Tag Archives: environment

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THE FIELD TESTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH ENVIRONMENT CANADA THE ENGINEERING FIRM AND THE VINEYARD

Leave a reply

The Ecosystem Conservation Technologies company partnered with Environment Canada to conduct field tests of their experimental eco-friendly pest control systems at several national park sites across the country. The goal of the testing was to evaluate the systems’ effectiveness at naturally managing pest populations in ecologically sensitive environments. Environment Canada scientists and park rangers monitored test sites over two growing seasons, collecting data on pest numbers, biodiversity indicators, and any potential unintended environmental impacts.

The initial results were promising. At sites where the control systems, which utilized sustainable pest-repelling scents and natural predators, were deployed as directed, researchers observed statistically significant reductions in key pest insects and mites compared to control sites that did not receive treatments. Species diversity of natural enemies like predatory insects remained stable or increased at treated sites. No harmful effects on non-target species like pollinators or beneficial insects were detected. Though more long-term monitoring is needed, the testing suggested the systems can achieve pest control goals while avoiding damaging side effects.

Encouraged by these early successes, Ecosystem Conservation Technologies then partnered with a large environmental engineering firm to conduct larger-scale field tests on private working lands. The engineering firm recruited several wheat and grape growers who were interested in more sustainable approaches to integrate the control systems into their typical pest management programs. Engineers helped with customized system installation and monitoring plans for each unique farm operation.

One of the partnering farms was a 600-acre premium vineyard and winery located in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Known for producing high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, the vineyard’s profitability depended on high-yield, high-quality grape harvests each year. Like many vineyards, they had battled fungal diseases, insects, and birds that threatened the vines and grapes. After years of relying heavily on synthetic fungicides and insecticides, the owner wanted to transition to less hazardous solutions.

Over the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, Ecosystem Conservation Technologies worked with the vineyard and engineering firm to deploy their pest control systems across 150 acres of the most sensitive Pinot Noir blocks. Real-time environmental sensors and weather stations were integrated into the systems to automatically adjust emission rates based on local pest pressure and conditions. The vineyard’s agronomists continued their normal scouting activities and also collected samples for analysis.

Comparing the test blocks to historical data and untreated control blocks, researchers found statistically significant 25-30% reductions in key grape diseases like powdery mildew during critical pre-harvest periods. Importantly, the quality parameters for the harvested Pinot Noir grapes like Brix levels, pH, and rot were all within or above the vineyard’s high standards. Growers also reported needing to spray approved organic fungicides 1-2 fewer times compared to previous years. Bird exclusion techniques integrated with the systems helped reduce some bird damage issues as well.

According to the final crop reports, system-treated blocks contributed to larger harvest yields that were higher in both tonnage and quality than previous years. The vineyard owner was so pleased that they decided to expand usage of the Ecosystem Conservation Technologies systems across their entire estate. They recognized it as a step forward in their sustainability journey that protected both the sensitive environment and their economic livelihoods. The engineering firm concluded the field testing validated the potential for these systems to deliver solid pest control in real-world agricultural applications while lowering dependence on synthetic chemicals.

The multi-year field testing partnerships generated very promising results that showed Ecosystem Conservation Technologies’ novel eco-friendly pest control systems can effectively manage important crop pests naturally. With further refinement based on ongoing research, systems like these offer hope for growing practices that safeguard both environmental and agricultural sustainability into the future. The successful testing helped move the systems closer to full commercialization and widespread adoption by farmers and land managers nationwide.

HOW DOES THE AGILE WORK ENVIRONMENT CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF INFOSYS CAPSTONE PROJECTS

Leave a reply

Infosys follows an agile methodology in implementing capstone projects which contributes significantly to their success. Some of the key aspects of how agile enables success are:

Adaptive planning – With agile, projects have more flexibility to adapt the plan based on what is learned as the project progresses. This allows the team to respond quickly to changes in requirements or priorities. For large, complex capstone projects which can last months, being able to evolve the plan based on learnings ensures the final solution delivered is truly aligned with customer needs.

Iterative development – Rather than a “big bang” delivery, projects are developed iteratively in short cycles. This reduces risk since working software is delivered more frequently for feedback. It is easier for stakeholders to intervene if something is going off track. For capstone projects where requirements may not be fully known upfront, iteration helps discover and refine needs over time.

Collaboration – Agile promotes active collaboration between business and IT. There are frequent opportunities to get feedback, answer questions and make changes collaboratively. This helps build understanding and buy-in between the client and Infosys team. For capstone projects involving multiple stakeholders, collaboration is crucial to ensuring all needs are understood and addressed.

Transparency – Key aspects like velocity, impediments, scope are visible to all through artifacts like Kanban or Scrum boards. This transparency helps the Infosys team as well as clients understand progress, issues and have realistic expectations. For large, complex capstone projects transparency prevents miscommunications that could otherwise derail the project.

Responsive to change – With its iterative nature, agile makes it easier to incorporate changes in requirements or priorities into development. This responsiveness is critical for capstone projects where business needs may evolve over the long project durations. Rather than wastefully building features that are no longer needed, agile supports changing course when needed.

Focus on value – Each iteration aims to deliver working, demonstrable value to the client. This keeps the project focused on priority needs and ensures something useful is delivered frequently. For capstone projects, focus on incremental value helps recognize and address issues early before large amounts of work are invested in potential dead-ends. It also keeps stakeholder engagement and motivation high by providing early wins.

Small batch sizes – Work is developed in small batches that can be completed within the iteration cycle, typically 2-4 weeks. This makes work packages more manageable, reduces risk of being overwhelmed, and enables keeping technical debt to a minimum. For large, long-term capstone projects, batching work appropriately helps progress stay on track and minimizes rework.

People over process – While following basic structures and best practices, agile prioritizes adaptability over rigid adherence to process. This empowerment enhances team performance on complex capstone projects where flexibility to experiments and adapt is needed to handle unpredictable challenges.

By leveraging these agile principles, Infosys is better able to continuously deliver value, maintain stakeholder engagement and responsiveness, adapt to changes, and keep technical quality high even for large, lengthy capstone projects. Early and frequent delivery of working solutions helps validate understanding and direction. Iterative development reduces risk of building the wrong solution. Transparency and collaboration aid coordination across distributed, multi-stakeholder projects that characterize capstone work. As a result, Infosys sees higher success rates and greater customer satisfaction on its capstone projects by implementing agile methodologies compared to traditional “waterfall” approaches.

The iterative, incremental, collaborative nature of agile underpins many of its benefits that are directly applicable to complex capstone projects. By promoting active stakeholder involvement, frequent delivery of value, transparency, adaptation and flexibility – agile supports Infosys in continuously learning and evolving solutions to ultimately better meet customer needs on large transformational projects. This contributes greatly to the programs being delivered on time and on budget, as well as achieving the strategic business outcomes stakeholders envisioned at the start.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND HOW IT CAN BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

Leave a reply

A circular economy is an alternative to the traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. In a circular economy, resource input, waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised by slowing, closing, and narrowing energy and material loops. This can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling. The goal of a circular economy is to maintain the added value of products and materials for as long as possible by keeping them circulating within the economy. It aims to design out waste, rather than managing it at the end of a product or material’s life.

A circular economy can benefit both the environment and the economy in a number of ways. Environmentally, it aids in the preservation of natural capital – materials are generated, circulated, and retained within the economy through various recovery strategies. This reduces the consumption of raw materials from the Earth’s crust and reduces resource extraction and waste creation. Circularity also makes supply chains more resilient through diversified and local sources of materials. Since circular strategies extend the lifespan of materials, less new materials need to be produced, reducing emissions from manufacturing processes. The circular economy aims to decouple economic growth from finite resource consumption and environmental degradation.

Economically, a circular economy can provide considerable business opportunities and cost savings compared to the linear “take-make-dispose” model. It focuses on recovering and regenerating materials rather than disposal, creating new revenue streams from service-based business models and secondary raw materials markets. Circularity also minimizes waste and improves resource productivity through more efficient chains. It aims to capture the unrealized economic value retained in products post-consumption, keeping resources circulating at their highest utility and value. Companies can reduce spending on virgin raw materials via reuse, reconditioning, and high quality recycling. Supply chains become less vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices. Job opportunities are created through new skills like reverse logistics, remanufacturing, and product life extension services.

At the national level, moving towards a circular economy can boost economic growth in the long run by decoupling it from finite resource consumption. It encourages innovation through new product and business model development. Countries gain competitive advantages by designing products to last longer through modularity and easy repair/upgrade, taking global market share from linear competitors. Transitioning large industrial and infrastructure projects to circular principles boosts both environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness. Product leadership is achieved by supplying circular solutions that maximize resource efficiency. Retaining materials within the economy also improves energy security through reduced reliance on imported raw materials.

Despite the clear environmental and economic benefits of the circular economy, fully transitioning from the current linear model faces challenges. Established organizational structures, competencies and incentives are often not aligned with circular strategies. Lack of standardization in material composition makes recycling difficult. Business models for reusing/remanufacturing components require changes in consumer perceptions about secondary products. Investments are needed in collection infrastructure and reverse logistics. Regulatory frameworks and policies often unintentionally incentivize linear production and consumption patterns over circular ones.

The circular economy concept is gaining attention worldwide as a promising framework to decouple economic activity from environmental degradation, mitigate risks from resource scarcity and price volatility, and create new market and job opportunities. It aims for a more resilient and equitable system that serves both human and planetary well-being by prioritizing the flow and regeneration of resources at their highest utility. With concerted efforts across both private and public sectors, policy development, consumer awareness, innovative business strategies, and international cooperation, the transition to a global circular economy is achievable in the coming decades.