Latest news with #MarcelJansen
Agriland
04-05-2025
- Science
- Agriland
Researcher lauds potential economic benefits of duckweed for Ireland
According to University College Cork (UCC) professor, Marcel Jansen, a small free-flowing aquatic plant – duckweed – has significant economic and environmental potential for the agriculture industry which lies untapped. While the perennial plant has been used as an important source of protein in Asian cultures for centuries, it remains a relatively new concept in the western world, despite its latent nutritional benefits. For Prof. Jansen, the benefits of duckweed are twofold – its positive ecological impact through its ability to recycle nutrient waste and, in turn, enhance water quality; and, secondly its potential as feed for livestock. Duckweed can consume vast quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus from the environment and can therefore go a long way in countering nutrient leakage in waterways from agriculture. This in turn lowers the agricultural sector's environmental footprint without compromising productivity. Duckweed Prof. Jansen said that the plant can also outcompete the growth of algae in loughs and other slow-moving waterways, mitigating the biodiversity challenges posed by such colonies of algae, provided it is harvested in a timely fashion. The researcher has conducted and published studies on the plant's capacity to grow and detoxify runoff from the dairy industry, to great avail. In collaboration with colleagues from UCC and the Technical University of the Shannon (TUS), the Dutch-born academic has conducted trials in a former Bord na Mona bog in Mount Lucas, Co. Offaly, whereby 30t of duckweed were grown on a hectare of land, thus proving its ability thrive in natural conditions in Ireland. Prof. Marcel Jansen Prof. Jansen explained: 'Why that is important is that it shows in the Irish climate, under natural conditions, duckweed is a very realistic crop. 'What you do in the lab is not that relevant, it's real life examples that count step because on that basis, you can start talking to farmers.' The researcher has ramped up efforts to engage with the farmer community in recent times, and is currently collaborating with a farmer in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary to innoculate the plant on a pond on the farm. However, the real obstacle impeding the realisation of duckweed's innate potential lies in the current absence of economic incentives for production within the Irish and European market. With a 30% protein content and an ability to grow rapidly in an Irish context – even in challenging circumstances – Prof. Jansen claimed that duckweed would make for a quality ingredient for livestock feed and a natural substitute for soy. According to the researcher, an uptake in the cultivation of duckweed for feed production will depend upon demand from feed companies, which has yet to materialise, although he asserted that this will only be a matter of time. 'Farmers know about duckweed, there's actually very good awareness about its potential, but the big thing is they need to make money out of it. 'They need to see a form of income not for just one year, but for a number of years and that will only happen if the demand is there. 'The feed companies are looking into it, but if they are going to invest in a new feed source to replace soy, they want to have a minimum couple of years of steady supply. Prof. Jansen said he is hopeful this situation will soon change. 'We are working with one of the big feed companies, I'm not mentioning the name at the moment, but they are actively trialling duckweed as a replacement of soy. That's on an experimental basis, but that should lead hopefully to demand. 'That shows you how far we have come and the number of possibilities there are with duckweed,' he added. Prof. Jansen is currently looking at two feed sources in which duckweed would be particularly apt at replacing soy as a primary ingredient – pig feed and fish food. 'If you think about Ireland, the bulk of our soy goes to pig feed, that's one of the biggest targets for us. The second is fish food because roughly half of it is made of fish. So boats are going out to catch fish to feed other fish, which is madness,' Prof. Jansen explained. 'There has been some very good experiments done that show the possibility of replacing part of fish food with duckweed. 'The interest is there, the awareness is there. It's now about achieving the economic benefits of duckweed,'
CBC
18-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Protest targets engineering firm hired by Ontario to work on bike lane removal
Social Sharing With Ontario poised to begin demolishing bike lanes in Toronto within days, advocacy groups are trying to pressure the engineering firm taking on part of the work to rip up its provincial contract. On Tuesday morning, a group of protesters gathered at the offices of Stantec Consulting Ltd., the engineering firm hired by the province to undertake a portion of the bike lane removal work. Demonstrators entered the building and presented Stantec with their demand to cancel the contract, which prompted Stantec to call the police, said Marcel Jansen, a member of Friday for Future Toronto, one of the groups behind the protest. Alex Lam, outreach co-ordinator for the same group, said they were one of two people were briefly detained by police and issued a $65 ticket — a price they say is well worth it. "We're talking about people's lives here," Lam said. "I think this action was good for highlighting this terrible thing that Stantec is doing. Agreeing to rip out bike lanes, put people at risk, increase congestion, increase emissions." The protest follows a similar campaign launched by advocacy group Cycle Toronto, which is urging people to email Stantec to demand they stop working on the plan. WATCH | Protesters rally against plan to remove Toronto bike lanes: Cyclists protest against removal of Toronto bike lanes 2 hours ago Duration 4:15 In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Stantec wrote that they "respect the right of community to voice their opinions through peaceful protest." "Moreover, we also appreciate that our team members —also local Toronto residents—were able to safely enter their workplace," said Colin Nekolaichuk, a public relations manager for Stantec. The statement went on to say Stantec is working on developing technical drawings for "a small section" of the bike corridors, representing about 1.5 kilometres in total. After those drawings are complete, the firm will no longer be involved, Nekolaichuk said. City manager says Toronto still committed to cycling program Toronto City Manager Paul Johnson spoke to CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Tuesday about Ontario's plan — billed repeatedly by the province in the leadup to last month's election as necessary to reduce congestion. "This is their operation, this is their legislation," Johnson said. "The city will comply with this, but I just want to assure everybody that the cycling program in Toronto is strong. We are committed to cycling as an important mode of transportation." Last week, an Ontario court denied an injunction request from a group of cyclists, including Cycle Toronto, hoping to press pause on removal work until after their court challenge is heard in mid-April. WATCH | Internal documents reveal removing bike lands may not decrease congestion: Ontario's bike lane removal plan may not reduce congestion: internal documents 5 days ago Duration 2:39 New internal documents reveal that Ford's government is aware of many of the risks associated with removing bike lanes in Toronto. As CBC's Lane Harrison explains, the report shows the move may not have an impact on congestion and could increase collisions for everyone who uses roads. That means that the province could begin the process of undoing sections of cycle lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue in Toronto as soon as Thursday. As part of that court process, a trove of internal provincial documents related to the plan were made public. Those document revealed that the province was warned that there was a "medium risk" that the changes will not achieve the "desired outcomes" of faster-moving traffic. They also included a report prepared for the Ministry of Transportation that estimated that collisions for all road users could spike by 54 per cent when the lanes are gone.
