Sustainability was a priority for Travis Senter long before it became a buzzword in the tech industry.
For the past 60 years, Senter’s family has grown corn, cotton, soybeans and rice on 20,000 acres in northeast Arkansas. Every year, he says, his family tries to do things a little better with a little less. The focus is always on improving the land and ensuring it can continue to produce for generations to come.
“Everyone talks about sustainability like it’s a novelty,” Senter said in an interview at CES. “We’ve been doing it forever. Farmers everywhere are doing what we do. If you don’t, you don’t survive.”
Sustainability was definitely a buzzword at CES this year, with everyone from the biggest tech giants to the smallest startups touting the associated benefits of their products. The increased frequency of extreme weather events – from floods in Pakistan to wildfires in California – has raised awareness of the effects of the climate crisis. As a result, companies throughout the show have embraced sustainability, whether it’s dropping a line in a speech about using recycled plastic or showing off systems to make your home more efficient.
On the way to sustainability
Companies were quick to highlight their efforts. Samsung and Patagonia, which have previously teamed up for environmental efforts, have announced a washing machine that filters microplastics from shampoos and other consumer products.
Meanwhile, Schneider Electric launched its complete smart home energy ecosystem, receiving a CES 2023 Innovation Award for App which brings everything together. The system is designed to allow consumers to save money on energy and maximize the efficiency of their home.
This Jackery generator can be powered by the sun.
Bree Fowler/CBS
Lesser-known companies, like portable battery maker Jackery, fought for attention during CES evening press events. This company, which won four of the show’s innovation awards, showed its solar and wind generators.
The Department of Energy had a CES booth for the first time, and Secretary Jennifer Granholm spoke about the Biden administration’s goals of achieving 100% clean electricity on the national grid by 2035 and an economy at net zero carbon by 2050.
Granholm told a packed house that the goals are needed to tackle climate change responsible for severe weather events, which caused nearly $1 billion in damage last year, as well as to restore energy supplies to United States independent of “oil dictators” and others. that would militarize energy resources.
“It’s a matter of national security,” Granholm said. “It’s a matter of energy security to be clean and energy independent as a stronger nation.”
She also pointed to the billions of dollars in clean energy-related economic opportunities that American businesses could take advantage of, as well as the potential for new jobs that could help countless Americans.
Agricultural technology goes green
John Deere, one of the biggest names in agricultural machinery, had one of the biggest presences at CES. Long associated with traditional farm equipment, the company has turned to high technology in recent years in an effort to improve efficiency for farmers.
Showcased at CES was a massive sprayer featuring the company’s See & Spray technology. The technology uses a system of cameras and image recognition designed to determine the difference between crops and weeds so that the machine can spray herbicides only on the plants it wants to get rid of, reducing the use of products chemicals.
The company also showcased its new ExactShot planting system, which it says can reduce fertilizer use by up to 60%, saving farmers money and reducing produce. excess chemicals entering the soil.
These improvements could have a huge impact both on the environment and on farmer profitability, John Deere Chairman and CEO John May said in an interview with CNET.
“It’s a really winning value proposition for our customers and for the environment,” said May, who also delivered one of the conference keynote addresses.
While high-tech machines like this can be a massive investment, Senter, who tested pre-launch equipment for John Deere and attended CES on behalf of the company, said his industry had evolved to the point where modern farmers simply couldn’t do what they do without it and other types of technology.
This is especially true when it comes to sustainability, he said.
“We love what we do and we love our land,” Senter said of his family farm. “We love the ability to make things better.”
Senter added that from a practical standpoint, farmers who don’t make things better and just don’t get better won’t make money.
“So,” he said, “you have to be able to make sure that what you’re doing now will be sustainable down the road.”
