More than words: Carbon compensation in the face of climate change
One of the characteristics central to the Field Service Management (FSM) software industry, is that part of its inherent value lies in the need for a positive contribution to the environment. Thanks to many advanced features like routing optimization and a cloud-based infrastructure, time and cost savings as well as reduced gas emissions can be achieved. Companies offering FSM solutions tend to set this integral value as the finish line of their contribution to the ever-evolving environmental issues.
However, such a perception disregards that as in every industry, company resources and solutions require energy consumption. In other words, adding to the problem is inevitable. Accepting this reality would of course make our lives easy! However, it would also mean we ignore our capabilities, knowledge and duty to make a change, or help those who can deliver significant changes towards an environmentally-sound future.
What keeps us restless
We are fighting one of the most pressing battles, that is, climate change. We find ourselves overwhelmed by the fact that there are little to no actions taken within the FSM Industry against climate change. Our core mission to contribute to our earth’s well-being aims to lead a movement within our industry and inspire others to participate.
The road to reversing climate change is bittersweet. On the one hand, we have the theoretical knowledge it takes to start. On the other hand, there is no technology readily available to achieve results with a large-scale impact, while guaranteeing no side-effects.
Our mission to support innovation
Standing amid a huge amount of scientific information, we have recruited a dedicated research team experimenting on a method to extract carbon dioxide ( CO2) out of the atmosphere. The method is based on the phenomenon of natural weathering, where minerals such as olivine absorb CO2, resulting in harmless bicarbonate with permanent capture of the CO2.
One of the greatest challenges, however, is that mining and processing of olivine requires additional infrastructures, resulting in high operational costs. A potential solution currently in research lies in recovering olivine from mining waste of large mineral deposits or sources where olivine is treated and abandoned as waste or a by-product.
Making progress through direct initiatives
We are more than excited to contribute to this outstanding and promising CO2 negativity project. While investing in research that will allow application outside the laboratory in the long-term, we have put in place a CO2 compensation model, based on immediate action. It works as simple as that; for each intervention initiated we compensate it through a tree on our farm, in Rifa, Africa.
Moreover, the local communities play an important role in our forestation program. Not only do they handle tree planting, but they also take care of their growth, protect it from hazards and help us report on the progress, on a full-time basis. By taking direct action and making local communities an integral part of it, our project is now an extension of our Fieldcode family. Together we fight against other problems such as extinction of plant populations, decrease in animal habitats, extensive use of chemical fertilizers, and unemployment.
Why spend time in building the grounds for a better future?
The reason why climate change feels so challenging, is because human activity is driving a big part of it, from the burning of fossil fuel to deforestation and pollutant industrial processes. Therefore, we cannot imagine ourselves “minding our own business”. Our responsibility to pave the way toward a sustainable future has become our ambition to inspire others to craft a green blueprint for their business endeavors.
The importance of overcoming these challenges lies beyond achieving CO2 deduction from the atmosphere. The large-scale deployment of enhanced weathering could have a positive impact on various aspects; regulation of ocean acidification and improvement in soil water retention, to name a few, which in turn would lower the amount of water required in croplands and reduce the risks of floods.