All posts tagged: WinWin

Why restoring soil health is a win-win for farmers and the environment

Why restoring soil health is a win-win for farmers and the environment

Published by skeptic

More than half of Europe’s soils are degraded. Researchers are showing that restoring soil through better farming makes both ecological and financial sense. Soils feed us, filter our water and support most of the food chain on Earth. But they are also among Europe’s most neglected resources –quietly degrading beneath our feet while we look elsewhere. Andrés Rodríguez Seijo from the University of Vigo in Spain is one of the researchers working to change that. He first noticed how little attention soil receives while working on microplastics, at a time when the issue was just beginning to gain traction. “Everyone talked about microplastics at sea, but ignored the fact that, before they get there, they’re on land, polluting our soils,” he said. Soils in trouble European soils are in bad shape. They contain far too much nitrogen, largely due to the overuse of fertilisers, and are heavily eroded and polluted. More than 60 % are currently classified as unhealthy, and climate change is set to make matters worse. The bill for this damage is already steep. Soil …

Solar ranch aims to prove grazing cattle under the panels is a win-win

Solar ranch aims to prove grazing cattle under the panels is a win-win

Published by Sam Flores

CHRISTIANA, Tenn. — From a distance, the small solar farm in central Tennessee looks like others that now dot rural America, with row upon row of black panels absorbing the sun’s rays, creating a flow of clean electricity. But beneath the panels is lush pasture, not gravel, enjoyed by a small herd of cattle that spends their days munching grass and resting in the shade. Silicon Ranch, which owns the 40-acre farm in Christiana, outside Nashville, believes cattle-grazing is the next frontier in so-called agrivoltaics, which mostly has involved growing crops or grazing sheep beneath the panels. The solar company debuted the project last week and will spend the next year working to demonstrate to farmers that much larger herds of cattle also can thrive at solar sites. If successful, advocates say, that could jump-start new projects to meet the soaring electricity demand driven by rapidly expanding data centers — without contributing climate-warming carbon emissions — and help cattle producers hold on to their land and livelihoods. “Solar is one of the most powerful tools we have …

Treating Creepy Animals With Respect Is a Win-Win For All

Treating Creepy Animals With Respect Is a Win-Win For All

Published by Jenni Sidey

Many of the nonhuman animals (animals) with whom we share our homes and other landscapes are often mistakenly written off as being unimportant and disposable “pests” or “trash” animals.1 However, they deserve more respect, we kill them far too often, and writing them off says more about us than them. These sentient animals have sophisticated cognitive and emotional lives and also are very important neighbors with important ecological roles. I recently posted an interview with Dr. Marlene Zuk about these amazing marginalized beings and was thrilled to learn of a new highly acclaimed book by Dr. Jo Wimpenny titled Beauty of the Beasts: Rethinking Nature’s Least Loved Animals that once again expands our knowledge about these scary repulsive underdogs, whose losses can devastate diverse ecosystems. Wimpenny encourages all of us to appreciate and respect these animals for who they are and the vital roles they fulfill for all life on Earth. Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Beauty of the Beasts? Jo Wimpenny: There are several reasons. I was becoming increasingly infuriated by the same, …