Month: August 2024

Originally published in Hershey’s 2023 ESG Report

VSLAs Help Local Businesses Grow

Madame Coulibaly has lived with her farming husband and 12-year-old son in Lôh-Djiboua, Côte d’Ivoire, since 2012. She opened a shop selling shoes, textiles, fabrics, bed sheets, mattresses, bags and more.

Looking for ways to grow her business, she joined a Cocoa For Good-supported VSLA in 2020. As a VSLA member, she accessed a series of loans of up to $1,000 each, which she used to strengthen her business and find new revenue opportunities.

In December 2022, she added a poultry business with a capacity of 1,250 chicks. This nets more than $2,500 per year in profit. In 2023, she expanded the poultry business to a second site, doubling her profit.

Being able to grow her business, using VSLA finance, has not only stabilized her shop and diversified her offerings, but has also enabled her to bring on an employee to help run it. She is currently working toward becoming a wholesale distributor of goods to supply other merchants in her region.

Village Savings & Loan Associations

VSLAs are championed by international humanitarian organizations as a way to raise incomes in rural areas where formal banking services are typically not available.

These community-based groups build social cohesion and increase economic stability through member-based savings and loans. Through VSLAs, CARE is supporting women and their families to increase:

Household savings and access to financeEntrepreneurial, leadership and financial literacy skills

In 2023, CARE assessed 298 VSLAs in Hershey’s supply chain, engaging 690 community leaders. They identified 200 VSLAs as functioning effectively and suited to further capability building. These VSLAs are managing savings and loans effectively, but can benefit from support linking them to the formal financial sector.

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Originally published in Hershey’s 2023 ESG Report

VSLAs Help Local Businesses Grow

Madame Coulibaly has lived with her farming husband and 12-year-old son in Lôh-Djiboua, Côte d’Ivoire, since 2012. She opened a shop selling shoes, textiles, fabrics, bed sheets, mattresses, bags and more.

Looking for ways to grow her business, she joined a Cocoa For Good-supported VSLA in 2020. As a VSLA member, she accessed a series of loans of up to $1,000 each, which she used to strengthen her business and find new revenue opportunities.

In December 2022, she added a poultry business with a capacity of 1,250 chicks. This nets more than $2,500 per year in profit. In 2023, she expanded the poultry business to a second site, doubling her profit.

Being able to grow her business, using VSLA finance, has not only stabilized her shop and diversified her offerings, but has also enabled her to bring on an employee to help run it. She is currently working toward becoming a wholesale distributor of goods to supply other merchants in her region.

Village Savings & Loan Associations

VSLAs are championed by international humanitarian organizations as a way to raise incomes in rural areas where formal banking services are typically not available.

These community-based groups build social cohesion and increase economic stability through member-based savings and loans. Through VSLAs, CARE is supporting women and their families to increase:

Household savings and access to financeEntrepreneurial, leadership and financial literacy skills

In 2023, CARE assessed 298 VSLAs in Hershey’s supply chain, engaging 690 community leaders. They identified 200 VSLAs as functioning effectively and suited to further capability building. These VSLAs are managing savings and loans effectively, but can benefit from support linking them to the formal financial sector.

Read more

Environment Analyst held an annual Sustainability Delivery Summit in June 2024, where some of our global team members attended along with the Sustainability Awards Ceremony. The purpose of this summit was to bring together the community of Environment and Sustainability consulting firms to collaborate and learn from each other to instigate an acceleration of momentum towards a more sustainable future with our clients and communities.

The event covered a wide range of topics across multiple days including resilient infrastructure, future-ready workforces, embedding sustainability into day-to-day operations, digital and technology value adds, nature-based solutions, just energy transition, and more. We have gathered a few key insights from our team in attendance.

Meeting Companies Where They Are 

In this fast-paced evolution of sustainability goals, frameworks, and solutions it’s imperative that we meet companies where they are both on their sustainability journey but also physically where they are geographically. Many countries and regions are at different places in their regulations and expectations are evolving through supply chains and key stakeholders. The local understanding and cultural awareness is crucial in helping companies and communities to meet their goals.

Embracing the Ecosystem Model, Partner for Progress

To solve the complex problems we face, our clients of tomorrow are expecting a multidisciplinary approach using systems based thinking. Collaboration is key with embracing an ecosystem or partnership model to bring viable solutions to the table as the only way to progress many of these global goals. An advantage of an Alliance is that if the company doesn’t have the exact expertise, they can learn from many other diverse partners who may have approached the challenge in a different way and bring innovative solutions to the end client. This could be in technology or digital solutions, technical approaches, or just in a very diverse different approach in thinking to come to a different solution in bringing together different geographies. Many times we need to partner with competitors to be able to make progress and deliver much needed results. This approach demands new ways of thinking and working to not just benefit a company but to benefit all for a better future.

Turning Lofty Sustainability Goals into Reality

The value environmental and sustainability consultants can often bring to stakeholders, clients or projects, is turning lofty goals and visions into action with technical expertise, boots on the ground and specific actions and plans that are science-based and data-led. We can figure out how to collect the data, simplify the process, audit to ensure compliance, and build a foundation of security that the goals that are set are being achieved and backed by data and financials to translate to real business momentum.

Preparing the Next Generation

With our current and prospective future need for action to meet net zero goals as climate change impacts become a local reality globally, there is a huge workforce gap. It was reported that 105k new experts are needed in this space of environment and sustainability services with 51% in North America. We will need more upcoming experts to be trained in these areas but also to bring new innovative ideas and understanding as our up and coming experts are also the ones who will be living with the results. It was said at the conference “the solutions are in the grey, if we focus on only black and white nothing will happen.” We need to be flexible in approaches, tailoring to different industries, cultures and geographies with solutions that are presented. While technology is needed to help solve global problems, human expertise still matters and technology will never replace the need for E&S consultants.

Angelique Dickson, President of Inogen Alliance, recaps her key takeaways and how we are positioned in this new future state:

The pace of change in the last few years has muddled the lines around what we do in the environment and sustainability consulting space. As the ecosystem has responded to the urgent need to deliver sustainability in the marketplace, we, as have other industries rallied to respond to that call. So, what makes us different, what value do we bring? As an example, let me share a few recent experiences. I was in Dubai last week, meeting with our current Associate and talking with a potential new Associate on how to meet and navigate the flood of demand for sustainability services in the Middle East. This is not just what services we offer, but also how to successfully work in the region. I was in Romania meeting with a new partner to discuss collaboration on data collection and support of a multinational client. And I ended my week with our partners for central, southern and eastern Europe to hear their annual report on how they are helping clients protect and utilize biodiversity services and prepare for the CSRD requirements. The Inogen Alliance believes that the value we offer is a global perspective with local implementation. It is foundational. When you look at our industry, although there is strength in the resources and power that comes from large environmental and sustainability consulting firms, we also believe that diversity brings value to this space. Small, local, diversly-led companies that are agile, responsive and can focus on bespoke solutions while partnering with some of the best-in-class to offer superior results. The EA Sustainability Delivery Summit was an excellent opportunity to hear our values reflected, and be inspired by our peers and their impact on our collective journey.

Some of our global teams were able to meet in person again at this Summit with Antea Group USA, denxpert, HPC AG, and Tonkin + Taylor. This included multiple short-listed award categories as well as one with for Transportation Project of the Year for Tonkin + Taylor, read more about the awards portion of the event and project submissions from Inogen Alliance here.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates here and follow us on LinkedIn.

Environment Analyst held an annual Sustainability Delivery Summit in June 2024, where some of our global team members attended along with the Sustainability Awards Ceremony. The purpose of this summit was to bring together the community of Environment and Sustainability consulting firms to collaborate and learn from each other to instigate an acceleration of momentum towards a more sustainable future with our clients and communities.

The event covered a wide range of topics across multiple days including resilient infrastructure, future-ready workforces, embedding sustainability into day-to-day operations, digital and technology value adds, nature-based solutions, just energy transition, and more. We have gathered a few key insights from our team in attendance.

Meeting Companies Where They Are 

In this fast-paced evolution of sustainability goals, frameworks, and solutions it’s imperative that we meet companies where they are both on their sustainability journey but also physically where they are geographically. Many countries and regions are at different places in their regulations and expectations are evolving through supply chains and key stakeholders. The local understanding and cultural awareness is crucial in helping companies and communities to meet their goals.

Embracing the Ecosystem Model, Partner for Progress

To solve the complex problems we face, our clients of tomorrow are expecting a multidisciplinary approach using systems based thinking. Collaboration is key with embracing an ecosystem or partnership model to bring viable solutions to the table as the only way to progress many of these global goals. An advantage of an Alliance is that if the company doesn’t have the exact expertise, they can learn from many other diverse partners who may have approached the challenge in a different way and bring innovative solutions to the end client. This could be in technology or digital solutions, technical approaches, or just in a very diverse different approach in thinking to come to a different solution in bringing together different geographies. Many times we need to partner with competitors to be able to make progress and deliver much needed results. This approach demands new ways of thinking and working to not just benefit a company but to benefit all for a better future.

Turning Lofty Sustainability Goals into Reality

The value environmental and sustainability consultants can often bring to stakeholders, clients or projects, is turning lofty goals and visions into action with technical expertise, boots on the ground and specific actions and plans that are science-based and data-led. We can figure out how to collect the data, simplify the process, audit to ensure compliance, and build a foundation of security that the goals that are set are being achieved and backed by data and financials to translate to real business momentum.

Preparing the Next Generation

With our current and prospective future need for action to meet net zero goals as climate change impacts become a local reality globally, there is a huge workforce gap. It was reported that 105k new experts are needed in this space of environment and sustainability services with 51% in North America. We will need more upcoming experts to be trained in these areas but also to bring new innovative ideas and understanding as our up and coming experts are also the ones who will be living with the results. It was said at the conference “the solutions are in the grey, if we focus on only black and white nothing will happen.” We need to be flexible in approaches, tailoring to different industries, cultures and geographies with solutions that are presented. While technology is needed to help solve global problems, human expertise still matters and technology will never replace the need for E&S consultants.

Angelique Dickson, President of Inogen Alliance, recaps her key takeaways and how we are positioned in this new future state:

The pace of change in the last few years has muddled the lines around what we do in the environment and sustainability consulting space. As the ecosystem has responded to the urgent need to deliver sustainability in the marketplace, we, as have other industries rallied to respond to that call. So, what makes us different, what value do we bring? As an example, let me share a few recent experiences. I was in Dubai last week, meeting with our current Associate and talking with a potential new Associate on how to meet and navigate the flood of demand for sustainability services in the Middle East. This is not just what services we offer, but also how to successfully work in the region. I was in Romania meeting with a new partner to discuss collaboration on data collection and support of a multinational client. And I ended my week with our partners for central, southern and eastern Europe to hear their annual report on how they are helping clients protect and utilize biodiversity services and prepare for the CSRD requirements. The Inogen Alliance believes that the value we offer is a global perspective with local implementation. It is foundational. When you look at our industry, although there is strength in the resources and power that comes from large environmental and sustainability consulting firms, we also believe that diversity brings value to this space. Small, local, diversly-led companies that are agile, responsive and can focus on bespoke solutions while partnering with some of the best-in-class to offer superior results. The EA Sustainability Delivery Summit was an excellent opportunity to hear our values reflected, and be inspired by our peers and their impact on our collective journey.

Some of our global teams were able to meet in person again at this Summit with Antea Group USA, denxpert, HPC AG, and Tonkin + Taylor. This included multiple short-listed award categories as well as one with for Transportation Project of the Year for Tonkin + Taylor, read more about the awards portion of the event and project submissions from Inogen Alliance here.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates here and follow us on LinkedIn.

During the Climate Vault nonprofit’s 2023 RFP round for Innovative Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) projects, the Climate Vault Tech Chamber selected not one, but two, outstanding winners for the 2023 Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Innovation Award. This marks a significant milestone in Climate Vault’s CDR journey as this is the first time the Tech Chamber’s rigorous standards for first-of-their-kind CDR solutions have ever been met.

Picture this: wood vaults, meticulously engineered to house sustainably-sourced woody biomass, effectively sealing away its carbon footprint for good. This is exactly what our honoree, Carbon Lockdown, is on a mission to do. Carbon Lockdown collects sustainably-sourced woody biomass and buries it in a “wood vault”, a specially-engineered underground structure that prevents the decomposition and the re-release of the biomass’ embodied CO2 back into the atmosphere. Carbon Lockdown’s wood vault is pioneering carbon removal.

Dr. Ning Zeng, the founder of Carbon Lockdown, has been conducting research on wood harvesting and storage (WHS) via wood vault for over 15 years. He is credited as the originator of the idea of carbon sequestration via wood burial. He is also a professor at the University of Maryland and a climate scientist specializing in the global carbon cycle.

In the interview below, Dr. Zeng shares about Carbon Lockdown’s unique approach to CDR and the verifiable impact Carbon Lockdown’s wood vault is having on the fight against climate change. You can also register to attend Climate Vault’s upcoming webinar on September 4 to hear from Dr. Zeng firsthand about Carbon Lockdown’s first-of-its-kind wood vault.

What was the inspiration behind launching Carbon Lockdown and pursuing innovative carbon removal solutions, such as the wood vault?

I was particularly inspired by young people’s effort at fighting climate change, including my own children. I got out of my “ivory tower” in academia to implement solutions that help to solve the climate change problem. The concept behind WHS/WV is simple: sustainably-sourced woody biomass is buried underground a few meters below the surface. The biomass will be preserved for a thousand years or longer because of the oxygen-free condition.

What makes Carbon Lockdown’s approach to carbon removal so unique and credible?

Fundamentally because it hits a sweet spot of natural and engineered solutions. Photosynthesis is ‘free’ carbon capture. Wood vault technology ensures durable preservation of buried biomass, and is akin to the first step of fossil fuel formation. That’s why some people call it ‘reverse coal’. The engineering needed to bury biomass is well established. The whole process is simple, practical, and can be done at very low cost.

How do you envision your project contributing to mitigating climate change on a global scale?

Each year, the terrestrial biosphere alone captures six times more CO2 than fossil fuel emissions. Utilizing only 5% of that captured CO2 in the form of biomass and storing it durably can offset 10 gigatons of CO2 (GtCO2), or one-quarter of the current fossil fuel emissions. This is also the negative emissions needed to reach net zero goal by 2050. The 10Gt scale requires major forest management. One to two gigatons of carbon removal can be achieved by utilizing currently unexploited wood residual alone.

Are there other potential benefits, environmental or otherwise, of widespread adoption of your project?

Yes. For example, the wildfire problem in the American West is becoming flammable, literally. A recent study from the Yale Carbon Containment Lab suggests that 0.5-2 GtCO2 equivalent of biomass needs to be thinned in the next 10 years. Most of these thinnings are typically pile burnt, resulting in the release of the biomass’ embodied CO2 back into the atmosphere. Burying them in wood vaults locally may be a low-cost solution with carbon removal co-benefit.

Another potentially larger opportunity is waste wood in the eastern and southern US where forests are highly productive. For instance, in the DC-Baltimore Metro area where I live, many trees are dying—most prominently white oak—the valued Maryland state tree. This is ironically in part due to extreme climate events caused by ‘atmospheric rivers’. The dead wood typically ends up as mulch or goes to landfill, but there is not enough demand for mulch so they are piled up everywhere, generating methane as they decompose, while also posing a fire danger. Our Potomac Project utilizes such urban waste wood from Camp Small, Baltimore.

The highest potential exists in tropical countries where wood vault can be implemented as an element of mixed-use forest management strategies. It can benefit global south countries as local communities control and manage their resources sustainably for livelihood while benefiting the climate.

What have been some key milestones or breakthroughs for Carbon Lockdown?

Two earlier projects: the Gemstone Project and the Montreal Project, conducted by research at the University of Maryland, demonstrated the high durability of buried wood. Carbon Lockdown is a tech spinoff from research. These projects laid the foundation for the development of a woody biomass burial project methodology, under which Carbon Lockdown’s 5,000 tonne Potomac Project was the first listed.

The Potomac project is considered the world’s first commercial-scale wood vault implementation. Carbon Lockdown is working with local NGOs, university, state legislators and agencies to develop a permitting process specifically for wood vault.

Carbon Lockdown’s effort at implementing the Potomac Project has put the idea of biomass burial on the radar screen of CDR platforms including the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), XPRIZE, DOE/FECM, and the State of CDR. Last July, Carbon Lockdown sold its first 1,000 tonnes to Kinnevik AB. Last November, attendees of the DOE BiCRS/WHS workshop had the opportunity to visit Potomac Project sites.

Can you share some of the main challenges you’ve encountered during the development of your project and the lessons you have learned along the way?

A major challenge has been to communicate the validity and efficacy of this apparently simple idea. A typical response is dismissal as either too crazy: ‘What a waste? Why don’t I use [the wood] for furniture’, or the solution is simply ignored as not ‘techy’ enough to be attractive. It tends to fall through the ‘crack’ of nature-based methods and technology-based methods, but this is changing. The simple answer to the first question is ‘by all means, but there is still more wood residual of no good use and is valuable as carbon storage’.

While the idea of wood vault is conceptually simple, we have encountered major obstacles in practice, including funding and permitting. Additional research will also be needed to support the continued evolution of best practice.

Given that it’s “easily applied” (quote National Academy of Sciences), a good strategy is to “quickly implement a number of pilot projects” (quote Rudy Kahsar of Rocky Mountain Institute) to test out different wood sourcing and burial conditions because this is a very local thing.

Another characteristic of this method (and hybrid nature-engineering method in general) is the finite biospheric productivity. Only a fraction each year can be utilized sustainably, but if we don’t use it, the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.

An analogy I like to use is: we are raising chickens not just for the chicken, but for the eggs. Keeping our chicken (forest) healthy is a prerequisite, but if we don’t harvest the eggs, the opportunities are wasted.

What is your hope for the future of carbon removal technologies, and how does Carbon Lockdown fit into that vision?

A safe climate will require multi-gigaton carbon removal, which would be a trillion-dollar industry. I think biomass burial can contribute a big ‘wedge’. Carbon Lockdown has been a trailblazer in this area, and will continue to do so. We also support other implementers via partnership.

Here at Climate Vault, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Carbon Lockdown as one of the inaugural CDR solutions to have their technology validated by the Climate Vault Tech Chamber as trustworthy for credibly removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Carbon Lockdown stands as a true trailblazer in the realm of carbon capture and removal. We can’t wait to see the impact we have together on combating the worst effects of climate change in the coming years.

Want to learn more about Carbon Lockdown and its potential impact on the CDR space? Register to attend Climate Vault’s upcoming webinar and hear from Dr. Zeng firsthand about the first-of-its-kind wood vault. 

During the Climate Vault nonprofit’s 2023 RFP round for Innovative Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) projects, the Climate Vault Tech Chamber selected not one, but two, outstanding winners for the 2023 Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Innovation Award. This marks a significant milestone in Climate Vault’s CDR journey as this is the first time the Tech Chamber’s rigorous standards for first-of-their-kind CDR solutions have ever been met.

Picture this: wood vaults, meticulously engineered to house sustainably-sourced woody biomass, effectively sealing away its carbon footprint for good. This is exactly what our honoree, Carbon Lockdown, is on a mission to do. Carbon Lockdown collects sustainably-sourced woody biomass and buries it in a “wood vault”, a specially-engineered underground structure that prevents the decomposition and the re-release of the biomass’ embodied CO2 back into the atmosphere. Carbon Lockdown’s wood vault is pioneering carbon removal.

Dr. Ning Zeng, the founder of Carbon Lockdown, has been conducting research on wood harvesting and storage (WHS) via wood vault for over 15 years. He is credited as the originator of the idea of carbon sequestration via wood burial. He is also a professor at the University of Maryland and a climate scientist specializing in the global carbon cycle.

In the interview below, Dr. Zeng shares about Carbon Lockdown’s unique approach to CDR and the verifiable impact Carbon Lockdown’s wood vault is having on the fight against climate change. You can also register to attend Climate Vault’s upcoming webinar on September 4 to hear from Dr. Zeng firsthand about Carbon Lockdown’s first-of-its-kind wood vault.

What was the inspiration behind launching Carbon Lockdown and pursuing innovative carbon removal solutions, such as the wood vault?

I was particularly inspired by young people’s effort at fighting climate change, including my own children. I got out of my “ivory tower” in academia to implement solutions that help to solve the climate change problem. The concept behind WHS/WV is simple: sustainably-sourced woody biomass is buried underground a few meters below the surface. The biomass will be preserved for a thousand years or longer because of the oxygen-free condition.

What makes Carbon Lockdown’s approach to carbon removal so unique and credible?

Fundamentally because it hits a sweet spot of natural and engineered solutions. Photosynthesis is ‘free’ carbon capture. Wood vault technology ensures durable preservation of buried biomass, and is akin to the first step of fossil fuel formation. That’s why some people call it ‘reverse coal’. The engineering needed to bury biomass is well established. The whole process is simple, practical, and can be done at very low cost.

How do you envision your project contributing to mitigating climate change on a global scale?

Each year, the terrestrial biosphere alone captures six times more CO2 than fossil fuel emissions. Utilizing only 5% of that captured CO2 in the form of biomass and storing it durably can offset 10 gigatons of CO2 (GtCO2), or one-quarter of the current fossil fuel emissions. This is also the negative emissions needed to reach net zero goal by 2050. The 10Gt scale requires major forest management. One to two gigatons of carbon removal can be achieved by utilizing currently unexploited wood residual alone.

Are there other potential benefits, environmental or otherwise, of widespread adoption of your project?

Yes. For example, the wildfire problem in the American West is becoming flammable, literally. A recent study from the Yale Carbon Containment Lab suggests that 0.5-2 GtCO2 equivalent of biomass needs to be thinned in the next 10 years. Most of these thinnings are typically pile burnt, resulting in the release of the biomass’ embodied CO2 back into the atmosphere. Burying them in wood vaults locally may be a low-cost solution with carbon removal co-benefit.

Another potentially larger opportunity is waste wood in the eastern and southern US where forests are highly productive. For instance, in the DC-Baltimore Metro area where I live, many trees are dying—most prominently white oak—the valued Maryland state tree. This is ironically in part due to extreme climate events caused by ‘atmospheric rivers’. The dead wood typically ends up as mulch or goes to landfill, but there is not enough demand for mulch so they are piled up everywhere, generating methane as they decompose, while also posing a fire danger. Our Potomac Project utilizes such urban waste wood from Camp Small, Baltimore.

The highest potential exists in tropical countries where wood vault can be implemented as an element of mixed-use forest management strategies. It can benefit global south countries as local communities control and manage their resources sustainably for livelihood while benefiting the climate.

What have been some key milestones or breakthroughs for Carbon Lockdown?

Two earlier projects: the Gemstone Project and the Montreal Project, conducted by research at the University of Maryland, demonstrated the high durability of buried wood. Carbon Lockdown is a tech spinoff from research. These projects laid the foundation for the development of a woody biomass burial project methodology, under which Carbon Lockdown’s 5,000 tonne Potomac Project was the first listed.

The Potomac project is considered the world’s first commercial-scale wood vault implementation. Carbon Lockdown is working with local NGOs, university, state legislators and agencies to develop a permitting process specifically for wood vault.

Carbon Lockdown’s effort at implementing the Potomac Project has put the idea of biomass burial on the radar screen of CDR platforms including the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), XPRIZE, DOE/FECM, and the State of CDR. Last July, Carbon Lockdown sold its first 1,000 tonnes to Kinnevik AB. Last November, attendees of the DOE BiCRS/WHS workshop had the opportunity to visit Potomac Project sites.

Can you share some of the main challenges you’ve encountered during the development of your project and the lessons you have learned along the way?

A major challenge has been to communicate the validity and efficacy of this apparently simple idea. A typical response is dismissal as either too crazy: ‘What a waste? Why don’t I use [the wood] for furniture’, or the solution is simply ignored as not ‘techy’ enough to be attractive. It tends to fall through the ‘crack’ of nature-based methods and technology-based methods, but this is changing. The simple answer to the first question is ‘by all means, but there is still more wood residual of no good use and is valuable as carbon storage’.

While the idea of wood vault is conceptually simple, we have encountered major obstacles in practice, including funding and permitting. Additional research will also be needed to support the continued evolution of best practice.

Given that it’s “easily applied” (quote National Academy of Sciences), a good strategy is to “quickly implement a number of pilot projects” (quote Rudy Kahsar of Rocky Mountain Institute) to test out different wood sourcing and burial conditions because this is a very local thing.

Another characteristic of this method (and hybrid nature-engineering method in general) is the finite biospheric productivity. Only a fraction each year can be utilized sustainably, but if we don’t use it, the carbon goes back into the atmosphere.

An analogy I like to use is: we are raising chickens not just for the chicken, but for the eggs. Keeping our chicken (forest) healthy is a prerequisite, but if we don’t harvest the eggs, the opportunities are wasted.

What is your hope for the future of carbon removal technologies, and how does Carbon Lockdown fit into that vision?

A safe climate will require multi-gigaton carbon removal, which would be a trillion-dollar industry. I think biomass burial can contribute a big ‘wedge’. Carbon Lockdown has been a trailblazer in this area, and will continue to do so. We also support other implementers via partnership.

Here at Climate Vault, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Carbon Lockdown as one of the inaugural CDR solutions to have their technology validated by the Climate Vault Tech Chamber as trustworthy for credibly removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Carbon Lockdown stands as a true trailblazer in the realm of carbon capture and removal. We can’t wait to see the impact we have together on combating the worst effects of climate change in the coming years.

Want to learn more about Carbon Lockdown and its potential impact on the CDR space? Register to attend Climate Vault’s upcoming webinar and hear from Dr. Zeng firsthand about the first-of-its-kind wood vault. 

Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.

As a leader in both Human Resources and EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety), Victor Garcia believes he has the best job at Owens Corning — as he puts it, he has people in his hands and in his heart. Victor is also the head of the Latin American Inclusion and Diversity Council, so he has the opportunity to help ensure that the plant in Tlaxcala, Mexico, is truly living our company’s core values. The plant’s commitment to caring is exemplary, as evidenced by the fact that they were recently recognized by the Human Rights Commission of Tlaxcala.

On receiving recognition from the Human Rights Commission of Tlaxcala 

It’s a milestone for us because we’re talking about human rights at a higher level than the sense of paying wages or not hiring children. The award recognizes that we care for our employees and our communities, and we make sure that inclusion, equity, and diversity are part of our policies and part of our culture. We went through an audit, so they could see documents, walk our floors, and hear testimony demonstrating that our company is actually beyond just complying with the law — we’re making the employee experience something better than normal. In the employee life cycle, from being a candidate to retirement, Owens Corning Tlaxcala offers the possibility for people to make a future for themselves and their families while creating the materials that make the world a better place for our children.

On initiatives designed to increase equity in manufacturing 

We have what we call Pink Coffee on a weekly basis, where the Plant Director and I sit with frontline employees and have a friendly conversation where they can speak freely without fear of retaliation. Once a month, those Pink Coffees are just for women, where we ask them how they feel they’re being treated by the men in the company. Their standard answer is that it’s a good environment, and they feel they are treated well. This is important to me because we have had an ethics program in place for the last five years, making sure that the message is sent that we must have a positive culture without discrimination or harassment.

On taking steps toward a better future for everyone 

We can start by educating our children — or nieces, cousins, or friends if we don’t have children — and disseminate the message of respect as an act of consciousness and the love of everybody. We are all on the same rock called Earth, and the things we do affect other people. If I do something good, that small chain reaction can create a wave where everyone benefits. With education, we can drive our values, and eventually maybe society will be in a very different shape than it is today. I am sure the younger generations will do better than us. They’re thinking in a good direction toward respect and a better planet for everybody. We can continue to teach them by example the importance of doing something, because doing nothing is the same as going backwards.