This week, M. A. Mortenson Companies, Inc. signed a carbon credit pre-purchase agreement with Virridy Carbon LLC to enable project capital investment in programs in Rwanda, Kenya, and the United States. The deal will ensure the emissions avoidance of at least 50,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent, generated by either Virridy's water security projects in eastern Africa or 'watershed carbon' river restoration projects in the United States.
The Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience at the University of Colorado Boulder is also engaged in developing elements of these projects with support from the Autodesk Foundation.
In Rwanda, Virridy deploys water treatment systems in schools, avoiding the demand for forest fuels to boil contaminated drinking water. This program will reach over 600,000 students by 2025 and is expected to avoid over 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.
In the United States, Virridy is innovating how to connect the global carbon credit market to regulated water treatment obligations. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is funding Virridy to develop a methodology earning carbon credits through installing green infrastructure, like riparian shade and improved agricultural practices.
American water treatment and transport accounts for over 4% of national electricity demand, a figure that is projected to rise dramatically as advanced treatment technologies are adopted in coming decades.
Globally, billions face water insecurity and water quality challenges. Water is an under-invested sector facing increasing pressure from climate change. Meanwhile, carbon credit markets provide incentives for nature-based climate solutions, but lack project diversity and quality.
At this intersection, Virridy brings "Freshwater Decarbonization With Data Science." The team has developed large-scale drinking water programs in Rwanda and Kenya reaching over four million people; large-scale watershed restoration programs in the United States motivated by the Clean Water Act; and has patented and published technology solutions linking in-situ sensor data with remote sensing and data science.