Eosta, a Waddinxveen, Holland-based company committed to sustainable agriculture, and 12 other Dutch organizations signed a climate agreement last Tuesday. In attendance were climate-change superstar Al Gore and Jacqueline Cramer, the country’s environment minister.
The agreement commits companies to achieving completely climate-neutral management.
“We have long been inspired by Al Gore’s call to give more consideration to climate change,” says Eosta Director Volkert Engelsman. “According to the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations], current forms of agriculture are responsible for around 30 % of all greenhouse gas emissions. Fertilizers are one of the most significant culprits. Organic farming replaces fertilizers with compost and other sustainable forms of soil improvement. Consequently, organic farming makes a considerable contribution to turning back the climate problem.”
Earlier this year, Eosta continued this intention as the first company to bring a wide range of Nature & More-certified climate-neutral fruits and vegetables to the European market. Companies receive such certification by mapping all greenhouse gases within the supply chain and compensating with emissions rights obtained by using organic farming practices.
Eosta is also working with sister organization Soil & More, which initiates projects around the world in which biological waste is processed to create a superior humus compost, which is used by organic and traditional growers worldwide.
“This process does not generate environmentally harmful methane gas,” says Soil & More Director Aart van den Bos. “Moreover, other harmful greenhouse gases are also avoided, such as nitrous oxide, which is released by the production and use of fertilizers. Finally, this Soil & More compost provides a higher humus content in the soil, which binds carbon from the atmosphere. The emissions rights that Soil & More earns with these projects are used to compensate for its own emissions output from transport, refrigeration, packaging, etc.”
[...] Holland Goes Greener, with a Little Help from Al Gore [...]