St. Louis doesn’t turn up on lists of America’s most innovative cities. But when it comes to plants, the city matters, thanks in part to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. And if you care about sustainability, you’ve got to care about plants and plant science.
How are we going to feed the hungry? How are we going to create the low-carbon, renewable fuels of the future?
Almost surely with new and improved plants.
Founded in 1998, the Danforth Center has grown to become the world’s largest independent research institute devoted to plant science. About 200 people work there, most of them scientists, without the distractions of university life. (“We don’t have to worry about 35,000 students,” an executive says.) It’s also one of the hubs of a growing bio-based economy around St. Louis. Nearby are more than 400 plant and life science companies, including Monsanto, Bunge and Solae. There’s also Washington University, as well as the offices of the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association. Half of the nation’s agricultural production is grown within 500 miles.
Source: GreenBiz.com
By Marc Gunther