WayBeyond has taken up the sustainability challenge for Earth Day 2021 with a long-term focus on reducing food waste and optimising natural resources.
“Earth Day is one of the oldest and largest global movements when it comes to positive environmental changes,” said head of industry transformation, Kylie Horomia. “The 22 April event is supported by 75,000 partners in over 190 countries all focused on positive action for our planet, which resonates strongly with our personal Vision of sustainable crop production.
“The AgTech sector has a key role to play, and Earth Day is a great time for everyone in our industry to stop and think about what changes they want to make that can support a sustainability agenda for the long-term.”
Since 1970, Earth Day has been central to significant environmental events including the signing of the Paris Agreement, US legislation for Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts, the establishment of Climate Literacy Campaigns in schools, Green School Funding and Global Cleanup events at rivers, beaches and communities.
Earth Day has also become a positive movement for young students and those embarking on their agricultural careers.
“Environmental awareness is part of our everyday lives and is normalized within my Gen-Z age group. We are used to carrying our own ‘Keep Cups’, reusable bags and exercise our buying power based on the sustainability of products, services and businesses,” explained graduate IoT engineer, Sarah Kennelly.
“Through social media and other platforms, we learn about sustainability and how technology plays its part. Mobile apps are a big part of this, you can currently get apps where you can buy food which would otherwise go to waste and others which let you track your carbon footprint.
“This will all play a role in the future of our agricultural industry. We are the future of food and the production, distribution and consumption of that will transform over the next 10 to 15 years,” she added.
With team members based in New Zealand, the United States and the Netherlands; WayBeyond said it is looking further than one day to create long term sustainable practices.
“All activities our team can do personally is fantastic especially if they become permanent changes. From a business perspective Earth Day also aligns with the existing work we are doing towards supporting the United Nations Sustainability Goals and those customers who value a sustainable approach,” noted Horomia.
“When you look at the biggest challenges facing the planet, they can seem overwhelming but as we have seen in the past, a movement of people working together can make a huge positive impact.”
