Plant Phenomics Goes Green: Carbon Offsetting at IPPS8

As plant phenotypers endeavoring to grapple with the challenges of 21st century agriculture, we recognize the need to gather physically to engage in the shaping, challenging and polishing of ideas and efforts to sustainably intensify agricultural efficiency. However, a non-target effect of this is international travel which contributes to the problems we are trying to solve. IPPS8 aims to tackle this by offsetting emissions through carbon credits, as part of a broader sustainability plan (*more details in the box to the right).

While carbon offsetting won't fully negate IPPS8's footprint, we believe it's a step in the right direction. The carbon credit market is new and imperfect, but we're taking action to support its development and to encourage broader discussions on emission offsetting within science.

Sustainability strategy for the IPPS8

*Please note that this effort is only part of a more comprehensive sustainability strategy for the IPPS8, which includes alternative energy, green buildings (built toLEED Silver standards), zero waste, increased vegetarian meal options, and sustainably sourcing, among others. For more information, see the Nebraska Innovation Campus sustainability page here, as well as Hilton’s Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy here.

What are we doing?

In a nutshell, we are purchasing carbon credits to offset carbon usage from the IPPS8 conference. The financial backing for this comes from a pre-allocated amount of money from IPPS8’s total budget plus the option for sponsors to explicitly support this initial push for a more carbon neutral event.

We're buying carbon offsets through Patch.io, a trusted marketplace. We designed a custom portfolio to maximize impact, considering factors like cost, removed CO2, project location, and method type. The purchase of the portfolio will be made after the conference to ensure the best impact and account for any changes in budget or attendee feedback. We'll announce the allocated amount post-conference and provide updates on the portfolio's status as credits are delivered.

 Tab.: Current iteration of the portfolio IPPS8 is planning to purchase.

 Jointly organized by:

What is in the IPPS8 Portfolio?

Given the risk, we knew we wanted a diverse portfolio of removal options. We used the following criteria to narrow down our choices:

-       Focused on agriculture: We limited options to agricultural or agriculturally-related projects (e.g., not direct air capture).

-       Balanced approach: We included both established players (e.g., Charm, Eion) and smaller organizations (e.g., Planboo) for cost-effectiveness.

-       Maximized impact: We prioritized projects removing more CO2 while considering durability (lifetime of the carbon capture).

Figure: Vintage timeline across methodology distribution indicating when carbon credits mint. Anything “Before 2024” indicates that the intervention has happened and been accounted for, but has yet to sell.

How will you approximate the amount of carbon IPPS8 incurred?

Since this is our first carbon offsetting effort, we'll estimate our footprint based on attendee travel (using travel calculators) and venue data. While this won't be a perfect picture, it allows us to take action and improve our approach in future years.

If successful, what are we considering for the next IPPS?

Depending on the success of this initiative, future IPPS conferences may expand funding for carbon removal and improve carbon accounting methods through external audits. This would involve surveying attendees' travel methods and meal preferences, requiring additional commitment and funds but increasing transparency.

This is a pilot program to see how impactful a small investment in carbon removal can be. We hope that you’ll support IPPS8 in making this investment.