Markus Lattner’s vocation involves finding the most efficient practices for a Pennsylvania agriculture farm. In this position, Lattner works to streamline operations, saving the farm money and helping protect the environment with chemical-free operations.
One of the many reasons Markus Lattner so strongly supports environmental causes is that agriculture depends on it. Good weather is vital to crop growth, Markus Lattner has found. If farmers suffer from drought-ridden growing seasons, enough food might not be available to support the demand of our growing population.
According to Markus Lattner, his interest in environmental causes was sparked as a teen, when a waste company announced plans to bring a waste composting plant in an area he knew was frequented by a bird called the Eurasian Curlew. This bird, which Markus Lattner says is rare in that area, was using the marshland as a nesting ground. Markus Lattner knew that the waste plant would destroy the bird, which was already identified as a near-threatened species.
Working with his cousin, Markus Lattner protested the plant, working hard to educate the community on the importance of protecting the wildlife in the area. As a result, not only was the waste composting plant built somewhere else, but the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) now protects the land.
This grass roots activism was only the beginning of a commitment to the environment that spread throughout Markus Lattner’s homeland, Austria. Markus Lattner watched later as those who joined him in the fight against the compost plant were instrumental in the fight against a north-south highway being built in the country.
Today, Markus Lattner is proud of his homeland. Austria recycles 60% of all waste products, making it a world leader in recycling and conservation. While Markus Lattner knows he alone wasn’t responsible for this progress, he’s proud to say he was at the forefront of Austria’s fight to protect the environment for future generations.
This experience shaped Markus Lattner’s belief in environmental causes. Today, as an improvement specialist, he always keeps an eye toward finding environmental solutions to everyday processes. In addition to streamlining operations, Markus Lattner believes in systems that generate energy at the point of usage. By pushing for the decentralization of energy creation, Markus Lattner believes he can once again lead the charge toward change in the world.