Today, I want to shed light on a pressing issue that’s been on my mind lately – the global food waste problem. It’s hard to fathom, but a vast amount of the food produced globally never reaches our plates. But amidst this challenge, there’s a beacon of hope: ReFeed Farms.
Introduction to the ReFeed Model
ReFeed Farms is not just another entity in the food industry. They’ve taken it upon themselves to address this problem head-on, with a mission to reimagine our planet’s broken food system. Their approach? It’s called the ReFeed Model.
Firstly, they focus on Food Recovery. Instead of letting surplus food rot away, ReFeed ensures it’s redirected to community partners. It’s a win-win: preventing wastage and ensuring the food serves a purpose.
Transformation of Recovered Food
But that’s not all. This recovered food undergoes a transformation and becomes healthy livestock feed. It’s a testament to ReFeed’s commitment that no food, however surplus, is considered waste.
Moreover, they’re champions of Regenerative Soil Inputs, producing organic fertilizers and soil amendments. This not only supports sustainable agriculture but also ensures our soils remain fertile for generations to come.
And if you’re wondering about the scale of their operations, they’ve established Zero-Waste Facilities. Collaborating with the broader food industry, ReFeed ensures unused food doesn’t just end up in landfills. Instead, it’s given a new lease of life, be it as livestock feed or as a vital ingredient for our soils.
It’s heartening to see such dedicated efforts in reshaping our food systems. But there’s more to the story, which we’ll delve into shortly.
The Power of Circular Nutrition
As we continue our exploration into ReFeed Farms, let’s discuss an innovative concept they’ve championed: Circular Nutrition. At the heart of this idea are ReFeed’s custom worm beds. These aren’t just ordinary worm beds; they serve as a bioconversion engine. What does this mean? It means they transform excess food into nutrient-rich castings and soil amendments. This ingenious process supports organic farming, ensuring a strengthened growing cycle and healthier crops.
But what truly sets ReFeed apart is their pioneering approach to Circular Nutrition™. Operating in Langley, BC, ReFeed is both a unique food processing facility and a center of innovation for nutrition reclamation. They are actively engaged in addressing the issues of food insecurity and soil depletion. Their Circular Nutrition™ model is designed to turn unused food back into nutrition for humans, livestock, and the soil. By integrating various technologies, they can reclaim 100% of the nutrients from unused food and reintroduce them into the food cycle.
This model combines fresh and dehydrated food reclamation, feedstock production, and a unique worm-based organic soil production. The result? A significant reduction in carbon emissions, decreased on-farm chemical use, and a proactive approach to local food insecurity.
Furthermore, the perishability of food has always been a challenge in developing circular models. The current food system often sees over 50% of produced food end up in landfills or compost facilities, releasing greenhouse gases as they decompose. ReFeed’s Circular Nutrition model reimagines this cycle. They redirect usable food to food banks, turn excess food into consumer goods like dehydrated fruit snacks, process produce into livestock feed, and use their worm beds to produce natural fertilizers and soil amendments.
The benefits of this model are manifold. It avoids using land exclusively for livestock food production, reduces the need for newly produced food, diminishes the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, increases carbon sequestration, and feeds people in need. The ReFeed Farm in Langley, BC, serves as a testament to the effectiveness, scalability, and economic benefits of Circular Nutrition.
The Advent of ReFeed Farm NFTs
In the ever-evolving world of digital assets, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a revolutionary medium, allowing artists, creators, and innovators to tokenize unique digital items. While the majority of NFTs catered to the art and collectibles sector, ReFeed Farms envisioned something different, something groundbreaking. They saw an opportunity to target the massive gaming industry, a realm where digital assets are highly valued and frequently traded.
Their proposition was unique: NFTs that allowed gamers to offset their carbon footprints. But how? By investing in worms. At first glance, this might sound unconventional, even whimsical. But the underlying concept was rooted in sustainability and environmental regeneration. By supporting the growth and maintenance of worm beds, these NFTs contributed directly to the bioconversion of excess food into nutrient-rich soil amendments, a process central to ReFeed’s mission.
This ambitious venture was not undertaken alone. ReFeed Farms joined forces with Coin4Planet, leveraging their platform to introduce these innovative NFTs to a broader audience. Further strengthening this collaboration was the involvement of Reality Gaming Group, a renowned name in the digital gaming space. Together, these entities aimed to create a synergy between the world of gaming, blockchain technology, and sustainable environmental practices.
The partnership signaled a new era, one where gamers could play their favorite games, trade digital assets, and simultaneously contribute to a greener planet. It was a testament to the limitless possibilities when technology and environmental consciousness converge.
The Vision Behind the NFTs
ReFeed Farms, with its innovative approach to sustainability, introduced the concept of Circular Nutrition™. This model, operating from their base in Langley, BC, is both a unique food processing facility and a center of innovation for nutrition reclamation. The primary goal is to turn unused food back into nutrition for humans, livestock, and the soil. By integrating various technologies, they reclaim 100% of the nutrients from unused food, reintroducing them into the food cycle. This approach combines fresh and dehydrated food reclamation, feedstock production, and a unique worm-based organic soil production. The result is a significant reduction in carbon emissions, decreased on-farm chemical use, and a proactive approach to local food insecurity.
To ensure transparency and credibility in their efforts, ReFeed Farms aimed to streamline impact quantification. This was made possible through their partnership with Coin4Planet and Reality Gaming Group. Coin4Planet, with its blockchain-based financial infrastructure, provides a platform where companies and private investors can directly invest in regenerative activities. These investments are represented by low-carbon footprint eNFTs powered by Amazon Web Services. When investors purchase these eNFTs, they directly support projects that align with their sustainability goals, all while tracking their results transparently.
One of the standout initiatives was the introduction of ReFeed Farms eNFTs, representing a tangible commitment to sustainability. Each eNFT symbolized roughly 10,000 worms at the ReFeed Farm in British Columbia. These worms, part of their proprietary vertical worm beds, act as a bioconversion engine, turning food waste into microbially dense castings. These castings can replace synthetic fertilizers, rejuvenating the soil and promoting sustainable agriculture. The initial offering made 5210 ReFeed Farms eNFTs available, with the first drop of 640 eNFTs planned for December 2021. The overarching goal of this initiative was to divert and bioconvert over 7,500,000 lb of unused food annually, which would otherwise end up in composts and landfills.
Achievements and Milestones
ReFeed Farms, in collaboration with Coin4Planet, has achieved several milestones in its journey to promote sustainability through blockchain technology:
- Platform Launch on Coin4Planet: In a significant development, a new platform was introduced on Coin4Planet. This platform, leveraging blockchain technology, provided a marketplace for companies and private investors to invest in regenerative activities. The platform’s design aimed to offer users benefits such as impact offsets and the opportunity to build a positive ESG sustainability score.
- Vertical Worm Beds: Central to ReFeed Farms’ operations is the implementation of vertical worm beds. These worm beds serve a dual purpose: they act as a bioconversion engine, transforming food waste into nutrient-rich castings, and they promote sustainable farming practices. The castings produced by these worm beds offer an organic alternative to synthetic fertilizers, contributing to soil rejuvenation and healthier crop growth.
- eNFT Release: A notable milestone for ReFeed Farms was the introduction of eNFTs on the Coin4Planet platform. A total of 5210 ReFeed Farms eNFTs were made available for purchase, with each eNFT representing approximately 10,000 worms. The first batch, consisting of 640 eNFTs, was released in December 2021. The initiative behind these eNFTs was clear: to divert and bioconvert an estimated 7,500,000 lb of food waste annually. By doing so, the project aimed to reduce the environmental impact associated with food wastage and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
These milestones, achieved through the collaboration between ReFeed Farms and Coin4Planet, highlight the potential of integrating technology with sustainability efforts. The achievements serve as a testament to the innovative approaches adopted by both entities in addressing global environmental challenges.
The Unfortunate Conclusion
When I took over the Coin4Planet website, I was acutely aware of the challenges the project had faced. ReFeed Farms, and the last owner of Coin 4 Planet, with its innovative NFT initiative, had shown immense promise in bridging sustainability with blockchain technology. However, despite its potential, the project encountered obstacles that led to its premature conclusion.
The shutdown of the website was a clear indicator of the hurdles faced. While the reasons behind the project’s end are multifaceted, ranging from the volatile nature of the crypto market to the complexities of integrating real-world sustainability with digital assets, the vision remains commendable.
If you are interested on the failed property that are left by the last owner, you can read more about it here.
https://web.archive.org/web/20220630004837/https://coin4planet.com/nature-token/
Proud founder of Coin4Planet – joining crypto & sustainability. Investor since 2013, trader at heart. Tech geek, traveler, meetup addict.