SALINAS, CA – In an effort to provide the fresh produce industry with a “go-to” source for improving sustainability efforts, Measure to Improve has debuted a newer and sleeker website. Offering the industry a comprehensive set of solutions for all sustainability needs, the company’s new website aims to help guide clients through a proactive approach from farms to facilities, surveys to soils, water to waste, and energy efficiency.
"Our vision is to shape and mold what sustainability is in the California produce industry by communicating and translating economic and environmental benefits between sellers and buyers,” said Nikki Rodoni, Founder and CEO, in a press release.
Rodoni said that the newer, simpler design will make for easier online navigation, allowing the company to serve the needs of its customers more fully and effortlessly. The site’s new layout will feature a series of labeled tabs to direct clients through the company’s sustainable solutions down the supply chain.
“We will guide California produce companies on using sustainability initiatives to increase profitability, gain market visibility, engage employees, and take a proactive approach to addressing sustainability in a way that is meaningful to the produce industry,” commented Rodoni.
The series of accessible tabs will outline the company’s services for growers and processors, and also provide users with overviews on specific methodologies and baseline analyses for the implementing the following protocols:
- ISO
- ANSI
- ASHRAE
- GHG
In addition, MTI’s site now hosts a series of testimonials, which provides new users with contextual confidence in the company’s abilities. As Recycling Coordinator Mandy Brooks stated from the Salinas Valley Recycles, “Our partnership with MTI has allowed our agency and local businesses to benefit from MTI’s expertise in recycling and waste management programs but also in working towards over-all sustainability and zero waste as a real possibility in the ag community.”
Rodoni also added that the company is able to provide a stable foundation for its comprehensive set of sustainability solutions through its dedicated team of experts, comprised of the following:
Wyatt Maysey, Zero Waste Program Manager
Transitioning from an MTI intern, Wyatt now works full time as they company’s Zero Waste Program Manager. Backed with a B.S. in Business Administration from CSU Monterey Bay, Way specializes in Zero Waste certification projects, and oversees the company’s database management.
Virginia Ruiz-Ugalde, M.Sc.Eng, Energy and Water Program Manager
Virginia’s sustainability experience began with the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant in Mexico, then moved onto General Electric Company/Global Nuclear Fuels in the U.S. as a Technical Program Manager in 2002. Virginia is currently working towards her Master of International Environmental Policy at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Rebecca Graham, Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator
Rebecca received her B.S. in Soil Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2015. While there, Rebecca harvested and managed produce from the Cal Poly Organic Farm for a weekly farmers market. She is currently focusing on Agroecology in her M.S. in Crop Science studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Rebecca expects to graduate in 2017.
Niles Brinton, M.E.S.M, Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager
Niles obtained a Master’s degree in water resource management and entrepreneurship from U.C. Santa Barbara, and also graduated with honors from Clemson University after receiving B.Sc. degrees in Biological Sciences and Natural Resource Management. Niles develops agricultural sustainability programs for MIT with a holistic focus on soil, water, and waste management. Niles also works with produce industry growers to document, measure, and leverage current on-farm sustainability efforts.
To learn more about the MIT team and the sustainability services the company provides, and to click around on the new site yourself, go here. Click on at AndNowUKnow for more industry announcement and sustainability profiles.
