action. 

Organized and promoted by the Global Catholic Climate Movement, the pledge  calls on those who sign to answer the call of Laudato Sì by praying with and for creation, living more simply, and advocating to protect our common home.

The "Laudato Sì Pledge campaign" has received support from Church leaders from around the globe including Cardinal Turkson, Cardinal Tagle, Cardinal Ribat, Cardinal Cupich and Cardinal Marx. It has also garnered the support of major environmental leaders.

Tomás Insua, Executive Director of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, said, "We are grateful and inspired by Pope Francis' endorsement of the Laudato Si' Pledge. With 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, we have a critical role to play in tackling climate change and the wider ecological crisis. Pope Francis has already changed the discussion around climate change and this pledge is inviting us to put the Church's teachings into action and answer the urgent call for strong political action and lifestyle change put forth in Laudato Si'."

The Pope's endorsement adds to the momentum of recent Catholic climate action: Pope Francis requested that Angela Merkel uplift the Paris climate accord during the G20 summit, several Catholic organizations recently divested from fossil fuels, GCCM joined other Christian groups calling on governments to take strong action before the G7 last month and the Movement’s Executive Director joined other scientific, political and faith leaders in publishing a letter in Nature Magazine pushing the G20 to recognize the urgency of the climate crisis.

EPA chief wants scientists to debate climate on TV/Reuters

Wow, you've got to love this.  Public debate, outside of some of our political debates, is a good thing.   Since there's huge disagreement, and lots of data on both sides, this would have keen public interest.

Kudos to the EPA Chief for suggesting a face off.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the early stages of launching a debate about climate change that could air on television – challenging scientists to prove the widespread view that global warming is a serious threat, the head of the agency said.

The move comes as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to roll back a slew of Obama-era regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, and begins a withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement - a global pact to stem planetary warming through emissions cuts.

"There are lots of questions that have not been asked and answered (about climate change)," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told Reuters in an interview late on Monday.

"Who better to do that than a group of scientists... getting together and having a robust discussion for all the world to see," he added without explaining how the scientists would be chosen.

Asked if he thought the debate should be televised, Pruitt said: "I think so. I think so. I mean, I don’t know yet, but you want this to be open to the world. You want this to be on full display. I think the American people would be very interested in consuming that. I think they deserve it."


Pruitt, one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration, has repeatedly expressed doubts about climate change – one of the main points of contention in his narrow confirmation by the Senate.



While acknowledging the planet is warming, Pruitt says he questions the gravity of the problem and the need for regulations that require companies to take costly measures to reduce their carbon footprint.

"It is a question about how much we contribute to it. How do we measure that with precision? And by the way, are we on an unsustainable path? And is it causing an existential threat?" he said in the interview.

Since taking up his role at EPA, he has emerged as one of the more prolific Trump cabinet appointees, taking steps to undo more than two dozen regulations, and influencing Trump’s decision to pull the United States from the Paris climate change deal, agreed by nearly 200 countries in 2015.

Pruitt rejected global criticism of the United States for pulling out of the climate deal, which Trump has said would have cost America trillions of dollars without benefit

"We have nothing to be apologetic about," Pruitt said. "It was absolutely a decision of courage and fortitude and truly represented an America First strategy with respect to how we are leading on this issue."


Pruitt said the United States had already cut its carbon output to the lowest levels in nearly 25 years without mandates, thanks mainly to increased use of natural gas - which burns cleaner than coal.

"Red Team, Blue Team" Tactics

Pruitt said his desire for the agency to host an ongoing climate change debate was inspired by two articles published in April – one in the Wall Street Journal by theoretical physicist Steve Koonin, who served as undersecretary of energy under Obama – and one by conservative columnist Brett Stephens in the New York Times.


Koonin’s article made the case that climate science should use the "red team-blue team" methodology used by the national security community to test assumptions. Stephens’ article criticized claims of complete certainty in climate science, saying that it "traduces the spirit of science."
Pruitt said scientists should not scoff at the idea of participating in these debates.

"If you’re going to win and if you’re so certain about it, come and do your deal. They shouldn’t be scared of the debate and discussion," he said.

Pruitt said debate is not necessarily aimed at undermining the 2009 "endangerment finding," the scientific determination that carbon dioxide harms human health that formed the basis for the Democratic Obama administration's regulation of greenhouse gases. He said there may be a legal basis to challenge the finding but would prefer Congress weigh in on the matter.

In the interview, Pruitt added that he intended to deal "very aggressively" with automakers that use devices to cheat emissions tests, and would also seek to boost accountability for companies to clean up polluted sites under the Superfund program.

He said EPA was also not ready to decide yet on a change proposed by Trump’s special adviser Carl Icahn to the U.S. biofuels program, that would shift the burden of blending biofuels like ethanol into gasoline away from refiners to companies further down the supply chain.


Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Marguerita Choy

Forum highlights extent of UK heating and cooling decarbonization challenge/deCentralized Energy

"Decarbonizing" heat and cooling, despite our technical advances, is not easy.  We see it here in the UK.

Yet, it is a massive financial opportunity to seed incredible economic growth., We can meet the challenge.

The difficult challenge of decarbonizing the UK’s heat sector was recognized at a forum in London this week. Labour shadow energy spokesperson Alan Whitehead said the discussion indicated 'just how badly the UK is doing in decarbonizing heat and how relatively well we are doing in decarbonizing electricity.' 

Also speaking at the Westminster Energy Forum’s ‘Priorities for heat networks in the UK’ discussion midweek, Dan Osgood, director of the heat and business energy directorate at the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the government was still researching the best way forward for tackling the issue.



“It’s a big challenge,” Osgood told the gathering of industry professionals. “Despite the complexity and time available, the Climate Change Act sets out legally binding targets for 2050 and we have an obligation to obey the law.”

Osgood said heat networks made particular sense in urban areas, where heat demand was highest, and where there were opportunities to exploit on a larger scale and reduce costs.

A government-funded £300m capital support for heat networks is in place, with £20m of that currently being used in nine pilot projects around the country.

“We are looking to significantly increase the number of heat networks in the UK and build sustainability in the market. We are working with the heat delivery unit (HDU) to support local authorities to achieve that aim and build their capacity.”

A contentious issue for the industry at the moment lies in the area of regulation. Forces within and outside the sector are keen, following some notably bad customer experiences, that the area is properly regulated for the good of all concerned. However, both the government and energy regulator, Ofgem, are non-committal at present in taking on board the regulation of what is still perceived to be a small industry, despite the carbon volumes associated with it.

Osgood said, “we are working with industry to drive up technical standards and the development of the Heat Trust to protect consumers and there is more to be done. There is good practice in the market and some evidence of difficulties.”

In Q&A, Fiona Riddoch of Edinburgh University pointed out that the decarbonization of heat was three times larger a problem than electricity, yet electricity was being given more attention. She asked if the experience of decarbonizing that sector would form some of the thinking in tackling heat.

“We have to get the right balance between innovation and deployment,” Osgood said, “How do you keep costs down, while dealing with heat impacts? There are lots of lessons we can learn from decarbonizing electricity- but there are differences –we can’t transport heat over the same distances as electricity for example. But understanding those differences is the focus of the working group.”

The director also acknowledged that the government was taking a wide view, in terms of energy efficiency, and how that could potentially bring down the costs involved in decarbonisation of heat.

“Well-designed heat networks can reduce bills by significant amounts for consumers but the easiest way is to shrink the problem and energy efficiency allow us to do that. Heating less in the first place is key,” he said.

Another strong strand of discourse at the forum surrounded the issue of cooling, and the inefficiencies involved.

Professor Toby Peters of the University of Birmingham said ‘cooling is absolutely forgotten’ yet represents a huge threat as well as opportunity for decarbonization ambitions.

“70 per cent of our food in the UK and EU is chilled or frozen, data centres require 50 per cent cooling for their operations, while air conditioning is 50 per cent. Two million tonnes of food were lost last year due to inefficient cold chains. By the end of this century cooling will account for 50 per cent of the world’s new energy and by mid-century will have overtaken demand for heat.”

Peters included other indicators as to the enormity of the cooling issue, including the fact that India has less than 15 per cent of the refrigerated trucks it needs, while a refrigerated unit produces 29 times more particulate matter and six times more NOx than a typical European engine.

“Cooling emits over 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 making it the third biggest emitter after US and China," Peters added.

Alan Whitehead, Labour’s shadow minister for energy and climate change said it’s clear that ‘cooling has been underdiscussed.’

“We know demand for cooling is going up substantially – if we don’t incorporate cooling a lot of the good we do in terms of heat will be undone,” he warned.

Despite that evidence, the BEIS director admitted that cooling was down the pecking order in the UK’s energy priorities.  

“As you know the current support scheme is very much on the heat side of things. I suspect we will see more focus on cooling in the future, in the non-domestic sector, particularly how you integrate heating and cooling needs.”

Although there is a growing understanding of the impact of cooling, heating dominated the agenda.

Colin Calder, CEO of PassivSystems was keen to impress on the audience how much more effective district heating in the country could be if they installed up-to-date control systems on heat networks. It highlighted another factor facing the sector, the need to modernize the existing heat infrastructure.

FORMULA E TO MAKE HISTORY IN NEW YORK WITH FIRST ZERO-EMISSION ePRIX/RNN

Latest update from Formula E.  We are proud that we have been covering their races since inception.

Their growth inspires, in the consumer market, equal expansion of the demand for EV's.  Bringing this kind of entertainment and marquee value clearly brings buyers to the market place.

NEW YORK CITY, USA (July 13, 2017) – The FIA Formula E Championship – the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series – is joining forces with Enel to offset the emissions of the inaugural race in New York, making it the first-ever zero-emission event in the championship’s history.

Ahead of the eagerly-anticipated event making its debut at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook on July 15 & 16 – Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, was joined by Chairman of Enel Patrizia Grieco, CEO of Enel Francesco Starace, and Ken Allen, CEO of DHL Express, at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell.

The group participated in the closing bell ceremony and posed for photos on the balcony above the trading floors on Wall Street, along with some of the stars of the FIA Formula E Championship – the first-ever Formula E champion and NextEV NIO driver Nelson Piquet Jr, and Berlin ePrix race winner Felix Rosenqvist for Mahindra Racing.

Enel – Official Power Partner of Formula E – is contributing to limit the emissions associated with staging and powering Formula E events through its smart energy solutions. In addition to innovative clean energy generation, storage and management solutions – Enel will entirely offset the emissions of the event in New York through green certificates from its portfolio of renewable energy plants, such as the Enel Green Power Stipa Nayaa 74 MW wind farm in Mexico.

The wind turbines at Stipa Nayaa prevent the emission of over 133,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of taking 26,000 cars off the road.

Formula E also works in collaboration with the FIA and DHL – Official Founding and Logistics Partner – to comprise a calendar which requires reduced air freight transportation to each venue. DHL is a frontrunner in environmentally sustainable logistics, announcing earlier this year its commitment to zero-emissions operations by the year 2050.

The equipment for the race in New York – including all 40 fully-electric Formula E cars, batteries and spare parts – was safely delivered to the USA by DHL leveraging its ocean freight expertise, which produces 100-times less CO2 emissions than transporting the same cargo via air.

Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “It was an honour to be invited to join the closing bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. With the continued support of Enel, as well as DHL, Formula E isn’t just making history with the first-ever race in New York – but the first zero-emission event in the history of the series. Both Enel and DHL share the same common vision and goal to make Formula E carbon neutral by 2020 – the future is electric.”

Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel, commented: “We are proud to play a part in such an historic event today at the NYSE. Enel and Formula E are natural partners, as we both embrace the exciting opportunities in electric mobility, smart cities and the clean energy revolution. Just as Formula E further pushes the boundaries of technology race after race, we at Enel strive every day for a greater penetration of electricity in society and for its full decarbonisation.”

Ken Allen, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Express, added: “With our new sustainability strategy ‘Mission 2050: Zero Emission,’ Deutsche Post DHL Group has stepped up its commitment to deliver value for society and generations to come. The strategic partnership with Formula E inspires and educates people throughout the world to embrace sustainable technologies and practices. This provides DHL with a unique platform to demonstrate our achievements in the area of green logistics solutions and technological innovations, which will finally increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our customer supply chains.”

Boston Greenfest/2017

We will be there.  We hope you are as well or tune into our live broadcast.