Green Box

Rainforests and biodiversity are experience significant losses, these are additional factors on the climate change acceleration. Protecting these ecosystems is crucial. Meanwhile, the indigenous communities living in these faces are struggling to survive. Although they could aid in combating the biodiversity crisis but they do not have sustainable development solutions for their future.

Similar situations are applicable on coastal ecosystem in the Global South, involving local communities.

At the same time, financial mechanisms like carbon and biodiversity credit markets, established post-Kyoto agreements to address climate change through offsetting programs, are struggling due to insufficient transparency, robust monitoring procedures, and, in many cases, lack of inclusion of indigenous communities in the projects.

- Our solution is a pre-assembled solar-powered platform known as the Green Box that is deployed in rainforest locations. The innovative system includes internet connectivity and on-site and remote technologies. 

- The Green Box becomes the cornerstone of the smart-forest infrastructure, fulfilling multiple functions within the rainforest. One essential role is acting as a gateway for third party sensors requiring our satellite connectivity.

- Through the Green Box we empower indigenous communities of the Global South while we monitor and collect data on the rainforest ecosystem. The platform enables the provision of services to these communities in collaboration with local NGOs: 

      1) Provision of free internet access (connectivity costs are absorbed in the business model by the project developers, governments, corporations investing in nature base solutions projects, as outlined below).

       2) Educational initiatives

       3) Telemedicine services

       4) Other services to aimed at fostering sustainable development solutions (such as supporting the establishment of small business via internet)

- Real-time on-site monitoring conducted by the Green Box utilizes the best-in-class third party sensors, including weather stations, trial cams, audio devices, environmental DNA (eDNA), and other forestry/ecological metrics. Additionally, newly developed mobile applications leveraging technologies like Lidar and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) can also benefit from the Green Box's connectivity capabilities.

-  On-site monitoring data is complemented with remote data obtained from satellite, drones equipped with Lidar Lidar and other sensors.

- The collected data is analysed with our AI algorithms tailored to the specific objectives of the project (whether focused on conservation, carbon credit or biodiversity credits, ...). The open architecture enables integration with other applications or open data platforms. 

- The associated carbon credit and/or biodiversity credits projects can leverage real-time or near real-time monitoring to enhance transparency in these markets. We can create specific Executive dashboards to demonstrate the on-going outcome of the project. 

- Additionally, we can incorporate specific communication applications to facilitate the communication between the project developers or owners of the projects and the local indigenous communities. The objective is their inclusion in the efforts to protect the rainforests.

- The Green Box is a modular and open architecture designed to evolve. Given that carbon credit and biodiversity credit projects have a lifespan of 30-40 years, the Green Box is designed to adapt and endure accordingly. We call it a Future-Proof-Design architecture. We should be able to easily plug-in any new IoT device that will arrive in the market during these years. We expect a major innovation bloom around nature base solutions and digital MRV (monitor, report and verify) and the Green Box is ready to take the trip!

In the future, the Green Box could play a similar role in other environments, like in the coastal ecosystem in the Global South., ... but this is at the moment in our roadmap.

The solution has a global impact in all populations of the world, because we are protecting the Biodiversity and implicitly we have an impact on climate.

Our primary focus is in the indigenous communities living in the rainforest and our objective is to incorporate them into every project. We envision a range of initiatives including conservation and restoration efforts (National Parks), as well as carbon credits and biodiversity projects. These endeavours are intended to actively involve the indigenous communities and  the Green Box aims to share some of the installed infrastructure with them. For instance, each Green Box comes with a satellite internet connectivity (via Starlink) and the wi-fi hotspot will be freely accesible to these communities.

furthermore, the deployment of the Green Box create minor local jobs: we plan to engage community members in tasks such as protection and cleaning of our devices, with potential for further training in other areas.

Within these indigenous populations, we place particular emphasis on the role of the women in conservation projects. Our experience with other NGOs in the Amazon in the last 3 years shows that women are the real engine and the doer's of the projects. They will also play a pivotal role in our projects!

The Green Box is developed by Eduardo Gonzalez (CEO) and Santhosh Kumaran (CTO).

Santhosh, based in the US, brings over 25 years of technical expertise that includes 20 years at IBM where he rose to the rank of Distinguished Engineer, specialising in Artificial Intelligence and analytics. He holds a PhD in information technologie and boasts successful track record as an entrepreneur.

Eduardo, a Colombian living in France, offers more than 25 years of industry experience, with notable stints at companies like Cisco System and Schlumberger, working in the IT sector, telecommunication and other industries. He is recognised for his entrepreneurial acumen, particularly in business development, marketing and innovation. 

Beyond the cofounders' extensive experience and skills, the origin of the idea/project is equally significant, as outlined below.

A few years ago, Eduardo was selected by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency) to participate in the "Connecting the unconnected" program, where he mentored an NGO operating in Ecuador. The aimed to provide internet connectivity to remote indigenous communities. While the initiative successfully delivered services to the communities, Eduardo recognised the exorbitant costs and sluggish deployment associated with such projects. Additionally, despite the availability of internet connection, its potential for additional services (like telemedicine) remained largely untapped.

The Green Box emerged as a solution to streamline the operational costs and expedite deployments. As the concept evolved, it became evident that this innovation held promise for addressing myriad needs in regions with limited resources across the globe.

We have successfully developed the Green Box concept and have progressed to creating a prototype version, which is now ready for field testing. Currently, we are seeking funding to initiate this pilot phase.

Moreover, we have extensively validate most aspects of the concept and prototype features through consultations with various subject matter experts, environmental services stakeholders (including NGOs, for-profit enterprises, and corporations), and discussions with some indigenous communities leaders who validated the Green Box concept.

Furthermore, we have developed a prototype software application, which we showcased at ChangeNow event in Paris (March, 2024). 

In collaboration with local foundations, namely Cataruben and Savimbo, we are gearing up to conduct our pilot program in two sites located in Colombia. The pilot will be carried out in the eastern region of Colombia (wetlands) and will consist of two phases:

1) "Friendly site" installation. Basic testing will be conducted over a period of three weeks.

2) "Real field conditions". The second installation will involve testing under remote and real field conditions, spanning one to two months.

Our immediate focus lies in completing the development of our prototype and conducting field pilot tests, with two rainforest locations in Colombia already identified for this purpose. Securing funding is crucial to achieving these objectives.

Simultaneously, we recognise the necessity of forging partnerships with key stakeholders to maximise our global impact. This is why we are keen on participating in the Solve program. We believe that we need to work closely with organisations like MIT Solve, to be part of this ecosystem. 

The Green Box is an open and modular platform. We are committed to designing an open architecture for the smart-rainforest infrastructure, which entails engaging third-party companies equipped with the appropriated sensors and monitor mechanisms to safeguard help protect the rainforest and their biodiversity.

Safeguarding our ecosystems is a long-term endeavour, demanding "future-proof design" architectures like ours. This underscores the importance of initiatives such as MIT Solve in fostering innovation and sustainability. 

We are open to codevelopment and different types of partnerships with companies, foundations and individuals that want to take advantage of our platform. The Green Box can be enriched, complemented or even adapted to other regions of the planet for a similar application.

Over the past three 3 years, my work with NGOs in the Amazon has revealed a common challenge: projects requiring technologies are excessively costly and slow to implement. This frustration served as the catalyst for the development of the Green Box. Our aim is to disrupt this circle, with innovation being our guiding principle.

- Every component of the Green Box Will be preinstalled and rigorously tested before deployment in the rainforest. Gone are the days of discovering missing cables or damaged equipment in the field, necessitating costly and time-consuming trips back to the city for replacements.

- Remote management capabilities are essential. By minimising field visits and personnel, we can enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs.

- As the Green Box is deployed across various global locations, it lays the foundation for a comprenhensive smart-forest infrastructure. This allows to take advantage of economies of scale and the cost of the projects can be reduced. Presently, some companies charge exorbitant amounts - up to $40,000 - simply to install a PC, a solar panel and a satellite antenna in the Colombian Amazon! 

- Economies of scales extend to device manufacturers as well. By incentivising their participation in these projects, such as by offering tax reductions or providing devices at no cost, we can further drive down expenses.

- Our calculations indicate that the Green Box can slash the capital expenditure (CAPEX) of any nature-base solution project by 30%, while reducing associated operational expenditures (OPEX) by over 50%. Upon project deployment, we aim to minimise on-site operations and maintenance by transferring knowledge to project developers who already have field teams in place.

- We firmly believe that the Green Box's architecture and mindset behind can optimise resource utilisation in the rainforest. Additionally, we plan to streamline the number of installed Green Box. While topography of each region dictates the exact number required, we intend to focus on critical sites such as deforestation and afforestation zones. Through the strategic placement of remote sensors and leveraging statistical models, we can effectively cover these areas while maximising efficiency.

Through my three-years involvement with NGOs in various parts of the Amazon, particularly in Ecuador, I have witnessed firsthand the sluggish pace of project deployment in the field. Often, projects are delayed due to inadequate testing of equipment prior to shipment. Upon arrival, teams frequently encounter missing or malfunctioning components leading to further delays.

Moreover, the cost associated with deploying these projects, even if they target indigenous communities, is prohibitively high.

The Green Box addresses these challenges by incorporating integration and rigorous pretesting of devices before field deployment. Additionally, its remote management capabilities promise to significantly reduce costs, enhance project success, and amplify overall impact.

The Green Box tackle several critical problems of our society:

- Biodiversity issues and extension of species

- Indigenous communities survival

- Climate change

- Other problems like the carbon credit market

As Peter Drucker famously said, "What gets measured, gets managed" . We recognise the importance of extensive measurements, monitoring and protection resolving these pressing issues.

Our primary impact goals align closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as outlined in a previous response. We believe that the Green Box directly impact certain SDGs while serving as an enabler for others.

For instance, on SDG1 (no poverty), we claim that we can have a direct impact because they Green Box will generate some minor jobs within the communities (to protect and clean the equipment in the field). Meanwhile, for SDG5 (Gender equality), we are just enablers because we will work indirectly with local NGOs to be sure they are involving women in the main operational activities around this type of project.

At the heart of our solution lies the Green Box core, comprising pre-integrated and pre-tested devices. This robust core features a rugged PC, powered by solar panels and a power storage system, the satellite connectivity (for example Starlink low orbit satellites) allow us to have a wi-fi hotspot area that is shared for free, with the local communities.

The hardware core of the Green Box hardware acts as a gateway for on-site devices deployed in the rainforest:

- Trial cams (some of the existing models come with integrated AI capabilities)

- Audio sensors for recording rainforest sounds (the objective is to monitor biodiversity but also to deploy early warning systems to protect the forest)

- Environmental DNA (eDNA) sensors for soil, water, and air, alongside other IoT devices can be easily connected, often wirelessly.

- Drones for specific tasks, like Lidar for biomass calculation, tracking carbon credits evolution, ...

- On-site data is transmitted to the Green Box cloud, where it can be complemented with remote data coming from satellite service providers.AI tools are employed for data analytics.

- The monitored data can be visualised through various executive and operational dashboards, facilitating timely actions. Our objective is to achieve real-time or near real-time monitoring and protection of the rainforests and in some cases, the associated carbon credit and biodiversity credits.

At the moment we are just two full-time staff involved (CEO and CTO).

We have an "extended team of 5 volunteers" has are helping us with different activities and they are part-time involved.

We started on August 2023. Nevertheless, this project is the continuation of the activity I have been doing in the Ecuatorian Amazon for the last 3 years, helping an NGO called Equitable Origin, where we started to deliver remote internet connectivity to indigenous communities.

My partner, Santhosh Kumaran (CTO & cofounder), and I met during our postgrade studies in Marine Science in the University of Miami. Santhosh, originally from India, now resides in New York, while I, Eduardo Gonzalez (CEO & cofounder) was born in Colombia and grew up in Mexico.Now I live in France (French-colombian citizenship). My family background reflects our diversity - my wife is Spanish and my was born in France!

The diverse background of our cofounding team naturally foster an inclusive environment - a core value of our project, which is centred on the inclusion of indigenous communities in the Global South.

Besides that, our "entended team of volunteers" comprising three women (Indian, Taiwanese and American), alongside an American living in Ecuador, a Dutch and a French.

We firmly believe that embracing diversity in people, cultures and geographical locations is essential for the success of companies like ours. As we scale up the Green Box project, we envision employing individuals from both developing and developed countries. 

Our team is also diverse because the two cofounders are "veterans of the industry" and we are working with young people and people from any age. This is another barrier that we are committed to reduce.

Our ultimate objective is to actively involve people from local communities residing in the rainforest. Initially, we plan to champion this idea through partnerships with local NGOs, with the hope of eventually implement direct initiatives to incorporate individuals from these communities into our project.

Target customers: 

1) Carbon credit and Biodiversity credit project developers. 

2) Governments and foundations (e.g. National Park protection). 

3) Major Corporations who invested in offset markets or seeking to engage in nature-based solutions as part of their ESG objectives.

Business model:

1) Subscription-Based Model (SaaS type)

We offer a subscription based model for using the Green Box software and analytics tools. The monthly fee is determined by the number of installed Green Boxes. This recurrent revenue stream serves as our primary source of income. (Note: Contracts typically span 30-40 years in the carbon offset market).

2) Hardware & Software Sales:

We sell the Green Box, including both hardware and software components. However, our aim is not to become a hardware vendor. We will just apply a typical margin of 30% to cover operational costs and minor profits, this is a typical margin in the IT industry.

Actually, we are committed to assisting project developers in reducing capital expenditures (CAPEX) through economies of scale. For instance,  embedded PC and Solar panel could be delivered directly by the manufacturer having a tax reduction and reducing the price of the Green Box.

3) Maintenance and Field Operations:

- Rather than establish extensive field teams worldwide, we prefect to collaborate directly with the local project developers who already have field teams. 

- We will propose a knowledge to enable project developers' teams to handle operations and maintenance. Our focus is on optimising operations and reducing operational expenditures (OPEX).

Go-to-Market Strategy

As a business-to-business (B2B) model, our expansion strategy relies on implementing a comprehensive channel partner program on a global scale. We anticipate collaborating closely with the major project developers to facilitate project delivery. Our goal is to establish ourselves as the  reference/standard for the smart-forest infrastructure solutions.

Our internal financing strategy is the following:

- Phase 1: Bootstrapping Approach. Since our inception, we have been self-funded, steadily progressing with our own resources. Recently, we had a successful participation at the ChangeNow event in Paris, France.

- Phase 2: Fundraising Period. We are currently entering the fundraising period, targeting venture capital from private investors as well as grants and donations. These funds will enable us to finalise and field-test our prototype. We have already identified two sites in Colombia, and a local partner has expressed interest in collaborating with us.

- Phase 3: Product Completion. Anticipated in Q4 2024, the finalisation of our product will mark the transition to selling our products and services. 

Depending of our success in securing major projects, we may be able to avoid additional funding rounds and achieve profitable.

Evidence of success of our plan:

the Green Box is represents an innovative way to establish the essential smart forest infrastructure, promising significant reductions in both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX). We anticipate CAPEX reductions of up to 30% due to our ability to leverage economies of scale.

Furthermore, on the operational front, we expect OPEX reductions of approximately 50% compared to typical projects in these regions. This is attributed to our standardisation of infrastructure components, empowering existing field teams to efficiently manage the entirety of the project.