Sourcing Matters.show: Recent Episodes
Aaron Niederhelman
Sourcing Matters is a talkshow for critical issues and the wonderful stories woven into our food system. Broadcasting from the Northeast U.S. - we host less-than-an-hour conversations with interesting characters from all over the globe. Visit our dialogues library to hear more from these folks making all kinds of good things happen.
Tunein for a daily dose of optimism.
FORCES OF NATURE:
A talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
FORGING A STRONGER VALUE CHAIN w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
In a perpetual dance between value creation and supply chains, hear how Souberian pushes the envelop w/ Unilever's 400 in-house brands.
Eric Souberian
Executive Director of Climate and Nature Fund, & Vice-President Business Operation Sustainability at Unilever
INTRODUCTION With over two decades of international work experience in sustainability, general management, sourcing, and M&A, Eric Soubeiran is a leading force behind Unilever’s massive value chain. In his role as the VP Business Operation Sustainability, Eric manages the environmental impact of one of the largest CPGs companies in the world. Soubeiran is also the Executive Director of the € 1 billion Climate and Nature investment fund that Unilever launched to take decisive action, and support the collective efforts of their 400 in-house brands seeking to protect the health of the planet.
Eric focuses efforts on building multi-stakeholder environments, and he leverages a convening capacity to bring key stakeholders together to drive transformation and establish impact at scale. Leadership skills that he’s picked up throughout the years from mentors like Alan Jope and Emmanuel Faber. Prior to Unilever, Soubeiran was Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Nature and water cycle at Danone, and he’s currently a non-executive director of the Carbon Trust and The Gold Standard Foundation. --- RADICAL TRANSPARENCY Soubeiran talks about pioneering transparency, “It’s about knowing where you are sourcing things from. We are investing quite a lot of time in traceability because our value chains are quite complex, and most of the world’s supply chains are very complex too. For this to work you must do it in collaboration and with suppliers. We are dialoguing with our suppliers to put in place our climate action programs.” “Last year we piloted transparency initiatives with a group of 60 diverse suppliers. We looked at how we could connect our value chain -with- their value chains. This is being very transparent with key stakeholders; we all have to share what you know and what you don’t know. The program has been successful, so we’re scaling it up to 300 suppliers next year – which represents 65% of our (Unilever's) carbon footprint.” --- A BILLION € EUOR CLIMATE & NATURE INVESTMENT FUND To accelerate climate action, Unilever’s brands will collectively invest €1 billion in a dedicated Climate & Nature Fund. These resources will be allocated over the next ten years to take meaningful and decisive action, with projects (likely) to include landscape restoration, reforestation, carbon sequestration, wildlife protection and water preservation. "The climate & nature fund is to transform some of the key ingredients that we use in our products to a more sustainable manner. The objective is to fulfill the promise that the brands have to the world. We want to create a movement around this fund so that we’re attracting the right partners along the journey.” --- ABOUT UNILEVER: Unilever products are used by more than 3.4 billion people every day in over 190 countries. In 2022, Unilever had a total turnover €60 billion and employed 150,000 people. Unilever has more than 400 brands sold around the globe – with 14 reaching sales over €1 billion, and 81% of all brands being in the top two in respective markets.
ep. 114: Sara Farley · The Rockefeller Foundation Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
FOOD AS CLIMATE & SOCIAL ACTION w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Sara Farley leads the global portfolio for The Rockefeller Foundation’s food team. In this capacity she is driving the Foundation’s inaugural regenerative food systems strategy and leading the articulation of a “Big Bet” for Food + Climate for the foundation. Sara is leading such signature initiatives as the Food Systems Vision Prize, and directs the diet quality portfolio and is expanding the good food purchasing portfolio and true cost accounting work globally with the aim of shifting the diet quality of 500 million underserved people by 2030.
We’ll witness all kinds of interesting climate actions in many forms over the next decade, but what feeds us may just possess the greatest potential to drive lasting change across large and diverse populations. Food and its production impact everyone; everyday. In fact, improving food systems and supporting the proper management of the resources required to produce more food in the future is a pillar of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Climate-First mission.
With a storied history of supporting the greater good, The Rockefeller Foundation investments in food-as-climate-&-social-action will cast a long-shadow over the future of giving. Furthermore, documenting the lasting wins for the poorest to the wealthiest populations will influence State sponsored resources and traditional investment dollars seeking the mutually-beneficial returns from taking food actions.
REGENERATING ACROSS A SPECTRUM
At the Rockefeller Foundation they have embraced the benefits of regenerative food production across a spectrum. The transition away from big ag won’t be easy, but from what Sara tells us – it’s all about the long game. “Regenerative agriculture is not just one thing. It covers a range of outcomes, and the practices to achieve beneficial impact on varied landscapes,” says Farley, VP of Global Food Portfolio at The Rockefeller Foundation.
Sara talks to us about just how important it is for like-minded benefactors to collaborate on big Regen efforts moving forward. “It’s not just the size of the undertaking to transition towards regenerative that requires funders to go at it together; it’s because of the multiple complexities that we’ll face in supporting the transition,” explains Farley.
GETTING BETTER WITH EACH & EVERY COP "Food arrived at COP27. We no longer the little kid at the back of the room. We did have a voice. There were 200 food focus in Egypt. There 4 or 5 Food-focused pavilions. It felt like a feast. What was also existing was the food conversation wasn’t only in the food pavilion, but food was central to climate discussions in all COP pavilions,” Sara shared while explaining some of the good things that came from COP 27. “I think within the food tent we need more discipline. We need to get clearer and sharper for what we’re advocating for. Let’s tighten up the aperture. Let’s become very clear about high ambition countries. Let’s come clear about Regen financing mechanisms, and I think we’ll come to a shorter list to COP 28.” – ep. 114 guest, Sara Farley.
Tune-in to hear more...
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ep. 113: Benedikt Bösel · Land Use Pioneer Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES IN LAND USE w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Benedikt Bösel is founder and CEO of Gut & Bösel, a 3,000 hectare ecological farm and land use research center east of Berlin, Germany. The site is quickly becoming an epicenter for the future of food & fiber production. It’s the whole ball of wax from regenerative food production practice, forestry management, savvy land use, stewardship initiatives, animal centric integration, and even a royal bed & breakfast to welcome new guests to the movement. It’s a gem of a spot and a big win for the EU Regen.
In 2016, Benedikt took over management of the land that’s been in his family for 300 years. He changed the operating system to farm and forest by improving the ecology. In just a few short years, Gut & Bösel has grown from a concept to now tabulating positive outcomes of systemic land use management trials. Brought together in Brandenburg, this epicenter will expand everyone’s capabilities to understand and to work smarter with natural systems.
Buy-in has been good. Agtech is woven into the fabric of this innovation hot-bed, and influential players from around the Brandenburg region, across Germany and throughout Europe have responded to Gut & Bösel with resounding support. In the blink of an eye, Benedikt has laid the foundation for a Stone Barns, EURO.
--- LAND USE PIONEER ---
FARMING THE ELEMENTS Mitigating climate change & biodiversity loss, staving off hunger & malnutrition and even offering equal opportunities for all, at Gut & Bösel they believe that land use is the key to addressing many pressing problems. Through holistic pasture management, composting, syntropic agroforestry and forest conversion, and even the development of new software and technology – they’re working on methods of multifunctional agriculture to build healthy, resilient and thriving ecosystems.
The Brandenburg region has little precipitation and very sandy soils. It’s a challenging place to farm. Benedikt came to Alt Madlitz with a grand idea. Then drought came, and everything changed. This forced him to innovate years before originally planned. Benedikt doubled down on closing the nutrient cycling loop of ecology to keep healthy production from his land. He’s weathered that storm and now built resiliency.
AWARD WINNING EFFORTS & DEFT TOUCH Benedikt was named 2022 Farmer of the Year in Germany by the Federal Minister of Agriculture. The Gut & Bösel team was recently the subject of a six-part Disney+ miniseries titled ‘The Farm Experiment‘, which is expected to drop in 2023. The release of a book sharing more of the good, the bad and the journey to date is on the docket.
In ep. #113 we chat about the soon to begin World Cup 2022. You get some insight into Benedikt’s POV on global affairs, and where he believes change is going to come from. We also learn that despite being a German football fan at heart, it’s the NBA that gets Benedikt to kick back and have a few beers. In fact, it’s my hometown Boston Celtics may be his team. Go GREEN (C’s & The Planet). I’m pulling for team USA in Qatar, but no matter what happens I’m just excited to see the beautiful game played on its grandest stage. Despite all the problems that brings.
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ep. 112: Jennifer Hashley · Friendly Neighborhood Food Superhero Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
LOCAL FOOD SUPERHERO w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Rooted in the Tufts Friedman School of nutrition, the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is one of the first initiatives nationwide to help immigrants and refugees develop commercial farming opportunities. Change-agent Jennifer Hashley grew New Entry into a sustained effort while she was getting her Master’s in Agriculture and Public Policy at Tufts. The goal since the beginning has been to help farmers thrive in the fields, the office and within their communities. Today, 25 years later and New Entry has established a framework that will teach anyone that’s ready to learn how to operate a successful sustainable farming business.
New Entry is teaching an approach to farming that could eventually become the model that everyone uses to produce food in the future. A model that is smaller scale, regional, diversified and using production that is bathed in ecological best practice.
Each and every food purchase from these farms is a circular dollar spent in local economies. Jobs are created, and in using this production approach the land, natural resources and nature are looked after in more responsible manner. New Entry farms are also beneficial in dealing with food waste, water and this healthy farmland sucks down and stores carbon. Additionally, farming the landscape to combat climate change is real, and as a whole local food is significantly less taxing on the environment as compared to conventional. The biggest win of all is the opportunity for more community members to eat more fresh and nutrient dense foods from nearby farms.
--- LOCAL FOOD SUPERHERO ---
For others, with current geo-political instability and what was exposed as weak spots in global food supply chains during COVID, local food from regional production is actually all about guaranteeing food security for the future. More New Entry farmers on local lands helps with food surplus for any region or community. Local food is also about stability. After all, “Every society is (only) three meals away from chaos.”
The long and short of it, New Entry brings contemporary farmers up to speed. Jennifer has developed a system that is chock-full of creative ways to gain land access, grants and funding programs. She help farmers work with multipliers, to figure out distribution and value-ad, and they offer a network to help with staffing. This all adds up to capacity building of local and regional food production. Here we have a trained workforce that is champing at the bit to work their butts off. What’s needed is access to good land, some capital, and a community commitment to make it all grow. New Entry is infrastructure that will change food system by serving the needs and interests of this vested communities of eaters.
CALL TO ARMS Jennifer is optimistic for the future. She wants you to share in her vision of stability through focus on production of good local food. Her call to action is to simply support the things that we believe in. Use your purchasing power of this good local food as a way to exercise those beliefs. When more of this is done in your community, more folks that you care about will benefit. That’s actually true for any community that gets a New Entry farmer to start farming for them. She’s got the IP to train a workforce and drive food systems change. So, time to break some bread with Jennifer and find out how to light this local food candle! Who wants in?
So, tune in to hear how Jennifer is making it all happen…
ep. 111: Volkert Engelsman · Marketing Mastermind | Guru of Differentiation Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
FOOD FULL OF THOUGHT w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Volkert Engelsman is CEO of EOSTA, the EU’s largest importer of organic and biological fruit. Volkert is nothing short of a mastermind when it comes to marketing product differentiation, and amplifying how those differences benefit each stakeholder involved. In this conversation we hear what it has taken for Engelsman to become a leading force connecting the worlds of healthier food and thriving soils.
“When you commoditize products, you anonymize origin and backstory,” explains Engelsman in describing why he launched food integrity platform Nature & More. The Sustainability Flower by Nature & More is used to evaluate, manage and communicate the net positive environmental impact and social welfare achievements of organic growers and supply. It’s a sticker that validates production and sourcing claims on each piece of fruit, and a robust platform behind it all that gives it the integrity to make the storytelling stick with consumers.
If you’re a grower, retailer or consumer like us all - listen-in to this episode to hear how we'll get to a point of food full of thought. -
THE KAYAK OF REGEN INCENTIVES
In an effort to establish financial rewards for the positive externalities derived from regenerative land management, Volkert has initiated the Business Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (BARA). The objective of BARA is to work with existing initiatives, and suss-out new reward structures that incentivize more stakeholders for ecosystem health and the social benefits tied to regenerative agriculture.
COALITION OF THE WILLING
Eighty (80) initiatives and companies from all over the world have come together to launch BARA. At October’s kick-off gathering held at EOSTA’s home office in Waddinxveen, Netherlands, cohosts Climate Farmers of Berlin and EOSTA defined seven working groups to build upon: Carbon Methodologies, Policy Engagement, Trading Positive Externalities, Sharing & Exchanging Experiences, Consumer Awareness & Retail Storytelling, Setting up Farms & Transforming Regions, and Organic Meets Regenerative. A next BARA conference is scheduled for 2023. It's been designated to review initial working group findings, and to continue to move the ball.
For decades, Volkert has used a unique marketing prowess to differentiate better quality foods grown in healthy soils as acts of climate & social action. The Nature-&-More platform and now BARA are intuitive POCs that are ripe to translate the positive impacts of food with the UN's 17 SDGs. It is palatable action in every mouthful that benefits people and the planet.
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“Tomorrow’s profit will include externalities, and social and environmental costs – which is precisely what is happening right now in Europe. In fact, you see it everywhere this is gradually descending into the DNA of financial markets, taxonomies, and fiscal incentives. The definition of profit is changing.” - Volkert Engelsman
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CALL TO ARMS
Volkert Engelsman has a call to action for us all in food / planetary movements... get out there and Dream, Dance and Deliver. According to Engelsman, we need more skilled and ambitions (big) dreamers on this stuff. We learn that if you really want to make change happen – it’s on you – so, you'd better learn how to dance. Figure out how to make nice with others, how to choose partners, and how to keep dancing. This creates results. Often smaller wins, but more results. It’s consistency of those small wins that gets us to tackling those big dreams.
ep. 111: Volkert Engelsman · Marketing Mastermind | Guru of Differentiation Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
FOOD FULL OF THOUGHT w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Volkert Engelsman is CEO of EOSTA, the EU’s largest importer of organic and biological fruit. Volkert is nothing short of a mastermind when it comes to marketing product differentiation, and amplifying how those differences benefit each stakeholder involved. In this conversation we hear what it has taken for Engelsman to become a leading force connecting the worlds of healthier food and thriving soils.
“When you commoditize products, you anonymize origin and backstory,” explains Engelsman in describing why he launched food integrity platform Nature & More. The Sustainability Flower by Nature & More is used to evaluate, manage and communicate the net positive environmental impact and social welfare achievements of organic growers and supply. It’s a sticker that validates production and sourcing claims on each piece of fruit, and a robust platform behind it all that gives it the integrity to make the storytelling stick with consumers.
If you’re a grower, retailer or consumer like us all - listen-in to this episode to hear how we'll get to a point of food full of thought. -
THE KAYAK OF REGEN INCENTIVES
In an effort to establish financial rewards for the positive externalities derived from regenerative land management, Volkert has initiated the Business Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (BARA). The objective of BARA is to work with existing initiatives, and suss-out new reward structures that incentivize more stakeholders for ecosystem health and the social benefits tied to regenerative agriculture.
COALITION OF THE WILLING
Eighty (80) initiatives and companies from all over the world have come together to launch BARA. At October’s kick-off gathering held at EOSTA’s home office in Waddinxveen, Netherlands, cohosts Climate Farmers of Berlin and EOSTA defined seven working groups to build upon: Carbon Methodologies, Policy Engagement, Trading Positive Externalities, Sharing & Exchanging Experiences, Consumer Awareness & Retail Storytelling, Setting up Farms & Transforming Regions, and Organic Meets Regenerative. A next BARA conference is scheduled for 2023. It's been designated to review initial working group findings, and to continue to move the ball.
For decades, Volkert has used a unique marketing prowess to differentiate better quality foods grown in healthy soils as acts of climate & social action. The Nature-&-More platform and now BARA are intuitive POCs that are ripe to translate the positive impacts of food with the UN's 17 SDGs. It is palatable action in every mouthful that benefits people and the planet.
-
“Tomorrow’s profit will include externalities, and social and environmental costs – which is precisely what is happening right now in Europe. In fact, you see it everywhere this is gradually descending into the DNA of financial markets, taxonomies, and fiscal incentives. The definition of profit is changing.” - Volkert Engelsman
-
CALL TO ARMS
Volkert Engelsman has a call to action for us all in food / planetary movements... get out there and Dream, Dance and Deliver. According to Engelsman, we need more skilled and ambitions (big) dreamers on this stuff. We learn that if you really want to make change happen – it’s on you – so, you'd better learn how to dance. Figure out how to make nice with others, how to choose partners, and how to keep dancing. This creates results. Often smaller wins, but more results. It’s consistency of those small wins that gets us to tackling those big dreams.
ep. 110: Henk Ovink · World Water SuperAgent Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
QUARTERBACKING A WATER SMART PLAYBOOK w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Water is a fundamental part of all aspects of life. Yet, today, 40% of the world’s people are affected by water scarcity; 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment, and more than 90% of disasters are water-related. And despite all of these real concerns – we still suck down 70% of available freshwater to lavishly manage antiquated cropping systems chock full of chemical externalities.
The long and short of it – we need awareness of the problems and more solutions for the vast water crises enveloping the planet. So, to find out what should be done to manage water better in the future – we’ve turned to the guy that the United Nations has asked to quarterback their big 2023 Water Conference. We welcome Henk Ovink.
How we all decide to consume will play a major role in eradicating pressing water concerns. Spurring on more awareness and incentivizing change in stakeholder behavior is ultimately what’s needed to evolve our relationship with nature. Food seems a logical place to begin taking action, and from my POV it’s all about good storytelling that'll be the remedy here. Tune-in to hear what this Force of Nature has to say about the future of water and our shared future. - Aaron
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BIO: HENK OVINK Henk Ovink was appointed by the Dutch Cabinet as the first Special Envoy for International Water Affairs in 2015. As the Ambassador for Water, Henk is responsible for advocating water awareness around the world, focusing on building institutional capacity and coalitions among governments, multilateral organizations, private sector and NGO’s to address the world’s stressing needs on water and help initiate transformative interventions.
Ovink is also Sherpa to the High Level Panel on Water, installed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and President of the World Bank Jim Kim with 10 Heads of State / Heads of Government including Prime Minister Rutte from The Netherlands, in a effort to catalyze change in water awareness and implementation. Henk is Principal for REBUILD BY DESIGN – an innovation competition that would forever change how natural disaster clean-ups look at resilience. Ovink is also a founding father of the Dutch-founded public-private partnership “Water as Leverage”.
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SUPERSTORM SANDY REBUILD:
In 2012, Henk Ovink was appointed by President Obama and the Secretary of HUD, Shaun Donovan, to become the special envoy of Water to the US. He was directly responsible for launching the HUD & Rockefeller funded program REBUILD BY DESIGN – a global crowdsourcing initiative of top designers and planners to pool the best ideas which would rebuild using federal resources after Hurricane Sandy. The program was such a success it reformulated the approach the US government used for federal payouts on natural disasters, and became the linchpin for commitment to “resilience” in infrastructure rebuilds following future incidents.
ep. 110: Henk Ovink · World Water SuperAgent Forces of Nature is a talkshow miniseries featuring dynamic leaders from across food & environmental movements. Tune-in for a dose of optimism.
QUARTERBACKING A WATER SMART PLAYBOOK w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
Water is a fundamental part of all aspects of life. Yet, today, 40% of the world’s people are affected by water scarcity; 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment, and more than 90% of disasters are water-related. And despite all of these real concerns – we still suck down 70% of available freshwater to lavishly manage antiquated cropping systems chock full of chemical externalities.
The long and short of it – we need awareness of the problems and more solutions for the vast water crises enveloping the planet. So, to find out what should be done to manage water better in the future – we’ve turned to the guy that the United Nations has asked to quarterback their big 2023 Water Conference. We welcome Henk Ovink.
How we all decide to consume will play a major role in eradicating pressing water concerns. Spurring on more awareness and incentivizing change in stakeholder behavior is ultimately what’s needed to evolve our relationship with nature. Food seems a logical place to begin taking action, and from my POV it’s all about good storytelling that'll be the remedy here. Tune-in to hear what this Force of Nature has to say about the future of water and our shared future. - Aaron
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BIO: HENK OVINK Henk Ovink was appointed by the Dutch Cabinet as the first Special Envoy for International Water Affairs in 2015. As the Ambassador for Water, Henk is responsible for advocating water awareness around the world, focusing on building institutional capacity and coalitions among governments, multilateral organizations, private sector and NGO’s to address the world’s stressing needs on water and help initiate transformative interventions.
Ovink is also Sherpa to the High Level Panel on Water, installed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and President of the World Bank Jim Kim with 10 Heads of State / Heads of Government including Prime Minister Rutte from The Netherlands, in a effort to catalyze change in water awareness and implementation. Henk is Principal for REBUILD BY DESIGN – an innovation competition that would forever change how natural disaster clean-ups look at resilience. Ovink is also a founding father of the Dutch-founded public-private partnership “Water as Leverage”.
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SUPERSTORM SANDY REBUILD:
In 2012, Henk Ovink was appointed by President Obama and the Secretary of HUD, Shaun Donovan, to become the special envoy of Water to the US. He was directly responsible for launching the HUD & Rockefeller funded program REBUILD BY DESIGN – a global crowdsourcing initiative of top designers and planners to pool the best ideas which would rebuild using federal resources after Hurricane Sandy. The program was such a success it reformulated the approach the US government used for federal payouts on natural disasters, and became the linchpin for commitment to “resilience” in infrastructure rebuilds following future incidents.
ep. 109: Dan Barber of Blue Hill
BUILDING A COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS w/ host: Aaron Niederhelman
In a far-reaching 40 minute conversation, chef, advocate, writer and businessman Dan Barber joins host Aaron Niederhelman to discuss the future of food and production. From alternative proteins, the environmental brass-tacks of regenerative, how seeds rule the way we use the world, the mission of a well suited food system and the potential to stabilize the planet by tapping into our hedonistic self - it all gets airtime.
- So, tune-in and be empowered to be part of a global environmental & social movement that asks you to partake by feeding your pleasures, vanity and soul some super-duper delicious, healthy, and responsible real foods!
“What we need is a food system that is an engine for the improvement of ecological systems and the environment. Having to sacrifice the health of the environment for food production is a false choice.” – ep. 109 guest, Dan Barber
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SMOOTH LIKE (Margarine) The dialogue begins by evaluating the current state of alternative meats. You see, sales of alternative proteins reached $7 billion last year. The market value is predicted to hit $25 bl. by 2030. The cultured and lab-grown arena is obviously big business with a lot of capital behind it, but come on! Are these growth expectations realistic? Are new folks really buying it?! Based on what we know now, can the trend be sustained? And, should it?!
Comparing it to the adoption of the butter-alternative margarine by cutting-edge families of the 1970s, Barber says that current day consumers of animal protein alternatives have been given equal parts false hope, and false advertising. He explains, “It’s a technology that supposedly does it better than how nature does it!”
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HEDONISM SPAWNS GREAT CONSCIOUSNESS When asked what it’ll take to create real change in food, Dan says that it’s all about deliciousness.
“The practices that produce the best environmental conditions – are the same practices that produce the most delicious, hedonistic food experiences,” explains Barber.
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PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
The more you look into food systems – the more layers, reasons and rationale for change that you’ll find. For some of you eco-warriors who are just tuning in – check this out – the environmental food movement isn’t just for vegetarians and vegans anymore. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Pastured ruminants (hoofed herbivores) are the most elegant approach on the board to balance complex energy, nutrient and carbon cycles found in food production. Hey, even anti-meat agencies & NGOs are now stating that, “it’s not the cow, it’s the how.”
Barber continues: “We will have to make sure that whatever we put in our mouth is an agricultural product that won’t degrade the environment, but instead improve it! Part of that is eating meat. If you are eating grass-fed meat from a cow that was truly raised on pasture, than you’re erasing the carbon footprint of the animal. You are eating net-positive. You’re not just doing less bad to the earth, you’re improving the environmental function of pastureland and the ecosystem.”
- SEEDS DETERMINE HOW THE WORLD IS USED Conventional agriculture has long-since used breeding and genetic modifications to optimize seeds for intervention. Effectively, these are seeds that marry with treatments to address problems which arise only when managing large plots of monoculture crops. The impact and environmental degradation of this conventional seed playbook is well past an unsustainable threshold. And, the proliferation this approach has been so successful that we’ve reached a point in which how we grow food from these conventional seeds determines how the planet is being used.
Today, the molecular scalpel of modern seed science can eliminate many of the environmental & human health externalities tied to this conventional production. Consumers seem interested in the change, the industry is evolving to a biological toolkit to adapt, and the appetite of big food has been whet. Is it progress?! Well, maybe?!
Barber thinks that we need to look at it all differently. Tapping into that pleasure principle found in us all, he says that once again change will come down to deliciousness of food. As an example of how to leverage this hedonism and drive change through focus on taste over treatment or shelf-life, Dan shares the development story of the Row 7 honeynut squash. If that’s the future of organic & non-GMO – sign us up!
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“Seeds have been bred for yield; bred for shelf-life; and they’ve been bred for long-distance travel – because our food travels thousands of miles. Flavor was not one of the criteria used for picking when to propagate a seed.”
- Dan Barber
- A HOPE & POTENTIAL FOR GENERATION NEXT “I’m pretty much a cynic through & through, but I tend to be an optimist when it comes to genZ & millennials. They know their stuff, and the bullshit quotient is very high,” Barber describing his lens on the future of the food & environmental movement.
feeding the planet ✔️ employing communities ✔️ stabilizing the climate ✔️ REGIONAL FOOD WILL AGAIN HAVE ITS DAY “I do think that in light of COVID, and in light of some of the distribution challenges faced over the past couple years, that a regional food system is going to become more and more prevalent. To me, it’s deliciousness, it’s healthcare and it’s more responsible to the environment,” says chef, activist, author and businessman Dan Barber.
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KINGFISH: Dan Barber Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the author of The Third Plate (2014). He opened Blue Hill restaurant with family members David and Laureen Barber in May of 2000 and two years later he was named one of the country’s “Best New Chefs” by Food and Wine magazine. Since, he has been addressing food issues through op-eds in The New York Times and articles in Gourmet, Saveur, and Food and Wine. Dan has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, The New Yorker and Martha Stewart Living.
Appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Dan continues the work that he began as a member of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture’s board of directors: to blur the line between the dining experience and the educational, bringing the principles of good farming directly to the table. Barber has received multiple James Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country’s Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
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FOOD SYSTEMS CHANGE As part of the Core Food Systems Change series, in this episode you’ll hear that when we’re empowered as eaters to become the solution – good things will happen.
ep.108: ‘Repurposing Subsidies for Favorable Outcomes’
Guest: Todd Barker of Meridian Institute
Favorable Outcomes In this episode you’ll hear that when subsidies are dolled out based on positive outcomes instead of crop type – good things happen.
You see, according to a Sept 2021 UN FAO briefing, agriculture contributes a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of biodiversity loss and 80% of deforestation across the globe. And, it’s also true that nearly 90% of the $540 bn in global subsidies given to farmers every year are “harmful.” It’s true that the majority of well-intentioned agricultural support now damages human health, exacerbates the climate crisis, dwindles nature and drives inequality by excluding smallholder farmers. For real food systems change, support needs to be better aligned with favorable outcomes.
To learn more about this whole ball of wax we connected with Meridian Institute CEO Todd Barker on the myriad ways that the organization is bringing together stakeholders in the U.S. and around the world to take action.
Incentivizing Collaborative Efforts “Interest in food systems has never been greater. As challenging and controversial as the problems are, we at Meridian are seeing that while issues about partisanship, polarization, and conflict are capturing media headlines – the hunger for collaborative solutions to these problems has never been higher,” explains episode 108 guest Todd Barker.
A Novel Angle at US Crop Insurance The AGree Economic and Environmental Risk Coalition (AGree E2 Coalition) advocates for federal policy improvements to drive broader adoption of conservation practices on working lands. Conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till, and other recognized good farming practices can reduce farm risk to extreme weather events while improving environmental outcomes and soil health. Meridian Institute launched the AGree Initiative more than 10 years ago after more than two years of collaboration with a diverse group of food and agriculture stakeholders.
Multi-Stakeholder Initiative (MSI) Juggernaut Meridian is a mission-driven, nonprofit consultancy that has helped clients and partners develop and implement solutions to complicated, often controversial problems—big and small, global and local—for over two decades. They do it with an innovative approach that brings together a deep understanding of the issues at hand, as well as the people, politics, and power dynamics that surround them. Meridian not only shapes meaningful consensus and action in the near term, but also builds partners’ capacity for cooperation that often continues for years, even decades.
Finding Common Goals to Drive Change The Meridian Institute offers five key services: collaboration, implementation, strategy, research, and philanthropic support. Meridian has a dedicated team of 80 experts and an ability to foster constructive discussions, manage decisions, and support actions that shape the world for the better.
facilitating change: Todd Barker Todd Barker is CEO of Meridian. He currently leads projects that focus on agriculture, food systems, water, climate, big data, and clean energy. A highlight of his over 20 year tenure at Meridian has been the AGree Initiative, which successfully advocated and lobbied for changes in the 2018 farm bill that support soil health. He also has extensive international experience, including current work with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Todd cut his teeth as a mediator, facilitator, and strategist over 20 years ago, working on the cleanup of Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility. He is a trusted advisor to foundations and funder collaboratives working on agriculture and food systems. He serves on the board of the DendriFund and chairs the board for the Clean Energy Group.
Episode 107: Animal Centric Agriculture
Host: Aaron Niederhelman
Guest: Øistein Thorsen, CEO of FAI Farms
Did you know that across the globe we process over 70 billion land animals every year?! Nine billion in the US alone. Yet, it’s still pretty hard to find good meat and to know a little something about the animal that it came from. A growing opportunity has arisen in contemporary markets for meat from animals raised using elevated practices. These elevated practices are simply investments into the well-being of the food animal that result in holistic benefits to humans, the planet and of course the animal themselves.
As you’ll hear from today’s guest, this commitment to elevating practices in the production of good meat may not only be the best draw to attain and retain modern consumers, but when adopted into our collective consciousness as an obligation – it’s a clear path forward to clean-up a broken food system and to help stabilize the planet. We must start looking at food systems differently, and that can begin today with how we raise our food animals.
Getting us to Animal Centric Meat Production The reality is – people are going to eat meat. In fact, experts are saying that by 2050 demand for proteins will increase by 70%. New leaders have arisen. Leaders that have begun to think and act differently in raising animals to produce enough food for increased demand. Øistein Thorsen of FAI Farms is one of these upstart pioneers that is instigating a values-based food systems built on the practices of investing in health and well-being of food animals. In our conversation Thorsen explains the approach as “Animal Centric Meat Production”. That’s one of the best descriptions that I’ve heard for this commonsense approach to attaining a one-shared-health outcome from food. Thorsen says that “to keep a shrinking planet nourished and sustained for decades to come, it has to begin with respecting the food animal.”
Tune-in and learn what an Animal Centric Food System will look like in the Future The French expression Noblesse Oblige translates to “nobility obliges”. It effectively means that with power and privilege we’re obligated to look out for the wellbeing of others that are less fortunate. Along with Thorsen, a handful of dynamic animal agriculture leaders working to clean-up the food system have adopted this as a mantra. They say, evolving how we manage sentient animals to produce meat, eggs, and dairy changes everything.
As we hear from Øistein, not only is this evolution the ethical thing to do, but the resulting food products are significantly better for you and your surroundings than anything coming from conventional streams. In fact, this good meat, dairy and eggs from healthy animals living in more natural environments is better than anything coming to market at all, including all of the newly concocted lab-grown protein derived from artificial means.
Despite all the buzz behind those plant-based / lab-grown proteins, or the noise from conventional climate-friendly propaganda – the only silver-bullet solution to our big problems like malnutrition, hunger, supply-chain disruption and even climate instability is for us to do a better job shepherding the regenerative natural resources underpinning the production of our food. The conduit to food systems change can be Animal Centric Agriculture. So, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater, because we all have to know that… it’s not the cow that’s the problem, it’s the how.
A Holistic Approach to Producing Good Meat Farm Animal Initiative (FAI) Farms was founded in 2001 at the Oxford University farm estate. 20 years later they remain a ground-breaking research and advisory firm on a mission to help the food sector overcome key challenges and implement better practices on land and at sea. Utilizing their “3E” (Economic, Environmental, Ethical) approach, FAI works with farmers and many of the world’s largest food companies to implement practical solutions for climate and food security concerns in a contemporary world.
The Growing Footprint of Animal Centric A purpose driven company committed to providing solutions to climate and food security, FAI offers services led by science, data, and the practice of holistic food production. FAI’s world leading multi-disciplinary team work in partnership with major food brands to create a high welfare, equitable and regenerative food system. FAI is headquartered in Oxford, UK, with representation in the USA, Norway, Brazil, New Zealand and partners in China.
a next generation pioneer in food animal production: Øistein Thorsen As CEO of FAI, Øistein is responsible for the company’s growth and impact strategy, and new business development. He joined FAI in 2012, working with global partners including IKEA, Ferrero, McDonald’s and KFC, before leading the company through an MBO in August 2020.
Øistein grew up in shuttle between Sudan, Norway, and Ethiopia. He holds an MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a BA in African Studies and Development Studies from SOAS. Before joining FAI he followed in his parents’ footprints pursuing a career in international development. He worked for VSO and Oxfam, focusing on community engagement, global agricultural trade policy, and humanitarian advocacy at the United Nations.
Thorsen is the associate producer of “Black Gold”, a Sundance Film Festival feature-documentary film about coffee growers in Ethiopia’s place in the global coffee market.
Øistein lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
DO YOUR PART: Stabilize the Planet by Investing in Animal Centric Agriculture With the huge uptick in global consumption of proteins over the next few decades, current conventional practice and cutting-edge tech will only continue to send natural systems out of whack. When scaled with proper knowhow, Animal Centric Agriculture food solutions can have positive and lasting impact on the planet and all of its inhabitants. When animals are put in the middle and given due respect throughout food production – it becomes the tent pole to build the new food system, to return to natural order, and to benefit each involved party. Especially the food animals themselves.
As part of the Core Food Systems Change series, in this episode you’ll hear that when Animal Centric Agriculture becomes part of our collective consciousness it’s the best opportunity that we’ve got for a stable future.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Episode 106: Standard Bearer of Favorable Seas - MSC
Host: Aaron Niederhelman
Guest: Rupert Howes, CEO of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Rupert Howes explains it this way, “MSC is the standard setter. We have no ability whatsoever to influence the outcome of an independent certification.. That’s done by an independently accredited certifier. The science is independently peer-reviewed. There’s an independent objections process. We (MSC) have no financial interest or ability to influence any of that. The only time we generate an income, is if the market chooses. Once a fishery is certified, once the entire supply chain has a chain of custody audit, only then do we generate a modest fee for use of the MSC logo in the marketplace.”
Sustainable Seafood from Stable Seas The Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) is a global, independent non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing. MSC works with partners in an effort to make the world’s seafood markets sustainable. With credible standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability MSC seeks to increase the availability of certified seafood. The organization’s distinctive blue ecolabel recognized by consumers as the sustainable option.
MSC’s vision is of the world’s oceans teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. MSC collaborates with fishers, retailers, processors, consumers, and others to drive change forward. They never compromise on the standards. MSC leads the world in wild capture fishery certification, with the most trusted, recognized, and credible seafood ecolabel.
(SKOLL FOUNDATION PROFILE)
Rigorous Objectives Build Favorable Seas The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard defines fishery sustainability on the basis of the guidelines of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) code of conduct for responsible fisheries, and strives to incorporate internationally-established best practice and best available science.
Rupert Howes - two decades at the helm: From an early age, Rupert Howes was passionate about nature. Influenced by conservationists like David Attenborough, he was determined to make the world more sustainable. Although he ultimately became an economist instead of a marine biologist, he never strayed from his childhood passion. He worked with environmental organizations, wrote a book on motivating industries to improve environmental performance and championed corporate responsibility. In 2004, he became CEO of Marine Stewardship Council.
Rupert has been internationally recognized for his work to promote sustainable fishing practices. In 2014, Rupert was awarded a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award, which recognizes leaders in sustainable social innovation. In 2009, he received the World Wildlife Foundation’s “Leaders for a Living Planet” Award, which recognizes individuals who make a significant personal contribution to the conservation of the natural world and sustainable development. He also received a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2007 for his contributions in establishing the MSC as the world’s leading fishery certification and ecolabelling program.
www.SourcingMatters.show
EPISODE 105: Regenerative Ocean Farming
Host: Aaron Niederhelman
Guest: Bri Warner, CEO & Pres. @ Atlantic Sea Farms
Guest: Chris Sherman, CEO @ Island Creek Oysters
This latest episode is about how to re-build a food system that creates quality sustenance for people, new jobs on working waterfronts and healthier oceans through the adoption of smarter management practices on regenerative ocean farms. Regenerative ocean farming is an aquatic farming system that grows seaweed and shellfish on no inputs. As is the case with terrestrial production, aquatic regen farming is all about investing in the ecological health of an ecosystem to create good food.
REGENERATIVE OCEAN FARMING
US seaweed pioneer Bri Warner shares in her experience of having to make a compelling business case for kelp production in coastal communities in Maine. Ahead of the curve, Warner has leveraged some creative methods and core business fundamentals to establish a whole new kind of values-based food production company. We discover that what she’s producing actually has a pretty unfair advantage in catching the eye of contemporary consumers over almost everything else in the food value chain.
“The three best foods that you can eat on the planet are (regenerative) aquaculture mussels, oysters and kelp. We’re all removing carbon from the water. We’re all doing this with zero arable land. Zero freshwater. Zero pesticides. The fact is, these three products grow more efficiently than any terrestrial food, especially any terrestrial food animal protein out there. What we can honestly say about these aquaculture products is that they’re actually making the planet better,” explains Warner – CEO & President of Atlantic Sea Farms.
Island Creek Oysters (ICO) is a vertically integrated Regenerative Ocean Farming success story. They grow out their own oyster seed; they produce feedstuff algae to raise oysters; they sell that seed to other growers; they operate their own farms that grow-out seeds from adolescence -to- maturity; they aggregate & distribute mature oysters to diverse retailers and food service relationships – including their own restaurants; they invest in preserving and improving the marine ecological systems that grow their crops; they offer an experience for anyone to share-in the stories of their food with the community that produced it.
“Through its benefit for the economy. The social, cultural and gastronomic benefits that we all get, and all of the nutritional values this seafood offers. And, the environmental gain – which gets at the concept of adding value back into the ecosystem from which we depend on to produce good food. This all culminates in us supporting the concept of ‘coastal communities’, which is core to our mission and values at Island Creek Oysters,” says Chris Sherman – ICO, CEO and Eisenhower Fellow.
How Regen Business Backs the Planet
As for environmental restoration, oysters grown not for consumption have become part of the equation for producers like ICO. Each mollusk can filter up-to 50 gallons of seawater a day, oysters bond together to create natural reefs that protect shorelines and cities, and these shellfish act as great neighbors in estuaries to keep oceans thriving with other keystone species and biodiversity. Sherman explains how they support NGO-backed restoration projects through a few different channels. But always interested in pushing the envelope, Sherman is evaluating how the farms can work in lockstep with restoration projects to instigate more environmental action for the industry.
“We harness the power of private industry and profit to scale environmental impact. One of the things that we focus on is validating some of the claims that we make as an industry about the positive impacts of commercial farms. The questions that we’re trying to answer include: How do farms stack up to natural oyster reefs? How do farms compare to synthetic reefs brought online in restoration projects? How do we optimize nitrogen removal, and deliver habitat creation? Through scientific methods, we’re on a path to quantify the ecosystem value of commercial shellfish farms,” explains Sherman.
An Innovation Economy Supporting Community
Warner has built a creative business model that employs Maine lobsterman as her production team of this line-grown kelp coming from the clean, cold waters of the North Atlantic. With over 4000 boats working in the Maine lobster industry, Bri sees kelp production as a mutually beneficial relationship that offers existing boat owners a new revenue stream without requiring additional equipment or extensive operating expenses.
The approach has been so successful that when Warner first took over as CEO of Atlantic Sea farms in 2018 the company was sourcing 30,000 lbs. of seaweed a year. Now, after building-out the required processing infrastructure, finding new markets ripe for this next super-food, and via that creative approach to employ a lobstermen workforce in their off-season – Atlantic Sea Farms will harvest 1.2 Million lbs. of human-grade kelp this year alone. With plenty of capacity to grow. As we’ve seen in our stories before, there are many creative ideas generating on the innovation economies of Regen farms.
Listen-in to the full conversation with Bri, Chris, and Aaron as they discuss how we can achieve good for the people and planet through smarter ocean management on regenerative ocean farms.
ep. 104: Jonathan Webb || where tech embraces nature in controlled growing environments
"To feed the population of 2050 we'll need to grow more food than we have in the entire history of human agriculture. That's what keeps me up at night. That's a need for more food than the previous 10,000 years of human food production combined," explains Jonathan Webb. A Kentucky native, Webb first made a name for himself in building-out clean energy infrastructure throughout Appalachia. In starting AppHarvest, Webb returned home to his Blue-Grass state roots to build-out a large-scale state-of-the-art value-based food production operation that is truly disrupting the apple cart. As you'll hear once again in this conversation, 'Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness'.
NEW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SALAD PLATE & FRUIT BOWL
Something that I found especially insightful in my conversation with Jonathan was his storyline about regional food systems. He draws-upon an analogy of shipping coal to support growth of cities and spawn progress. Cities in his region first began to thrive much thanks to the innovative supply chain that sourced consistent energy from the hills of Kentucky.
After years of learning about decentralized energy in the Solar industry, Webb leveraged a skill set gained in clean energy production and large-scale infrastructure to build-out and now source good food at scale in that region. Funny enough, it’s once again all about a consistent source of ‘energy-units’ to make these cities thrive and prosper, but now that energy comes in the form of better quality, fresher, tastier, and vibrant fruit and veg. It’s like a whole new green energy innovation economy spawning in the hills of Kentucky. Feeding neighbors, employing communities and having a net positive impact on the planet - this is a CORE SYSTEMS CHANGE in food production that takes the best that tech & nature have to offer.
With a consistent supply of fresh quality produce, Webb and AppHarvest are making inroads into key supply chains. Through affiliations, partnerships and ambassadors - AppHarvest is also making headway for the entire CEA industry on both Main Street and Wall Street. Utilizing a proven Dutch solution for large-scale horizontal glass-house production farms - AppHarvest will have all the capacity it needs to become real competition for fresh and frozen markets alike across the US. So, look out fellow patriots on either-side of the aisle, you're about to experience a Green-Energy-Revolution coming straight out of coal-country.
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA)
Once a regional market has been saturated with all kinds of good veg & fruits - AppHarvest can expand its footprint and grow into more. The Controlled Environment Ag (CEA) glass-house model that AppHavest has established is a turn-key scalable solution that will grow more good food in diverse regions in the United States for years to come.
New footprints can made available anywhere there's a market ripe with evolving consumer POV and new expectations for food. From what we learn from Webb, the positive impacts for this better quality, healthier, fresher, smarter, and safer foods can be, and should enjoyed by everyone in his region; your region; all regions, really. With this first dip-of-the-chip in Morehead, KY - AppHarvest has only just begun to 'Fight the good Food Fight'.
#SourcingMatters
ep. 103 guest: Jonathan LundgrenEcdysis Foundation founding Scientist/ Farmer
For ep. 103 we welcome Ecdysis Foundation founder, Jonathan Lundgren. What’s really needed to frame-out mainstream adoption of regenerative – “it’s good data,” explains Dr. Lundgren. Good and accurate data coming from bleeding-edge scientific studies, in fact. So, in January 2022, the Ecdysis Foundation launched their 1000 (Regen) farm initiative as the most ambitious agroecology experiment ever conducted. The belief is that it's the scientific analysis on oodles of rich data coming from all kinds of different farms in different regions, footprints and crop types that will ignite a regenerative movement from a slow-burn evolution – into a revolution.
On-farm Scientific Analysis to Fuel the Regenerative Movement
The millions of data-points coming from the 1000 Regen farms will be used to measure outcomes that are in accordance to best regenerative food production principles. Using a simple scoring matrix - they can already make some in-tune predictions for the farm's success. Lundgren says “The 1000 farm study is to establish a scientific spine that supports the transition to a regenerative food system.”
ANGLE:
The planet needs a paradigm shift in our approach to food. Nature has been shouldering the impact of externalities from input-based and extractive models of food production. In the contemporary world, that's just not going to cut it anymore. Demand for differentiated value-based food products is skyrocketing, and conventional commodities are melting under pressures and economic strain.
GOLDEN NUGGETS:
Bumping-up against planetary boundaries is the pressure-point that will change food. The solution begins with regenerative natural resource management on our farms, and with land use. Dr. Lundgren says that the straw that can stir the drink today is modern science. In his call to action to others in the scientific community, Lundgren sees an ecological enlightenment, "Scientists must connect with the problem that they are trying to solve. That means getting your hands dirty with agriculture."
Ep. 102: Land Use: Regen Ag & Soil Health -ft. Fred Kirschenmann Fred Kirschenmann has been an agent-of-change in agriculture for five decades. His work at the Leopold Center at Iowa State University has introduced resilient farming practices to diverse stakeholders, and advanced the adoption of regenerative land management through building an awareness for soil health in the US breadbasket.
As President of the board at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY, Fred has worked with leaders from cuisine, food systems and production agriculture to establish a globally recognized epicenter of research and enrichment for food. As a whole, Fred’s collective efforts to reconnect us with nature through food and its production elevates him to an iconic stature in a time of ecological enlightenment. Tune in to hear what this true-action-hero icon has to say about the movement in 2022 and beyond.
A statesman for a just and stable tomorrow. Every-time I sit down with Fred I learn something new. He's a philosopher and master craftsman of storytelling that has inspired many of us in the movement to take next steps in our own journeys. Despite holding multiple jobs, overseeing hundreds acres of farmland, and shouldering the weight of the world well into his 80s, Fred remains current on advancements and bleeding-edge research. Leveraging an impressive compendium of readings and on-going discussions with other iconic thought-leaders - Fred is a wealth of knowledge who continues to mold and sway new mindsets. This type of inspiration from action heroes like Fred serves up quality nourishment for the movement, and fuels deeper engagement.
When I first stewed over the startup idea to coax food values through the supply chain, Fred coached me to think systematically and to adapt my focus to incorporate different stakeholders in the equation. He challenged me to include soil health, regenerative land management practice and regional food systems into a single frame that would focus on the betterment for all parties involved. A decade later, we have a long way to go to reach betterment, but after sitting down and chatting with Fred in this latest end-of-2021 chapter, it’s clear that the revolution has begun. IMO – what Fred has helped kindle over the last half century will reach a fever pitch within this next generation. I’ve seen first hand the inertia and passion of this generation to come. It’s real and it’s going to happen. Considering all of that, I’ve come to appreciate that how we produce our food and manage the living soil will ultimately determine the stability of the planet.
Folks don’t follow new ideas alone. *It’s the leaders of these ideas that motivates others to act, and it is people that drive movements of change.*
One thing is for sure, to stabilize this planet under threat we need to be do a better job listening to more of our iconic leaders - like Fred. Folks who've lived-it; folks with real chops in delivering "betterment" to more. For a more just and prosperous tomorrow, we need to listen to folks that know about instituting nature-based solutions. The folks worth their salt; the ones with unique wisdom worthy of leading they movement are the action heroes who bring real solutions to the table.
An infomercial for Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health, after hearing from an icon of food system and ecological change - be inspired to take the next step in your journey.
Key Takeaways… EPISODE RECAP:
- LAND USE: regenerative agriculture is proper on-farm natural resource management
- HUMAN HEALTH: soil health harmonizes with gut health: microflora not too much different than soil
- CIRCULAR ECONOMY: investing in soil health results in positive human & public health, planetary stability
- LABOR: the future farming workforce wants to grow food for each other, and not commodities
WHAT GOOD SOIL OFFERS:
Soil is the lifeblood of every successful civilization. The positive results and impact of good soil health from regenerative land management practices include:
- Perpetual food production
- Carbon Banking & Planetary Stability
- No chemical and synthetic runoffs
- Cleaner / health living environment for all stakeholders
- Enhances nature and biodiversity
- Sweet water Storage and clarity
GABE BROWN’S 5 PRINCIPLES OF REGENERATIVE:
To get us there we need a new operating model to land management. Especially when it comes to the way we produce our food, we need a new operating model to land management. Here are the pillars to support change our relationship with nature and each other.
- No disturbance (no-till, no-synthetics)
- Bolstering Soil’s Natural Defense (the outer-layer protecting all that life)
- Bio-diversity (marrying nature’s way keeps the system healthy)
- A living root in the ground as long as possible (cover-crops & seasonal diversity)
- Animal & Insect integration (nature relies on the entire system working together)
..
@StoneBarns
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 101: Will Shafroth – National Park Foundation, CEO & President || Proper land use and natural resource management on public lands is a mechanism to foster greater planetary stability. Joining as guest of episode 101 is the President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, Will Shafroth. Throughout the 45 minute conversation we explore how exposure, experience and immersion into the US National Parks changes mindsets for the better. We hear how enlightenment, empathy and environmental consciousness is presented each and every year to over 330 million visitors in 423 National Parks. Spanning all 50 states, the parks encompass 84 million acres, 2400 historical sites, 17K miles of trails and 43K miles of shoreline, and are available to us all as a public service.
Wallace Stegner famously called the National Parks “America’s Best Idea”. Will Shafroth and his team at the National Park Foundation (NPF) believe that this best idea should be common grounds available to each and everyone no matter background or history. Under Shafroth’s leadership, the National Park Foundation has spawned numerous initiatives to foster inclusion for all audiences and to cater to those who have been often overlooked in previous generations of visitors. Owning “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” of National Parks and US History, Shafroth looks to the wide array of Parks, Sites and Monuments as learning laboratories and living classrooms that will progress social and environmental solutions for decades to come.
The vast majority of the National Parks remain untouched wilderness. This wilderness combined with smart land use and proper natural resource management will help stabilize a planet under threat by coming at a new world from a few different angles. Not only will these public lands (with a collective footprint about the size of Montana) clean water, sequester & bank carbon, and nurture biodiversity, but the National Parks offer these living classrooms for deeper understanding and appreciation for the all important Nature-Based Solutions to climate change. Ultimately, reconnecting more of us with natural order is a required next step in (climate) action to mitigate climate change.
In feeding our souls by reconnecting us with Nature and with each other, the public lands of our National Parks can teach us about who we were, who we are now, and what we can become if we strive for a more just and balanced future.
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE EIGHT:
Join the Conversation Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Guest: Dr. Agnes Kalibata, UN Special Envoy for Food System Summit
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'Laying Down Tracks' ep.8:
What better way to finish off the UN FSS Pre-Summit than to listen to the last episode of the Laying Down Tracks series with guest and UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, Dr. Agnes Kalibata. This episode touches on a lot of ground but focuses on the importance of the summit being a “people’s summit” and on the significance of having all voices be part of the Summit process to achieve true food systems transformation and meet all 17 SDG’s. Whatever problem a country or community is struggling with there is a solution to match. “The fact that too many people are going hungry does not mean that we aren’t producing enough. The challenge is in the inequities that live in our food systems. Through the solution clusters we have been able to mobilize and identify game changing ideas that have been consolidated into 52 solutions,” says Dr. Kalibata as she describes how these innovative solutions can help solve specific challenges in Food Systems.
Don’t miss this last episode on the importance of all actors coming together for true food system transformation and learn more about Dr. Kalibata’s journey on how she came to be so passionate about helping bring this change.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE SEVEN:
Good Food For All Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Guest: Paul Polman, Co-founder & Chair at IMAGINE
Guest: Chantelle Nicholson, chef owner at Tredwells and All's Well
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'Laying Down Tracks' ep.7:
“If you work in silos you will never get these changes implemented because the farmer can’t afford it, but if big corporations come to work together across the value chain; you create value at a different level,” says influencer, businessman and campaigner, Paul Polman. This latest episode is all about how to build a food system that’s dedicated to nutrition and health of people and the planet.
Joining in this conversation is Chef, writer, and regenerative food system advocate, Chantelle Nicholson, who talks about the importance of consciousness as the first step and asking questions on where do you buy your food and how many plants are you eating a week, as something we can all do to bring in more good food for all.
Listen to this conversation with Paul, Chantelle, and Aaron as they discuss how we can achieve good for the people and planet, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE SIX:
Food for all Corners of the Planet Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Co-host: Ruth Richardson, Executive Director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Chair of Food Systems Champions Network
Guest: Helianti Hilman, Founder and Executive Chairperson at Javara, and a Food Systems Champion
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'Laying Down Tracks' ep.6:
Hope and true collaboration will help drive food system change and stabilize our planet. “Different people have different ways of thinking of food systems and that’s why I am such an advocate on building these systems on values and principles. This is what is going to lead us to a much more hopeful future,” says the Co-host and Executive Director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Chair of Food Systems Champions Network, Ruth Richardson. This latest episode is all about diverse interests coming together to produce food for all corners of the planet. Food system transformation requires a true multi-stakeholder initiative to really make it work.
Joining in this conversation as guest is the Founder and Executive Chairperson at Javara, and a Food Systems Champion, Helianti Hilman who talks about the importance of building the whole supply chain on true collaboration, diversity, inclusion, and respectful relationships with farmers and producers to create true system change.
Listen to this conversation with Ruth, Helianti and host Aaron Niederhelman as they discuss how food systems connect us all and must be built on values to lead us all to a much more hopeful future, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
SPECIAL EPISODE:
Food Solutions for the Forcibly Displaced Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Guest: Valerie Newsom Guarnieri, WFP Assistant Executive Director
Guest: Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner of Operations at the UNHCR
Guest: Malish James, WFP Storyteller refugee
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'Laying Down Tracks' special episode:
It's World Refugee Day and we are bringing to you a special encore episode to tune into. This episode touches on the importance of creating an environment of self-reliance for the more than 80 million people displaced worldwide – approximately the population of Germany. “People leave their home because of food insecurity and then results in even more food insecurity because they cannot produce anymore,” says the Assistant High Commissioner of Operations at the UNHCR, Raouf Mazou.
Episode guest and WFP Assistant Executive Director, Valerie Newsom, similarly echoes the importance of creating self-reliance: “A big problem for a lot of refugees is access to land. One exciting solution we have been working on is adapting a low-tech hydroponics technique that allow people to grow food in impossible places. Whenever there is an opportunity with a little bit of land for refugees to grow some of their food needs, we take that opportunity.”
Listen to this conversation with Raouf, Valerie, and WFP Storyteller refugee Malish James as they discuss who the forcibly displaced really represent and why we are seeing such an increase in number, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE FIVE:
System Resilience Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Guest: Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen
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'Laying Down Tracks' ep.5:
What better way to celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day than to listen to the latest episode of Laying Down Tracks? This episode touches on the importance of bringing resilience into food systems transformation as one of the most vital things to enable communities to bounce back from a crises and environmental shock.
“Food too often is seen as a commodity, as an object. It is often seen as a logistical problem. But it is about sharing a fresh nourishing plate to uplift spirits and make people feel like things will get better,” says CEO for World Central Kitchen, Nate Mook, who discusses with host Aaron the importance of shifting how we respond to crisis.
Listen to this conversation on the importance of building resilience to vulnerabilities and creating long term food security, as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE FOUR:
Equitable Livelihoods, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Co-host: Dr Jemimah Njuki, Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Lead of the Summit’s Gender Lever of Change
Guest: Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, the Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health at World Fish, and 2021 World Food Prize Laureate.
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What better way to mark World Oceans Day then listening to episode 4 of Laying Down Tracks? This week’s episode brings a fascinating discussion about planet, gender equality, and how we can best engage with the Ocean. “We need women’s voices and leadership to be prominent in food systems. It’s the only way to guarantee that food systems are just. I’ve been working as the custodian for gender equality…working with all of the Action Track leaders…to make sure that gender equality, the empowerment of women, is embedded in these solutions,” says Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Lead of the Summit’s Gender Lever of Change, who joins Aaron as co-host in this conversation about equitable livelihoods, gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Aquatic foods in the future can become a key forum for equality and inclusion. Guest in this episode, Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, The Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health at World Fish, and 2021 World Food Prize Laureate, explains how she hopes that winning the Food Prize will inspire young women and girls to study science: “It is extremely rewarding, extremely invigorating-you can reach far - and you can have a good time!” she says.
Listen to this conversation on gender equality, and women empowerment within the aquatic food economy as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to Laying Down Tracks (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
EPISODE THREE:
Nature-Based Production Host: Aaron Niederhelman, Sourcing Matters podcast
Co-host: Joao Campari, Global Leader of the WWF’s Food Practice and Chair of the UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 3
Guest: Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean
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'Laying Down Tracks' ep.3:
The oceans and their coastal areas are an essential component of the Earth's ecosystem hosting between 500,000 and 10 million species that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. “We cannot have a healthy planet without healthy oceans, and in any global discussion on biodiversity the ocean must be front-and-centre,” explains Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, who is a guest on this episode, co-hosted by Joao Campari, Global Leader of the WWF’s Food Practice and Chair of the UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 3.
Approximately 3 billion people in the world rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood as a primary source of protein, while at the same time agriculture uses up 38 percent of the global land surface. Whether on land or at sea, we are using up our precious resources and destroying others that can help us recover like biodiversity. With only nine more harvests remaining on a promise to meet the SDGs by 2030, it is important we find the right balance both for the health of our planet but also for the health of people everywhere.
Listen to this conversation on nature-based solutions and the blue economy as we continue to Lay Down Tracks to the UN Food Systems Summit.
https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/laying-down-tracks
www.SourcingMatters.show
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters project
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to 'Laying Down Tracks' (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
LAYING DOWN TRACKS - ep.2: SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
If food waste was a country, it'd be the third biggest global greenhouse gas emitter. “We waste at least a third of the world's food sources. So, a third of all that environmental impact is happening for no good reason, just for food to be left to rot,” said author and activist Tristram Stuart as he joins Aaron Niederhelman as co-host for this second episode. Stuart is known for his craft beer line Toast Ale, which turns a potential food waste magically into beer. That is something we can all cheers to.
He is joined by Lana Weidgenant, Deputy Director of Zero Hour International and UN Food Systems Summit Vice-Chair for Action Track 2, and Webster Makombe, a law student and youth activist from Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Sustainable consumption is becoming more of a priority from each generation to the next says Weidgenant, while Makombe shares how local foods are changing consumption habits in Zimbabwe.
Join us to hear all about how you can change your consumption habits – and your beer choice – to create lasting changes in our food systems.
Host: Aaron Niederhelman
Co-host: Tristram Stuart, co-founder of Feedback and founder of Toast Ale
Guest: Lana Weidgenant, Deputy Director of Zero Hour International and UN Food Systems Summit Vice-Chair for Action Track 2
Guest: Webster Makombe, law student and youth activist from Scaling Up Nutrition Movement
a UN Food System Summit & Sourcing Matters miniseries
Together, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters launch their new and thought-provoking podcast series, Laying Down Tracks.
This inspiring 8-part miniseries, led by Aaron Niederhelman, will feature world experts on issues related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and much more. Focused on the real experiences of rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, each episode will bring forward solutions through motivating discussions.
We are laying down tracks to head into a new world where our food systems mean prosperity for people and the planet. Listen now to 'Laying Down Tracks' (LDTs) to learn how you, too, can help save our planet.
LAYING DOWN TRACKS - ep.1: FOOD ACCESS
- co-host: Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director at GAIN
- guest: Maureen Muketha, founder of Tule Vyema
- guest: youth activist Sophie Healy-Thow
One of the exciting things about the summit is that it brings these five different communities together. There’s the community that I’m immersed in; hunger, nutrition, and food safety – but there are these other communities involved. People that are worried about climate, environment, livelihood, and resilience. Food systems affect all of those things, and all of those things affect food systems,” Said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Lead of the United Nations Food Systems Summit Track 1, as he kicks off the conversation as co-host with Aaron Niederhelman.
The discussions in this first episode covers a lot of ground, but always seems to return to two subjects: food access, and the involvement of younger people. A successful movement lead by youth takes more than just a retweet or share; it requires meaningful conversations. Maureen Muketha, the founder of Tule Vyema, and youth activist Sophie Healy-Throw join as guests to discuss how to solve big problems tied to food access.
Tune-in to hear what’s really going on with your food in this first episode as we begin laying down tracks heading into the UN Food Systems Summit.
In collaboration with the UN FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT, Sourcing Matters has launched the 2021 miniseries 'Laying Down Tracks'.
Joined by the Summit’s five Action Track leaders as cohosts of episodes, host Aaron Niederhelman curates an 8-part series featuring conversations with influencers and champions who are set on making this once in a decade gathering have impact.
“Food is our most intimate connection to nature and our best chance to save a shrinking planet,” explains Sourcing Matters host Aaron Niederhelman. “It’s the food we eat that is the elixir to instigate conversations and evolve mindsets which can stave off existential threats. It’s food and its production that acts as the primary course of action for improving the human condition and advancing climate action,” Niederhelman continues.
To amplify an appreciation for the role of well sourced food in addressing hunger, malnutrition, social welfare and climate change – Sourcing Matters show is collaborating with the UN Food Systems Summit to capture leading voices defining solutions of change.
The goal of the miniseries is to crawl into the ears of more folks through diverse discussions about how we can all be part of this historical movement. Episodes take a deep dive into the Summit’s Action Tracks and frame these chats around real world experiences in rolling out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to stimulate new perspectives.
We believe that engaging in fun, informal and informative conversations gives us all a better chance to get to know a bit more about the mettle of the people who are leading the fight for a more just and stable tomorrow. You see, In all corners the process of producing and sourcing food in a modern world has evolved with consequence on our health and that of the planet. “Three times daily we can vote for the planet and each other in what we decide to eat,” concludes Niederhelman.
Ep. 100: Janis Searles Jones – CEO, Ocean Conservancy || Ocean Conservancy educates and empowers citizens to take action on behalf of the ocean. From the Arctic -to- the Gulf of Mexico -to- the halls of Congress, Ocean Conservancy brings people together to find solutions for our blue planet. Driving forward progress built on science, policy, advocacy, and citizen engagement, for 48 years, Ocean Conservancy has fought relentlessly to protect the ocean and its wildlife we rely upon.
Thanks to these efforts tangible progress has been made on a range of issues including ocean plastic pollution, smart ocean planning, sustainable fisheries, ocean acidification and sea turtle protection. The ocean is the great global commons and the Ocean Conservancy keeps that sentiment front and center for key policymakers in the U.S. and abroad. This approach allows us, mankind, to become better shepherds of the bounty of the sea and preserve the sanctity of our oceans for generations to come.
In our 50 minute discussion we learn about the lineage and focus of the Ocean Conservancy. I ask Janis Searles Jones, CEO of the Ocean Conservancy, about the organization’s strategic priorities and how they have evolved since she has taken the leadership role in 2017. We learn about their diverse ocean health efforts, and about what has successfully percolated to the domain of public knowledge. We hear what’s really working and how certain pathways to broader awareness – initiatives focused on the likes of plastic straws & sea turtles – are serving as an impetus to drive real change by empowering end users, consumers and voters. We discuss the state of biodiversity in our oceans and the capacities for the seas to continue to keep buffering the excess amounts of heat and carbon we’re spewing into the atmosphere. We learn what Ocean Conservancy is doing to instigate climate action in projects ranging from local clean-up initiatives, all the way up to global policy making in multi stakeholder relationships like the Paris Accord.
We discuss seafood and the state of our global fisheries. In our chat we learn how we may or may not be able to continue to feed over 3 billion global citizens reliant on seafood as their main caloric intake – on oceans threatened to be exhausted within a decade. I ask about Searles Jones’ interest and enthusiasm for Regenerative Ocean Farming. How this smart and pragmatic management practice of generative natural resources can spawn a sea change in our relationship and management of the oceans.
BIO: Janis Searles Jones champions the work of the Ocean Conservancy’s fight against the growing threats of oil and gas development, increased maritime shipping, overfishing, contamination and climate change. As CEO of Ocean Conservancy, Searles Jones helms the efforts of this leading conservation organization’s strategic direction to preserve the health of our oceans – bringing her passion, logic and commitment to their work throughout global waters. Searles Jones is a respected expert in the marine conservation field – authoring numerous pieces on the sustainable use and proper management of ocean resources. Janis was a 2017 Pew Marine Fellow, and prior to taking the leadership role at the Ocean Conservancy – she was senior regional counsel and policy advisor for Oceana, and the staff attorney for the Alaska office of Earthjustice.
We must stop exhausting the health of oceans in our mining of biodiversity and exploitation in using them as our dumping grounds. Representing 70% of the face of the panet, oceans constitute our best opportunity to balance a planet under threat by enveloping the ideas of systems thinking which will save our own asses through investing in the well being or others. It’s an opportunity to coexist with life on the planet by stepping-up and acting as a steward of the seas.
Janis Searles Jones book recommendations:
- “The Sea Around Us” – Rachel Carson – 1951
- “The Edge of the Sea” – Rachel Carson – 1955
- “All We Can Cave: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis” – Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine Wilkinson – 2020
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 99: Jennifer Morgan – Executive Director, Greenpeace International || Joining for episode 99 is the Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Jennifer Morgan. For 50 years, Greenpeace has been fighting for ecological justice. Now, arguably the pre-eminent non-governmental voice instigating environmental action, Greenpeace has a focused lens on addressing climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering and orchestrating anti-nuclear campaigns.
In 2019, there were approximately 4000 Greenpeace staff working for Greenpeace International and its offices around the globe, alongside tens-of-thousands more volunteers and passionate activists! The co-ordinating body of Greenpeace International represents the collective actions of 27 independent national and regional organizations in over 55 countries and regions across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In our 45 minute discussion we cover how Jennifer and her global team makes sense of all of the moving parts. We learn how the preservation of biodiversity is the lifeblood of Greenpeace’s activism.
We hear more about the lineage of the organization, and how Jennifer came to lead efforts with this world renowned ecologically focused juggernaut set on “ensuring the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity”. We discuss where Greenpeace plays in the Paris accord, and how the United States should not just be re-entering the agreement, but lead in future efforts to define substitutive and quantifiable climate actions.
A focus area of our conversation is the utilization and shepherding of regenerative natural resources. Specifically, with the production of food. What humans eat from land and sea has a vast impact on the planet and its inhabitants. In our conversation we explore how food values may materialize as a unique angle to drive environmental awareness with broader audiences. How much of the global population can choose these food values as a way to take environmental action, 3-times daily. We also explore concerns of food insecurity, for those who don’t have access to enough food or nutriment in the developing world and within some of the richest countries on the planet. Food insecurity is real, and we learn what Greenpeace is doing to address impending problems throughout these diverse corners for often marginalized communities. One thing is for sure, we can’t keep exhausting regenerative natural resources just to generate more calories that may never reach the target audience. It’s ecological suicide.
Jennifer Morgan became Executive Director of Greenpeace International in 2016. Formerly, Morgan was ‘Global Director for the Climate Program’ at the World Resources Institute. Additionally, she was ‘Global Climate Change Director’ at Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G) and she led the ‘Global Climate Change Program’ at the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). She is passionate about helping countries, governments and individuals take positive action to achieve a zero-carbon future, and is a strong proponent of the need of companies to “go green” and invest in sustainable technologies.
Tune in to hear Jennifer’s thoughts on how antagonizing and instigating change has set forth numerous efforts by Greenpeace to realize lasting impact on a shrinking planet.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 98: Joel Makower - co-founder & chairman of GreenBiz ||
For episode 98 we welcome Joel Makower, chairman of GreenBiz. For more than 30 years, Joel has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. Joel Makower is co-founder, chairman and executive editor of GreenBiz Group, Inc. Among his duties at GreenBiz, Makower hosts the annual GreenBiz forums and is author of the annual ‘State of Green Business’ report.
A former nationally syndicated columnist, Joel is author or co-author of more than a dozen books, titles include: 'The New Grand Strategy', 'Strategies for the Green Economy', 'Beyond the Bottom Line: Putting Social Responsibility to Work for Your Business and the World', 'The Green Consumer' - just to name a few. Awarded the Hutchens Medal by the American Society for Quality, The Associated Press has referred to him as “The guru of green business practices.” In 2014, Makower was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals.
Much of our conversation in this episode focused on the Circular Economy. The United Nations Industrial Development Organizations (UNIDO) describes this holistic approach as, "A circular economy is a new way of creating value, and ultimately prosperity, through extending product lifespan and relocating waste from the end of the supply chain to the beginning - in effect, using resources more efficiently by using them more than once. In a circular economy materials for new products come from old products. As much as possible, everything is reused, remanufactured or, as a last resort, recycled back into a raw material or used as a source of energy. "
Offering a more concise description of what a circular economy could do for the stability of the planet, Makower explains the system as "keeping molecules in play". Joel leverages an in-depth understanding and appreciation to evolve common practice of businesses and consumers alike. As such, his work focuses on three principal topics:
- How companies of all sizes and sectors are integrating environmental thinking into their operations in a way that produces business value.
- The creation of new companies and markets for clean energy, clean water, and advanced materials.
- The strategies and tactics that companies use in order to communicate and market their environmental efforts and leadership, especially to consumers.
In our 50 minute discussion we cover stakeholder value vs. shareholder value. We discuss a bit of politics and the potential for sustainability and Green Business under the Biden administration. We learn where things stand with the Paris Accord and what we should do, now. We explore if biodiversity could replace the siren song of Carbon. I learn more about the history of GreenBiz and how Joel and his talented team have been able to not just weather the storm in 2020, but thrive. Additionally, we discuss the role of business leaders in climate action and how business itself as an arm of the voter/ consumer can influence policy moving forward.
Joel Makower has been a commentator on environmental topics for public radio's "Marketplace" and appears frequently in both broadcast and print media. He serves as a board member or adviser to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations and speaks regularly to companies, industry groups and business schools around the world. I encourage all of listeners to get on the GreenBiz mailing list, to attend his conferences, and seek out other speaking engagements featuring this expert in all things sustainable.
Tune in to ep. 98 to learn from a man with unique sagacity about what it'll take to save the planet through better business. As Joel explains it, "this is a massive economic opportunity masquerading as an environmental problem."
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 97: Rebecca Henderson - Harvard Business School Professor & Author || For episode 97 we welcome Professor and author Rebecca Henderson. Henderson is the John & Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, where she has a joint appointment at the Harvard Business School in the General Management and Strategy units. Professor Henderson is also a research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She spent the first 21 years of her career at MIT, much of it as the Eastman Kodak Professor of Management. Additionally, she teaches 'Reimagining Capitalism' in the HBS MBA Program and sits on the boards of Amgen and of IDEXX Labs.
For today’s show we focus the discussion on the engine of environmental change - the economy. Professor Henderson has recently released the book “Reimagining Capitalism - In a World on Fire” - which borrows from the name of a course she teaches at Harvard Business School. As she explains, "I am convinced that we have a secret weapon. I spent twenty years of my life working with firms that were trying to transform themselves. I learned that having the right strategy was important, and that redesigning the organization was also critical. But mostly I learned that these were necessary but not sufficient conditions. The firms that mastered change were those that had a reason to do so: the ones that had a purpose greater than simply maximizing profits. People who believe that their work has a meaning beyond themselves can accomplish amazing things, and we have the opportunity to mobilize shared purpose at a global scale."
In our 45 minute discussion we cover stakeholder value vs. shareholder value. We learn about the role that companies and executives will have in environmental action and social responsibility in the near future. Additionally, we discuss food systems, regenerative natural resource management and how politics gets woven into this recipe of change. For those fans of water and environmental service marketplaces out there, hear Professor Henderson's recommendation for sending a new price signal through the novel notion of 'embodied water', and gain a deeper understanding for how markets will evolve to integrate more of these values into buy decisions.
Joining as co-host for the conversation is Dutch-American Agricultural Economist, Renée Vassilos. Vassilos has spent over fifteen years in the production agriculture space. Her work experience includes time spent with the USDA, she’s started her own consultancy to help investors and Agtech companies, and she spent nearly a decade with John Deere; with much of that time in Beijing. Last year, Renée joined The Nature Conservancy as their Agriculture Innovation Director. She manages TNC’s investments in early stage agtech companies that will support regenerative agriculture production at scale.
We all seek new mechanisms to coax values through the supply chain of food and its production. Tune in to ep. 97 to hear from an expert about engaging with diverse stakeholders to partake in a new economic system; a reimagined economic system that takes into account a true cost of production by reaping the benefits for product differentiation and decommoditization of these values.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 96: Margaret O’Gorman – President of Wildlife Habitat Council || For episode 96 we welcome the President of the Wildlife Habitat Foundation, Margaret O’Gorman. O’Gorman operates at the intersection of business and nature. As President of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), she helps companies find value in natural resources conservation and mainstream biodiversity across operations. She has worked with Toyota, Owens Corning, Exelon, CRH Americas, General Motors and many more, and led the design of WHC’s signature Conservation Certification(R) recognition, a voluntary sustainability standard which defines corporate conservation worldwide.
For 30 years The Wildlife Habitat Council has been promoting and certifying habitat conservation and management on working lands through partnerships and education. As the only international conservation NGO focused exclusively on the private sector, WHC provides a framework for voluntary conservation action on a wide variety of corporate lands. Wildlife Habitat Council corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations seeking to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them. These efforts have resulted in more than 1,000 certified programs across 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 29 countries.
In our 45 minute discussion we learn more about the work of Margaret and her WHC team. We hear about successful projects already completed, and the vast opportunities that business has for stabilizing the planet through a deeper commitment to mitigating climate and investing in biodiversity. Margaret explains the difference between a ‘Shareholder’ & ‘Stakeholder’ value creation; and what that means for the future of investing-in, and operating the businesses providing our goods and services. We also learn how O’Gorman’s recently released book – Strategic Corporate Conservation Planning: A Guide to Meaningful Engagement – has been received by her peers and followers.
Tune-In to hear about what business can do for you, and the planet in the near future. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 95: Paul Hawken – environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist ||
For episode 95 of Sourcing Matters we welcome environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist Paul Hawken to the show. Paul has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. Hawken is a leading voice in the environmental movement, and a pioneering architect of corporate reform with respect to ecological practices. Paul authors articles, op-eds, and peer-reviewed papers, and has written eight books including five national bestsellers. He has appeared in diverse media outlets including the Today Show, Bill Maher, Talk of the Nation, Charlie Rose, and has been profiled or featured in hundreds of articles including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Business Week, Esquire, and US News & World Report. Paul is a dynamic public speaker, and he has served on the board of many environmental organizations.
Paul Hawken is founder of Project Drawdown, a non-profit dedicated to researching when and how global warming can be reversed. The organization maps and models the scaling of one hundred substantive technological, social, and ecological solutions to global warming. The book, which Paul helped write and edited, describes 100 solutions of change, 80 of which are currently in practice. To clarify – ‘Drawdown’ is the point at which the concentration of greenhouse gases begins to decline. The solutions in the book are ranked by the number of gigatons of CO2, or the equivalent, that they would avoid or sequester between the years 2020 and 2050. They range from big difference-makers such as refrigerant management, wind turbines, and food waste to those that are important but not as impactful, including methane digesters, green roofs, and microgrids..
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In our 45 minute discussion we learn from Paul that our only future is regenerative. In fact, our quickest and most pragmatic approach get to the goals of Project Drawdown is to evolve our land management practices in the way we produce our food. Paul explains, that now tooled with modern data analysis and peer-reviewed science supporting regenerative agriculture – investing in soil health is the #1 way to reverse climate change – “by a factor of four or five – SOIL is the largest solution.”
We learn of Paul’s current work “Regeneration – ending the climate crisis in one generation” – expected release in 2021. We also learn about some of Paul’s business ventures. Food, garden and energy – all within his sweet spot. We hear a bit about Erewhon, one of the first natural food companies in the U.S. that relied solely on sustainable agricultural methods. Additionally, Hawken co-founded Smith & Hawken, the retail and catalog garden company. In 2009 Paul founded OneSun, an energy company focused on ultra low-cost solar based on green chemistry and biomimicry that is now known as Energy Everywhere.
Joining as cohost is Dutch-American Agricultural Economist- Renée Vassilos. Renée recently joined The Nature Conservancy as their Agriculture Innovation Director. She manages TNC’s investments in early stage agtech companies that will support regenerative agriculture production – at scale. Vassilos spent over fifteen years in the production agriculture space. Her work experience includes time spent with the USDA, she’s started her own consultancy to help investors and Agtech companies, and she spent nearly a decade with John Deere; much of that time in Beijing.
Tune-in to hear what this soothsayer has to say about what’s next for us and the planet.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 94: Han de Groot – CEO, Rainforest Alliance, -ft. cohost: Mike Bellamente – former Executive Direstor of Climate Counts || For Sourcing Matter ep. 94 we welcome Han de Groot, CEO of Rainforest Alliance. The ‘Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal’ is awarded to farms, forests, and businesses that meet rigorous environmental and social standards. Rainforest Alliance operates in 60 countries all over the globe with focus on certifying in five program areas: 1) Sustainable forestry certification, 2) Sustainable agriculture certification, 3) Crop standards and criteria, 4) Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal, 5) Sustainable tourism.
In our 45 minute discussion we learn just how consumers can make accurate and just buy decisions in an increasingly noisy world. Hear Han’s empowerment message to us all: as environmentalists – we use our dollars to vote for the planet through the food we buy. As more trusted scientific resources explain it’ll much comes down to the agriculture systems we employ to feed ourselves moving forward, being an environmentalist 3-times daily is a strong rallying cry which has yet to be fully exercise in diverse food categories. The time seems now.
Han has dedicated his career to sustainable development. After studying economics at the University of Wageningen, he worked for more than 12 years at Oxfam Novib, eventually leading the organization’s work in Eastern and Southern Africa. In 1998 Han joined the Dutch government. From 2005 to 2010, he held various positions at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, including Deputy Director for Nature. Joining as co-host in episode 94 is Mike Bellamente. Mike invested many years helming Gary Hirshberg’s environmental accountability organization. As former Executive Director at Climate Counts Mike gained traction and the attention of huge brands, and over 20K high-impact followers. Bellamente lead this third-party certifier of Green/Sustainable corporate practice into the mainstream – via the wallets and ideology of consumers who care. Mike now uses his developing company ‘Naked Bullfrog’ to empower more consumer engagement throughout their local & regional communities.
It’s been proven; “Natural Climate Solutions” are our cleanest, most pragmatic, and most cost effective way forward. Investing in what Jeremy Grantham has coined as “Natural Capital” – the regenerative soils, tree health, clean oceans, and biodiversity through a paradigm shift in land management is where mankind can be a catalyst in climate stability. Bringing that to the market through something as intimate to us as the food we eat is where Han and team play. As more of us adopt this power to vote with the dollars we spend, I have great hope for what we can all do through food to invest in healthy body and planet.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 93: Congressman Jim McGovern, US Rep. Massachusetts 2nd -ft. cohost: Scott Soares, former Mass Ag Commish & shellfish leader || For episode 93 we welcome US Congressman from the Massachusetts 2nd district, Jim McGovern. Representative McGovern’s district ranges from Worcester to the Pioneer Valley, and includes a good portion of the Connecticut River – the lifeblood for much of the state’s remaining dairy & orchard infrastructure. McGovern’s district also includes the Quabbin Reservoir – the largest inland body of water in the State – which also happens to supply Boston and much of the metro area with crystal clear, world class drinking water.
On the Hill, Congressman McGovern is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, and House Committee on Agriculture. Rep. McGovern is also a member of the national dairy and cranberry caucuses. Jim is an evangelist for food access and nutrition. He’s a leading voice for farmland, and natural land preservation – and not just for the Commonwealth, but through large federal programs that impact the entire country. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) is also a co-sponsor of ‘The Green New Deal’ with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). Through-out the conversation we hear about Representative McGovern’s view on the future of federal policies to support a stable country and planet. Could sequestering carbon into farmland be our saving grace? Could the USDA and the US Government lead the way? In our 45 minute discussion we look at the future of food and its production through a federal lens, as well as for the 1800 farms in his home district in Massachusetts. We discuss both the positive steps forward in the latest version of the farm bill, as well as some of the intrinsic problems of this huge and glacial policy bucket. We look at the discrepancies in supporting big vs. small farms. It was recently announced that US Farm income hit $88 Billion – the highest since 2014. But, nearly 40% of that 2019 farm income income will come from federal aid. Much of that has been tied to disaster assistance, and aid for the current trade war. But, Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies are up 24% over the last year, at their highest levels since 2011. That’s the crux of the issue – big farms are getting paid, and small farms are going out of business. Hear how this can change!
Joining in as cohost is Scott Soares. Soares is former commissioner of Agriculture in Massachusetts, and served as the Director of USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the Obama administration. Scott has 15 years of fishery and aquaculture experience prior to that – including early in his career serving as the 1st Massachusetts coordinator of aquaculture for nearly a decade. Soares has recently returned to these roots by taking on the role of the Mass Shellfish Initiative coordinator. Scott and Congressman McGovern are good friends, and that quickly becomes evident only a few minutes into our chat. We try to keep the conversation lively and upbeat, while still evaluating important subject matter.
So, if you want to hear how systems thinking connects food, health and stability. Or, if you want to know more about how farm raised fish in land based RAS systems could regulated and propagated by the USDA. Or, if you want to learn more about the perils of New England dairy, and what can be done about it. Or, how hemp is an agricultural product for medication, fiber and material sciences to replace plastics – tune-in to learn more about what’s going on in Massachusetts’s 2nd, and on the Hill.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 92: Bill Taylor – President & CEO of the Atlantic Salmon Federation|| We welcome Bill Taylor – President & CEO of the world renowned conservation organization – Atlantic Salmon Federation. Est. in 1948 – the Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well being and survival depend.
In 2011, the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) commissioned a report to calculate the economic impact for Atlantic Salmon in eastern Canada. The results presented $255 million annually – and supported 4000 jobs. Relating to the success of project one article explained “in our political climate, money talks, and government tends to invest in industries that provide economic benefits and jobs to communities.”
In our 45 minute discussion we cover many areas of interest for fishermen, eaters and environmentalists. You'll hear how ASF is a world-leading science and advocacy organization that has long-since been dedicated to conserving and restoring wild Atlantic salmon. You’ll learn how the ASF seeks to expand upon current programs, and explore improving farming practices of salmon to benefit diverse stakeholders – including open run fish.
Just last year Bill and his international team brokered a very important deal to preserve the sanctity of salmon in the wild. A landmark, 12-year agreement with Greenland Fisherman to suspend the commercial harvest of Salmon, and limit the quota to 20 ton subsistence quota. This deal saves thousands of virile adult salmon every year.
Co-hosting the episode is Aaron’s father, Byron Niederhelman. With an undergrad in biology, and a Masters from Northeastern University – Byron taught Biology and Earth Science for 19 years. For 13 year more he was the Principal of ConVal High School in Peterborough, NH. Byron is an avid sportsman who for the past 25 years has been a busy traveler in search of the world’s best fishing spots.
Are salmon truly the canary-in-the-coal-mine? Is their demise an accurate reflection of the health of our waterways and marine environments? If we want to preserve the natural migratory paths of animals – why not start with this iconic keystone species? Could cleaning up farming practices establish cash-flow to invest back into the natural environment for natural cousins? We answer these questions and more on episode 92 of Sourcing Matters.
@AtlanticSalmonFed
co-host:
Byron Niederhelman * Background in Biology * Former Educator & Principal * Avid Traveler & Fisherman
Full bio:
With an undergrad in Biology, a Masters from Northeastern University, Byron Niederhelman taught Biology and Earth Science for 19 years, and was for 13 years the Principal of the ConVal High School in Peterborough, NH. Byron is an avid sportsman, and for the last 25 years he’s been a busy traveler in search of the world’s best fishing spots.
Ep. 91: Benedikt Bösel – Managing Director & Proprietor of Schlossgut Alt Madlitz – Germany || For episode 91 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Benedikt Bösel, the Managing Director and Proprietor of Schlossgut Alt Madlitz in Brandenburg, Germany.
Through regenerative food production and forestry management; through hunting excursions and land stewardship initiatives; through a royal bed & breakfast and restaurant – Bösel offers patrons a unique experience dedicated to capturing and sharing the vitality found in nature’s systems. Since Benedikt has taken the reins of this 7500 acre estate located 1 hour east of Berlin – it’s become an Agtech innovation hot-bed, and an epicenter for testing / implementing Regenerative Natural Resource Management at scale.
What we learn in this 45 minute discussion is that Benedikt Bösel is diversifying and innovating on his family’s iconic German estate through investing in the future. A regenerative future which marries and harmonizes with natural systems for maximum benefit to us, to the planet and to all of its co-inhabitants.
Joining in on the conversation is good friend of the show Renée Vassilos, a Dutch-American Agricultural Economist who has spent over fifteen years in the production agriculture space. Her work experience includes time spent with the USDA, she has started her own consultancy to help investors and Agtech companies, she spent nearly a decade with John Deere; much of that time in Beijing. Renée has recently joined The Nature Conservancy as their Agriculture Innovation Director. She’ll manage TNC’s investments in early stage agtech companies that will support regenerative agriculture production – at scale.
TuneIn to hear more about what regenerative really looks like. Both the opportunities and the challenges. Hear how when empowered to be better stewards of the land, we can tackle many of the biggest problems facing us in generations to come. Benedikt and Renée are our future, TuneIn to hear their positive POV on what’s in store.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 90: Daisy Freund, Senior Director of Farm Animal Welfare @ ASPCA || 76% of consumers are concerned about the welfare of animals raised for food. For episode 90 we welcome Daisy Freund – Sr. Director of Food Animal Welfare at ASPCA – to discuss her work set on improving the health, treatment and living conditions of farm animals.
Earlier this year the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal) launched the ‘Shop with your Heart‘ platform – a service designed for consumers to created a more humane world for farm animals. Just recently, Daisy and her team delivered another tech tool that will continue to empower consumer choice as a change agent in food and ethical behavior. The ASPCA ‘ShopKind Helpline‘ is a text-based service to ask questions about farm animal welfare and food labels. You actually get a text response with answers from an expert re: what to buy and where: www.ASPCA.org/ShopWithYourHeart
As you’ll hear, Daisy is on a mission to harmonize the interests of consumers, advocates and business through her programs. In our 40 minute conversation we learn more about how these new consumer facing platforms can be used in your day-to-day. We discover what drove the ASPCA to include farm animals in their focus – along with companion animals. We hear about Daisy’s background and influences which has lead her to tackle these big problems facing our society today. We also learn how we can take these concerns mainstream – and with what partners. And, we hear how this effort to drive change through empowerment may just be our best path forward in finding shared solutions for diverse stakeholders in food. ----- If you’re an eater; if you’re a lover of animals; if you're a concerned citizen or community member – TuneIn to hear about some exciting advancements in the world of food production.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 89: Kevin Murphy, former CEO & President to Driscoll’s fresh berries Enterprises || On episode 89 we welcome Kevin Murphy, former CEO of California-based fresh berry company – Driscoll’s. Murphy has 30 years of business and agriculture experience. Kevin joined Driscoll’s, the world leader in fresh berries with operations in over 20 countries, in 2007 and rose to President and CEO. Prior to Driscoll’s he was at Capurro Farms where he served for three years as President. For roughly 15 years, Kevin was with Fresh Express from its early inception to its acquisition. During that period he held various jobs that included heading up strategic planning, marketing and operations for the company.
Most recently, Murphy has become an advocate for the farmers he spent three decades working arm in arm. Since stepping down at Driscoll’s – Kevin has decided to take on the issue of undocumented workers in agriculture head on. In a recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Murphy explained that American farmers desperately need immigration reform. The editorial teased the readers with a subtitle – “will migrant workers produce our food here or somewhere else?” What’s great about it – in this WSJ piece Murphy doesn’t lament over the problems. Instead, he lays out a three step plan to reform immigration in this country beginning from our ground zero – the fields that produce what sustains us and our families everyday.
In our 50 minute conversation we go deep into Murphy’s three-step plan for immigration reform. We discuss how that will impact the American farmer and consumer. We learn how this approach in agriculture could very well be the proving grounds for a much grander solution for immigration reform for the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country now, and the volumes more set to arrive in generations to come. We learn how Kevin’s background as an immigrant to the US has offered him unique insight into the issues, and the solutions. And, we hear how his formidable years dealing with apartheid in South Africa with his work throughout California agriculture has matriculated into him becoming a champion for the underrepresented and the marginalized. Want to know what’s really going on with immigration in this country – then turn to your food. Start to peel back the layers and get some of the backstory of where your sustenance is actually coming from and whose hands are getting dirty in the process. Need a crash course on how to reassess this? Where to begin being part of a solution for the future – then TuneIn to our conversation with food system reformer Kevin Murphy. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 88: Erin Baumgartner, CEO & co-founder of Family Dinner || On show #88 we welcome the CEO & co-founder of Family Dinner – Erin Baumgartner. Family Dinner is a farmer’s market delivery service that uses data to improve the food supply chain. It’s an innovative approach to the standard CSA model working directly with a network of farms to broaden their markets through software applications. Baumgartner is the former Assistant Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, a lab that used data to understand complex systems.
Tune in to our 45 minute discussion to hear how Erin’s background in data science is now impacting regional food sourcing, and production. In codifying a smarter supply chain and being more in-tune with the interests of a modern consumer – Family Dinner is developing scalable tech which would allow anyone to take advantage of regional assets – for anywhere. But, as we learn from Erin – you can’t fake the hard stuff. You need to get your hands dirty and develop the relationships with producers and buyers who are interested in maintaining integrity in their approaches. From the home office in Somerville, MA – Erin and her menu curation team act as bespoke master chefs for your household. By knowing a good amount about each of their consumer’s interests and avoidances – Family Dinner sculpts a pretty amazing week of meals which will celebrate and amplify what’s in season and prime to eat. Culinary plans like paleo, vegetarian and allergy sensitive programs fit nicely into their data driven model for weekly regional offerings. Every week they’ll deliver you and your family chef’s quality food from within shouting distance of harvest and home. That’s a pretty good service! www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 87: Sara Eckhouse – Executive Director, FoodShot Global || On episode 87 of Sourcing Matters we welcome the Executive Director of FoodShot Global – Sara Eckhouse. Launched in Fall of 2018, FoodShot Global is an investment platform aimed at accelerating food system transformation through an annual challenge – a call for “Moonshots for Better Food” that will create a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food system worldwide. FoodShot is a global consortium of world-class partners, including mission-aligned venture funds, banks, corporations, universities, and foundations. Together FoodShot will award up to $10 million in equity and up to $20 million in debt funding to innovative businesses.
As Senior Advisor to Secretary Tom Vilsack at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Sara Eckhouse focused on local and regional food systems, organic agriculture, and healthy food access. Sara launched and managed programs to support sustainable agriculture, and she has firsthand knowledge of the opportunities and challenges of combining sustainability with profitability in food value chains.
During our 45 minute discussion we review the goals and objectives of this innovative financing forum. We learn of some of the recipients of funding, and of the Foodshot Groundbreaker award – a prize pool of $500,000 in philanthropic capital awarded to researchers, social entrepreneurs and advocates in the regenerative food space. We hear why Sara decided to take on this role at Foodshot Global after being an Obama Administration political appointee who for five years influenced US product differentiation.
Joining as cohost is Jay Vilar – founder, and a practitioner at ‘Nourish’ – a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health. Located in Boston and Washington, DC – Jay has always been on the forefront of using optimal health techniques, and bio-hacking his nutrition to achieve remarkable results in his career.
Tunein to hear what it takes to make food and its production the next moonshot to save the planet.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 86: Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Director of MIT Center for Collective Intelligence || On episode 86 we welcome Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence. Kennedy is a frequent speaker at technology and entrepreneurship events around the world. She serves as a judge for many competitions including the MacArthur Foundation, the Inclusive Innovation Competition, and the Lemelson-MIT prizes. In addition, she is a venture partner at Good Growth Capital and she serves on the board of Hubweek.
Prior to her current work, Kathleen served as a lead organizer of The Engine, an MIT initiative created to advance innovation. This venture fund and accelerator program was created to provide comprehensive support to transformative ideas from the formative stage to their most effective implementation. Kennedy was also awarded the Folio: 40, which recognizes the most innovative and influential people in the media industry, and named by the Harvard Club as one of Boston’s Most Influential Women of 2017.
During our 45 minute discussion we evaluate how technology and automation will impact the future of food and its production. More generally, we discuss the future of work and how advancements / innovation doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have less jobs in the future. We learn about how one of the first projects the MIT Center of Collective Intelligence initiated – called the ‘Climate CoLab’ – is using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a proving grounds where computers and humans can work together in a more cohesive way to take on big problems at vast scale.
Joining as cohost is Chris Sherman, President of Island Creek Oysters. Focused on promoting the many values that shellfish bring to humans, the Oceans and the planet – Chris and his team have built a brand known for global excellence. As pioneers in regenerative ocean farming – Island Creek Oysters have established a sustainable model of sustenance, and jobs for their community in Massachusetts. Levering his ocean smarts to do greater good, Chris also curates the Island Creek Oyster Foundation, a non-profit which has codified a replicable model of aquaculture for the developing world. Additionally, Chris is a 2018 Eisenhower fellow. As part of his program to Spain & Columbia – Chris assessed capacity building and innovative financing models for the future of biomimetic aquaculture.
TuneIn to hear how a Collective Intelligence in many forms allows people and machines to work together in defining proper logic structure and smarter implementation that can help address the biggest problems facing humanity and our shrinking planet.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 85: Greg Horner, Greg Horner Consulting – Profiles in Land and Management Series || As we contemplate a future where land management is an important part of addressing climate change (as the IPCC Report suggests), we can’t overlook the vast acres of US public lands. These acres need to be resilient to the stresses of climate change, and we also have an opportunity to manage them in ways that increase their ability to store carbon. By shifting our management of these lands to prioritize soil health, we can achieve multiple benefits for the climate, the water cycle, and biodiversity.
Using adaptive grazing is one important strategy to increase the soil health of our public grasslands and rangelands. For episode 85 of Sourcing Matters, consultant Greg Horner discusses his recent work interviewing innovative public land managers across the US about their use of adaptive grazing as a tool to improve soil health, restore ecosystem function, and increase biodiversity. While these agency staff are increasing soil health, they are also increasing soil carbon and making the land they manage more resilient to climate change.
But wait, cows are bad for the climate, right? And grazing is damaging to public lands?
The current state of scientific knowledge suggests a more complex reality: while cattle in feedlots (where most beef comes from) have a high carbon footprint, well-managed cattle on pasture can be carbon-negative, sequestering more carbon in the soil than they produce in methane (White Oak Pastures Life Cycle Assessment – PDF). By accelerating soil health and soil-building efforts, adaptive grazing can be an important strategy for improving ecological outcomes on public and private lands.
While grazing can absolutely damage public lands, it is not the cattle that are responsible but the human managers. Like a hammer, grazing is a tool that can be used to tear things down or build them up. With careful management, adaptive grazing can provide the disturbance that a landscape needs to function properly, recreating the historical impact of herds of wild grazers, stimulating grass growth, and providing a landscape that promotes a diversity of plants and animals.
In partnership with TomKat Ranch, the McKnight Foundation and others, Greg created a series of profiles of public land managers who are redefining the value of grazing on public lands. Instead of using continuous grazing, most of these managers are moving cattle frequently, providing intense impact in small areas and then moving on to new areas and letting the grass recover without being re-grazed. These managers report multiple benefits, from better forage quality and quantity to an extended growing season, from increased bird or tiger salamander populations to reduced erosion and increased water infiltration. These managers are building soil carbon for a variety of reasons, and their stories are an inspiration.
TuneIn to our 40 minute discussion for a better understanding of our role in proper management of public lands for the future. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 84: CEO – Cheryl Cronin and Director of Community Engagement – Carrie DeWitt of Boston Public Market Association. -ft. cohost: Lisa Sebesta, founder of Sitari Capital and co-founder of Fresh Source Capital || On episode 84 we’re live recording on-site from The Boston Public Market on Hanover St. in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Public Market is an innovative four season model set to evolve how we source and consume local food. Today we’re welcomed by the CEO of The Boston Public Market Association Cheryl Cronin, and the Director of Community Engagement – Carrie Dewitt.
The Boston Public Market launched in 2015 as a year-round indoor market with the mission of bringing seasonal and local food to Boston’s downtown crowd. Everything sold at the market initially comes from somewhere in New England. This includes everything from seafood to ice cream and fresh produce. It is operated by the Boston Public Market Association, a nonprofit organization born from the collaboration between the city of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Cheryl Cronin is CEO of the Boston Public Market Association since January, 2016. Prior to her current work, she was an attorney for over 30 years. She served as the General Counsel for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library and on the Board of Sail Boston. Additionally, Cheryl received the Eleanor Roosevelt award from the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the Abigail Adams award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus. She has been on Boston Magazine’s list of the 50 most powerful women.
Carrie DeWitt is the Director of Community Engagement at the Boston Public Market Association. Carrie plans and implements a calendar of public and private programming and events that support the Market’s public impact and reach. Prior to her work at the Boston Public Market, Carrie worked as the Assistant Director of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, a 100 year-old outdoor Market featuring over 140 growers and producers. Carrie is a graduate of the Agriculture, Food and the Environment masters program at the Friedman School at Tufts University.
Joining as co-host of our 40 minute conversation is Lisa Sebesta, founder of Sitari Capital. Sebesta works with investors to evaluate and manage impactful, direct investments in private companies that align with their values. She is also a Managing Partner at Fresh Source Capital – a General Partner investment fund focused on the sustainable food and agriculture sector. Previously, Lisa served as a consultant to the Fair Food Fund, and spent 15 years as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for investment firms Batterymarch Financial Management & Boston Advisors.
Want to know what’s going on with the local food movement in the northeast – TuneIn. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 83: Kristofor Lofgren, Sustainable Restaurant Group CEO, and Founder. -ft. cohost: Scott Soares, former Mass Ag Commish & shellfish farming leader || For episode 83 of Sourcing Matters we welcome CEO & Founder of Sustainable Restaurant Group and Bamboo Sushi – Kristofor Lofgren. Sustainable Restaurant Group (SRG)’s mission-focused concepts aim to conquer the environmental disaster that is the worldwide fishing industry today. Bamboo Sushi and QuickFish will never put a fish on their menus that is endangered or on Seafood Watch’s ‘Red List.’ With nine total restaurant locations across Portland, OR and Denver, CO, the company will be expanding Bamboo Sushi this coming September with three new locations in the San Francisco Bay Area – Seattle and Arizona will follow shortly after, eventually making its way to the East Coast.
In 2008 Bamboo Sushi became the world’s first Marine Stewardship Council-certified sustainable sushi restaurant. Since, under Kristofor’s leadership Bamboo sushi has been promoting responsible fisheries and sustainable management practice for the betterment of the environment and his patrons. TuneIn to our 40 minute discussion to learn what’s happening to our seas, and to our seafood. To understand how we can take a lead role in determining the health and stability of our oceans through the food choices we make. And to hear how this entrepreneur is building a sustainable business model focused on benefiting diverse stakeholders ranging from his fisherman, processors, employees, investors and consumers.
Joining today’s conversation is Scott Soares – former commissioner of Massachusetts Agriculture, and served as the Director of USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the Obama administration. Scott has 15 years of fishery and aquaculture experience prior to that – including early in his career serving as the 1st Massachusetts coordinator of aquaculture for nearly a decade. Recently, along with a few ventures promoting the bounty of New England’s waters to broader audiences – Soares has taken on the role of the Mass Shellfish Initiative coordinator.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 82: Richard Stavis, Chief Sustainability Officer at Stavis Seafood -ft. cohost: Scott Soares, former Mass Ag Commish & shellfish farming leader || Joining for episode 82 of Sourcing Matters is Richard Stavis – Chief Sustainability Officer of the Iconic New England Brand – Stavis Seafood. Stavis Seafoods has been an anchor of the international seafood industry for 90 years. From its origin Stavis quickly grew from a clam company to a one-stop-source for high quality seafood, now delivering more than 1000 seafood items nationwide from more than 48 countries around the globe.
Stavis is also a leading importer into the Florida seafood market specializing in fresh seafood from Central & South America. Stavis Seafoods recently launched seafood line ‘SeaTru’ that comes in tow with the tagline of “high-quality seafood that is completely traceable, socially responsible, and sustainably sourced.”
Richard Stavis wants the industry to shift from talking about what’s “sustainable” to what’s “responsible” – and not just tracing fish but also ensuring that fish is what sellers say it is. Richard is well known for his vision for the near future in the industry when emerging technologies allow for standardized platforms – like how any bank card works at an ATM – so consumers/retailers/restaurant chains can get the information they need about the fish they eat and sell, through information-sharing.
Joining for our 45 minute discussion is the former commissioner of Agriculture in MA and the Rural Development Agent for New England with the USDA – Scott Soares. During our lively conversation we cover the stability of the oceans, the health of our fisheries and the industry that serves it, and the well-being of its consumers. TuneIn to hear what’s going on with our changing waters.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 81: John Piotti, CEO & President of American Farmland Trust, Washington D.C. || On episode 81 of Sourcing Matters we welcome John Piotti, CEO & President of American Farmland Trust. American Farmland Trust (AFT) is an organization that works to protect and conserve farmland throughout the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C, – AFT is staffed and governed by farmers, policy experts, researchers and scientists. With the call to action of “Join the Movement”, “Save a Family Farm”, and “Stay Informed” – American Farmland Trust seeks to engage diverse stakeholders in evaluating: What will happen to the nation’s food supply if we continue to wastefully develop our best farm & ranch land?
By the late 1970s, Peggy Rockefeller, a passionate farmer and active philanthropist, had become frustrated that none of the major environmental or agricultural organizations were effectively applying the emerging tools of land conservation to agriculture. She pulled together a brain trust to explore what could be done. This first-of-its-kind analysis of how and why America was losing farmland had recently been completed by USDA and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. The group recognized the serious threat posed by farmland loss and concluded that our nation needed a new kind of organization, one that stood at the intersection of agriculture and the environment. It would take a unique and highly innovative organization to operate effectively in this previously unexplored realm. But there was clearly a void that needed to be filled. They formally chartered American Farmland Trust in 1980.
John Piotti joined American Farmland Trust as president and CEO in July 2016, bringing more than 25 years of executive management and public policy experience to the organization. Prior, John served as president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust for 10 years. Under his leadership, Maine Farmland Trust became an award-winning statewide nonprofit organization, helping over 500 Maine farms remain viable. Piotti has earned a reputation as a nonpartisan problem-solver; as a Statesman, an Eisenhower Fellow – and – as a leader in future food that has helped stabilize a regional dairy industry, and procure funding to protect working waterfronts & our natural lands. John holds three degrees from the MIT, in engineering, public policy, and management.
TuneIn to our 50 minute conversation to hear more about how the practice of American Farmland Trust has now cast over 6,500,000 acres of farmland in the United States into perpetual conservation. With John’s focus on conservation (regenerative) agriculture practice of these lands, and more – AFT will remain a pillar in American farmland access, and its management for the foreseeable future.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 80: Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) – Geneva Switzerland || For Sourcing Matters episode 80 we welcome Dr. Lawrence Haddad – Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) was launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with diverse global partners, GAIN aims at making healthier food choices more affordable, more available, and more desirable.
Dr. Lawrence Haddad became the Executive Director of GAIN in October 2016. Prior to this Lawrence was the founding co-chair and lead author of the Global Nutrition Report from 2014 to 2016. From 2004-2014 Lawrence was the Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the world’s leading development studies institute. Before joining IDS in 2004, he was Director of the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 1994 to 2004. An economist, Lawrence has a PhD in Food Research from Stanford University. Most recently, in June of 2018 – the World Food Prize Foundation awarded Dr. Haddad the 2018 World Food Prize.
THE FACTS: According to Global Nutrition Report, about 88% of countries suffer from two or three forms of malnutrition. Every day, 815 million people are going to bed hungry, up from 777mm in 2015. 1 in 3 people lack key micronutrients, like iron and vitamin A, needed to grow properly, live active lives, and raise a healthy family. At the same time, 2 billion adults are overweight or obese and 41 million children are overweight. Malnutrition now undermines billions of people’s health and leaves 155mm children stunted every year. In speaking to the outcomes that come to stunted children “without proper nutrition – children’s hardware and software is not developing properly” - explains Haddad.
GAIN has its sights set on addressing these far reaching concerns with both an air and ground attack. Led by Haddad and his impressive teams across the world – GAIN uses boots on the ground and strategic influence to introduce nutrition as a framework of change, to more. TuneIn to our 50 minute conversation to hear about how this agent of change is tackling malnutrition throughout global societies being underfed and overfed.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 79: Shannon Algiere – farmer liaison manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture – ft. co-host Jennifer Hashley, founder of New Market Farming project || On episode 79 we welcome Shannon Algiere – farmer liaison manager at Stone Barns Center. Shannon has taught at Nature Centers, volunteered as a ranger for the Costa Rica National Park Service, managed a biodynamic greenhouse operation and helped develop a 60-member market farm in Connecticut. Shannon first came to the Stone Barns Center in 2003 with her husband, Jack, and has played many roles on the farm, most recently flower and herb manager. Shannon now employs her extensive farming and mentorship experience to facilitate educational engagement, assisting in the design of a dynamic and impactful farm connection for visitors, aspiring farmers and students.
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture was developed by David Rockefeller and dedicated to the memory of his wife, Peggy Rockefeller. The Stone Barns Center’s mission is to demonstrate, teach and promote sustainable, community-based food production. Open to visitors of all ages but with an emphasis on K-12 education, the Center offers a unique experience: a chance to learn about farming firsthand on a real working farm within a 30-minute drive of New York City. Livestock, chickens, vegetables, gardens, greenhouses a learning facility and cultural center demonstrate to the public the advantages of local, community-based farming and environmentally sensitive agricultural practices. The Center is also home to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a four star restaurant that offers guests a taste of the farm and of the Hudson Valley.
TuneIn to our 40 minute conversation to hear about the future of farming, its workforce, our connection with food and how we can all be a part moving forward.
www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 78: Paul Rice – founder, President & CEO of Fair Trade, USA. – ft. co-host Jennifer Hashley, founder of New Market Farming project ||
What about the folks producing our food? Tune in to episode 78 to hear from Paul Rice, founder, President & CEO of Fair Trade USA, the social enterprise and leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America.
On a mission to impact social and environmental good, Fair Trade USA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. Since its launch, Fair Trade USA and its partners have generated almost $500 million in additional income for farmers and workers in more than 70 countries worldwide, allowing them to keep their kids in school, care for the land and steadily improve their livelihoods. Fair Trade USA sets standards that farms, fisheries and factories must be audited against in order to be called Fair Trade Certified. With a beginning in coffee, the organization now certifies over thirty commodities. A timely conversation as the global coffee market price is at a ten year low, Paul shares what Fair Trade is continuing to do to improve farmer livelihoods and enact long term sustainable development. He’ll talk about what Fair Trade for all means to him and the organization and the power of collective bargaining. The Fair Trade USA seafood program just celebrated it’s 5th anniversary and he will share how it came to be and the importance of contributing to the seafood sustainability space. Lastly will check in on the vision for the future and how Fair Trade aligns with the conscious consumer of today.
BIO: He launched the award-winning nonprofit organization in 1998 after spending 11 years organizing farmers in the highlands of Nicaragua. There he founded and led the country’s first Fair Trade coffee export cooperative, which introduced him to the transformative power of market-based approaches to sustainable development. Paul Rice then returned to the United States to obtain his MBA from Berkeley Haas with the dream of bringing Fair Trade to consumers, businesses and farmers worldwide.
PAUL RICE – ep. 78: FAIR TRADE FOR ALL People called him crazy in the beginning, but Paul had a bold vision for Fair Trade: from his years in Nicaragua, he knew that farmers and workers could learn to navigate the global market and empower themselves on a journey out of poverty. He believed that business could become a major force for social and environmental change, creating “shared value” and sustainability with profitability. He envisioned a consumer awakening and recognition that everyday purchases can impact the world for the better. In short, Paul believed deeply that the Fair Trade movement would have a major impact on the world and also help propel a much larger, lasting shift toward Conscious Capitalism. Twenty years later, Fair Trade has grown into a widely-known and increasingly mainstream consumer trend that is rapidly approaching an inflection point. In 2016, consumer recognition of the Fair Trade Certified label reached 67% and U.S. retail sales of Fair Trade products grew to an estimated $6 billion. Paul and his team have enlisted the support of over 1,300 companies, including market leaders like Green Mountain, Starbucks, Nespresso, General Mills, PepsiCo, Whole Foods, Costco, Target and Walmart. Fair Trade USA now certifies coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, coconut, fresh fruits and vegetables. Most recently, through groundbreaking partnerships with Patagonia, West Elm and Gap Inc., Fair Trade has begun certifying apparel and home furnishings to improve working conditions and incomes for factory workers. Paul’s rich, first-hand experience over the last 30 years in the areas of sustainable agriculture, grassroots economic development, global supply chain transparency and consumer activation is unique in the certification world. He is now a leading advocate of “impact sourcing” as a core strategy for both poverty alleviation and sustainable business. Paul has been honored for his pioneering work by Ashoka, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Fast Company Magazine’s Social Capitalist of the Year award (four-time winner), Ethisphere’s 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics, Entrepreneur magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year (2012 Finalist) and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Texas-native holds an Economics and Political Science degree from Yale University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he is now an Executive Fellow. Paul has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Skoll World Forum, TEDx and universities & conferences around the world.
summary by: Mel Bandler Retail Partnerships @ FairTrade USA www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 77: John Roulac, founder & Chief Hemp Officer at RE Botanicals. Roulac is founder & former CEO of superfood and hemp industry leader – Nutiva || On episode 77 we welcome John Roulac – founder & Chief Hemp officers at RE Botanicals. For the production of Fiber and CBD, the potential reach and Hemp’s total production footprint is vast. So, is this the perfect opportunity to prove out the many values of regenerative agriculture for diverse stakeholders in broader markets? John Roulac thinks so, and we sit down for a few to learn more about it.
John Roulac started natural and superfoods brand Nutiva in 1999 because of his deeply held belief that it is his purpose to challenge the industrial food model and create a better food system to nourish people, communities, and our planet. Through his leadership, Nutiva has become one of the fastest-growing superfoods company in the world. Nutiva has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing private companies in America for seven years in a row – with sales topping $100mm in 2015.
As you’ll hear in our 45 conversation the vast majority of USA grown hemp uses harsh chemical fertilizers, rotated with industrial GMO corn and soy and contributes to climate change and ocean die off. As John tells us – RE Botanicals is commitment to the highest quality, and insures you that the product you consume is pure and organic. They source differentiated products in a new world of Hemp production. For your future CBD needs – might want to look under the hood a bit and determine for yourself why Sourcing Matters.
TuneIn to hear what’s going on with the future production of hemp, and regenerative agriculture in the United States.
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Ep. 76: Luke Holden, CEO & Founder of Luke’s Lobster || On episode 76 of Sourcing Matters we welcome CEO & founder of Luke’s Lobster – Luke Holden. Luke’s Lobster first opened its doors in the East Village of New York City in 2009. The company brings traceable, sustainable seafood to guests across the country. They work directly with fishermen to hand pick the best seafood, and serve that straight from the source, prepared pure and simple, without the filler. They’ve systematically chosen partners who uphold our commitment to sourcing superior, sustainable ingredients and strive to support other small businesses, many of which are based in Maine or local to the cities where they maintain their Lobsters shacks.
BIO: Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third-generation lobsterman who started learning the trade at age 13. After attending Georgetown University and beginning an investment banking career on Wall Street, Luke was remiss to find that every lobster roll available in New York was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one.
In the 10 years since launching, Holden and his partners have worked to vertically integrate the business to insure the highest quality products with guaranteed integrity and provenance. Growing up in the industry has afforded Holden a high level of clout with with the lobsterman, harvesters and fishermen in Tenants Harbor Maine who source his product. We learn that the experience and support that Luke’s father offered from running Maine’s largest lobster processing facility gave their team at Luke’s Lobsters the insight and knowhow to launch a processing facility in Saco. This infrastructure has since expedited growth to now service 30 domestic, and 11 international Shacks, as well as their wholesale account Whole Foods.
In our 40 minute discussion we learn more about what this thought-leader is doing to protect his fishery in the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine. We chat about full carcass utilization of the lobster, and about the economic viability of the fishery and its future crop. We discuss product differentiation, and diversifying the offerings of both their producers/ harvesters, and of his growing $30mm business.
TuneIn to hear about the future of the iconic Maine lobster.
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Ep. 75: Teresa Ish, Program Officer of the Environment @ The Walton Family Foundation || On Sourcing Matters episode 75 we welcome Teresa Ish – Oceans Initiative Program Officer at The Walton Family Foundation. Ish manages grants in the Environment Program that leverage the power of the supply chain to advocate for more sustainable fisheries.
Weeks prior to recording I had the opportunity to meet with Ish at the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston. Teresa provided a walking tour of the SENA floor – introducing us to three change agents in the future of fisheries:
- Casey Marion – the Director of Sustainability Initiatives for Quality Management for Florida based Sea Best. Casey shared with us some of the systems they’ve introduced to better understand sophisticated supply chains in global fisheries.
- Mauricio Orellana – a leader in the Octopus fishery on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. We learn first hand about this unique example of a future responsible fishery built to service its community of fisherman through first appreciating its resources. – We also learn a bit more about the soul of an Octopus.
- Our final stop was in my native New England waters. We learn from Richard Stavis – of the iconic brand, Stavis Seafood; Luke Holden – founder of Luke’s Lobster; Dick Jones of Ocean Outcomes, and Sean Murphy of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. This gathering was focused on trends in fisheries and seafood sourcing – on advancements which are better meshing with modern consumer interests.
Our 40 minute podcast discussion follows this walking tour of SENA. We discuss each stop along the way, as well as the Walton Family Foundation’s 2020 Environment Strategic Plan. We chat about education, and the potential of integrating outreach, education and investment into stable ecosystems – which begins & ends with healthy oceans. TuneIn to hear about what one leading foundation is doing to protect our seas; our future! BIO: Before joining the foundation, Teresa Ish was the seafood project manager for the Corporate Partnerships Program at Environmental Defense Fund, where she worked with leading seafood buyers to develop and implement sustainable seafood purchasing policies. During her tenure at EDF, she played an instrumental role in merging the organization’s seafood buyer work and its extensive experience in the fishery policy arena. Prior to joining EDF, she co- founded FishWise and served as its director of science. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 74: Live recorded from Treefort music festival in Boise, Idaho – Chef & food system advocate Kris Komori, and farmer & seed propagator Beth Rasgorshek || –
For Sourcing Matters episode 74 we join chef & food system advocate Kris Komori, and farmer and seed propagation Beth Rasgorshek for a conversation @ The Treefort music festival in Boise, ID – recorded in-front of a live audience.
With three consecutive James Beard nods, Kris Komori is the rock star of Idaho’s chef world. A graduate of the College of Idaho, he sharpened his kitchen skills in Portland before moving to the Gem State. Komori’s creative, constantly changing menus drew fast admiration when State & Lemp opened in 2013. Most recently, he and his team have been developing a new concept and restaurant that will launch in downtown Boise soon.
Beth Rasgorshek has worn many hats: journalist, pioneering CSA farmer, flour producer and now seed farmer. Today, Rasgorshek grows certified organic vegetable seeds on seven tillable acres at Canyon Bounty Farm in Mampa. She now raises and sells both small-seeded and big-seeded crops like green beans, dry beans, edamame, various flower seeds, watermelon, muskmelon, peppers, wheat, leeks and onion.
We’re a lot more alike than different. That’s said about people from areas all over the world. But, when it comes to farmers and food producers – the similarity and bond is unquestionable. With the regenerative agriculture revolution we’re discovering that we have friends and like minded brethren on every corner of planet -and- increasingly everywhere in between. TuneIn to hear about what’s going on in Idaho. Learn how our problems with a common enemy could ultimately unite our diverse stakeholder for battle.
ABOUT TREEFORT: The Treefort Music Fest is a five-day, indie rock festival which is held at numerous venues throughout downtown Boise, Idaho in late March. Treefort has been called “the west’s best SXSW alternative” and Boise’s preeminent artistic, cultural and musical happening which has “morphed from quirky music festival to consuming community event. It has also been characterized as a “music lover’s joyous mayhem” which showcases and amplifies the soul of Boise.
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On Sourcing Matters episode 73 we welcome Adam Kesselman, Executive Director & board member of the The Center for Ecoliteracy -&- Vince Caguin, Director of Nutrition Services & Warehousing Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento CA.
Kesselman’s programs encourage schools to teach and model education for sustainable living – beginning with a good diet. The students that Adam and Vince work with have an opportunity to experience and understand how nature sustains life and how to live accordingly. One such program – California Thursdays – now servers over 334 million school meals a year, which accounts for 33% of the school meals in California. Every meal serves California-grown, for California kids – and of which has focus on food quality and integrity from the source. Economists estimate that every dollar spent on local food can generate up to an additional $1.40 in spending, supporting local economies. So, built upon that – what’s it worth to any of us to provide our kids and our neighbor’s kids preventative healthcare and good consumption habits – things that tend to carry-on for a lifetime.
In our 40 minute discussion we chat about the importance of regional production models, and how to own – our own – provenance. We discuss that we’re not all California! We learn of current initiatives that have seen success; with some home runs in there that could see continued Statewide growth, and capacity for a replicable model for other parts of the US. We learn what keeps their current programs afloat, and what steps they’re taking to motivate diverse stakeholders to partake in these rewarding programs.
Could the buying power of hundreds or thousands of neighborhood schools be pooled to encourage regional production capacity? What’s the worth of purchase commitments from districtwide buyers? California has demonstrated that you can guarantee supply of fresh, quality and clean food on a school’s budget – through supporting the growth of modern regional farming infrastructure.
TuneIn to hear about this New School Food plan coming out of California. And, how parts of this approach may very well be helpful to you and your region - where ever that may be.
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Ep. 72: Jon Cianfrani – Producer, Director, Editor at ZPZ Production || On Sourcing Matters episode 72 we welcome Jonathan Cianfrani – documentary & television producer/ editor/ director at Zero Point Zero Production. Over the past ten years Jon Cianfrani has travelled the world in pursuit of unique stories and creative ways to tell them. He’s been involved in all aspects of capturing and curating these stories through documentary film and television.
From episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” and the PBS & Netflix program – “Mind of a Chef” – Cianfrani has been worked as a producer, director and editor for New York City – based – Zero-Point-Zero (ZPZ) production. Most recently, Jon directed the feature documentary titled “Fermented” which is scheduled to air online in April 2019. Hosted by Chef Edward Lee, the film poses the question: “What is Fermentation?” to chefs and artisans on the west coast, Chicago, and rural Japan.
Joining as co-host for this conversation is Jay Vilar – the founder and practitioner at ‘Nourish’ – a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health. Jay has always been on the forefront of using optimal health techniques, and bio-hacking his nutrition to achieve remarkable results in his career.
In our 40 minute discussion we learn more about what it was like to work with Tony Bourdain. We discuss numerous food categories where cold-firing – or living microbes – are used to value-ad food stuff. From beer, miso, bread, pickles, salami, kombucha, cheese and more – we hear from Jon about the combination of art and science used in fermentation, and how his recent film explores how these offerings impact our lives, our health and that of the makers. TuneIn to learn more about this culture of food.
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Ep. 71: Marc Oshima - CMO & co-founder of AeroFarms || On Sourcing Matters episode 71 we welcome Marc Oshima, co-founder & CMO of AeroFarms. An award-winning marketer and passionate about food, Oshima has led the marketing for major supermarket chains and specialty food retailers. With his B.A. from Columbia College and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Marc is also Board Co-Chair of Chefs Collaborative, a 25 year old non-profit improving our sustainable food systems, and a member of the United Fresh Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council.
AeroFarms is a leading clean-technology champion, building and operating state-of-the art indoor vertical farms in major cities around the world. Helping set new culinary standards for freshness and flavor, AeroFarms has been recognized as a Global Cleantech 100, Inc.com’s Top 25 Disruptive Companies, Winner of the World Technology Award for Most Impactful Environmental Company, and Finalist for The Circular Awards of The World Economic Forum.
It's argued in Dickson Despommier’s book - ‘Vertical Farming - feeding the world in the 21st century’ that by 2050 - 80% of the world’s population with live in Urban environments. So, why should we continue to ship our food from remote Rural environments that often use antiqued and wasteful techniques - which are increasingly susceptible to disruption and risk? TuneIn to hear what one of the market leaders has to say about this future of food production - local, abroad and beyond.
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Ep. 70: Elizabeth Whitlow – Executive Director of Regenerative Organic Alliance || On Sourcing Matters episode 70 we welcome Elizabeth Whitlow – Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). In early 2018, the ROA was formed as a non-profit cohort of organizations and businesses led by Rodale Institute, Patagonia, and Dr. Bronner’s. These vested founders began the process of developing a Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) – a unique, high-bar agricultural standard that leverages the foundation of USDA certified organic – and elevates it steps further.
The goal of regenerative organic agriculture is to offer practical solutions to the world’s biggest social and ecological challenges. We’ve learned that we’re beyond the point of sustainability and we need to regenerate the soil and land that supports us, the animals that nourish us, and the farmers and workers that feed us. This has developed into a call to action of the ROA and defined a path forward where we’re all part of the solution.
In our 45 minute conversation we discuss the iterative approach that Elizabeth and her supporters are taking in rolling-out the ROC standards. We learn how the industry can begin to better incentivize on-ramping of more producers and suppliers that will implement elevated production standards to source differentiated food for the benefit of human, animal and planetary health. We assess the roles of the different stakeholders, and how that all comes to fruition through the actions of consumers. We discuss how these new high-bar standards relate to Soil Health, Animal Welfare & Social Fairness, and what that means for broader audiences of both farmers and eaters.
Elizabeth Whitlow has dedicated her career in regenerative agriculture to further the impact of high-bar certifications. Prior to taking the helm at the ROA, in her most recent role as EarthClaims’ director of certification she oversaw a team working to provide private, third-party verification services for animal welfare, grass-fed claims, antibiotic-free and customized audits to support specific marketing claims. Prior to EarthClaims, Elizabeth was a fellow at the Leadership for a Sustainable Future. Elizabeth also spent 16 years with California Certified Organic Farmers in roles ranging from reviewer, senior inspector, and livestock specialist to inspection operations manager.
TuneIn to hear what the future food system can actually turn into; and who’ll be leading the charge. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 69: Larry Feinberg – CEO & co-founder of KnipBio || On episode 69 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Larry Feinberg – CEO & Co-founder of KnipBio. A Boston-Based technology company pioneering advanced nutritional solutions for animal feeds since 2013, KnipBio offers a range of single cell protein products that come from non-food feedstocks. It’s their mission to secure the quality and safety of food globally, in a sustainable, cost-effective way. KnipBio has just recently eared a GRAS Green Light from FDA for Novel Aquafeed Protein. The sky is now the limit for these social innovators set on using financial return to do more good.
Accounting for over 50% of total seafood sourced, aquaculture has developed some scale issues.. It’s not as simple as saying that we’ll continue to move in the direction of farming more fish. It’s not just about the higher trophic level fish we consume. The issue is that much of the aquaculture infrastructure is reliant on pulling from the smaller fish in the sea – to feed the larger fish we consume. The alternative feedstuff for our aquaculture fish can also often soy, or other crops grown on land using input-based conventional practice leading to an unsustainable perpetual cycle of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Prior to launching this revolutionary company, Larry Feinberg, PhD. completed his doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts where he focused on biogeochemistry, physiology and genetics of hyperthermophilic microbes. He has deep expertise in early-stage technology ventures and bio-product discovery. At Mascoma Corporation, he led the Organism Discovery group and New Business Opportunities team.
Tune to hear more about the state of the oceans, our fisheries and the future of aquaculture. In our 40 minute conversation we learn about how Larry and his team at KnipBio are set on developing a more sustainable model for producing enough seafood to feed half the world by looking at from a microscopic POV.
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Ep. 68: Christine Todd Whitman – Vice Chair of Eisenhower Fellowship board, the 50th Governor of New Jersey, and former Administrator of the EPA for President George W. Bush || On episode 68 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Governor Christine Todd Whitman, the Vice Chair of the Eisenhower Fellowships board of Trustees. Joining as co-host is Eisenhower Fellow, Jennifer Hashley – the founder of the The New Entry Sustainable Farming project, and Pete & Jen’s Backyard Birds.
Governor Whitman is American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey, from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. Whitman was New Jersey’s first and, to date, only female governor, and also the first Republican woman to be reelected governor. Governor Christine Whitman is currently President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues.
From Jan. 1994 – Jan. 2001 – Whitman served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey. During our dialogue we learn that the Governor of the State of New Jersey constitutionally has the most power of any Governor in all of the 50 states. We must understand that during her tenure – Christie Whitman earned praise from both Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was also recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as having instituted the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation.
As part of our 45 minute conversation we discuss her transformative work with the EPA to introduce legislation which held perpetrators for Brownfield contamination (a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination) accountable. We learn that it was Ronald Reagan who introduced climate change as cornerstone in the national security discussion. Now, using that as a call to action for all leaders no matter which side of the aisle, Whitman clearly differentiates between climate concerns vs. weather. And, how polarization and finger pointing has been impetus for a political divide tied appreciation for climate change which has arisen together over the past 20 years ago.
As the Vice Chair of the Eisenhower Fellowship Board of trustees we learn how Gov. Whitman’s current role as an ambassador and mentor to a global community of future leaders continues to inspire her work. Core to the mission of the fellowship program, Whitman states that “We have more alike than different.” When asked what advice she has for folks seeking hiring office or for those seeking to become a Head of State – she explains “do the job you’re in, and the next one will come with hard work and commitment.” Great advice for us all.
TuneIn to hear more from this Agent of Change.
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Ep. 67: Secretary Dan Glickman - Executive Dir. of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program -&- former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture || On episode 67 of Sourcing Matters we're joined by Secretary Dan Glickman. Secretary Glickman is currently the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program - a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. Dan Glickman served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from March 1995 until January 2001. Under his leadership, the Department administered farm and conservation programs; modernized food safety regulations; forged international trade agreements to expand U.S. markets; and improved its commitment to fairness and equality in civil rights.
Prior to heading the USDA for President Clinton, Dan Glickman also served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. During that time, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal farm policy issues.
Additionally, Sec. Glickman is the 6th member of the PEW commission on industrial farm animal production that we’ve profiled on Sourcing Matters. The 2007 PEW commission report was a study of the Impact of Industrial (US) Farm Animal Production on issues of public health, environment, animal welfare and social justice. It was a monumental series of reports that has established a new way forward for consumers and the industry to re-introduce values and ethics back into many of the proteins we eat.
During our 40 minute conversation we also discuss Secretary Glickman's 7 years as Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). His time spent as Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and we chat about a few of the boards he sits on - including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Communities in Schools; Food Research and Action Center, National 4-H Council; and the Center for U.S. Global Engagement.
TuneIn to hear what this well rounded thought-leader has to say about our food, agriculture, policy and the current administration. This one you don't want miss! www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 66: Rob Burns - co-founder & President of Night Shift Brewery -ft. co-host: Jay Vilar of Nourish || On the show we’ve discussed wine, weed, all kinds of meats, seafood, breads, vegetables, sweets, coffee, savories and nearly everything else on the table. But, what brings it all together better than anything else? What not only pairs with all, but enhances each with every gulp - well, it's beer!
On episode 66 of Sourcing Matters we jump into the evolving world of craft beer. Rob Burns, President and co-founder of Night Shift brewery joins us to discuss a journey into differentiated beer focused on craft and quality. Hey, I think you should listen as this is my beer of choice.
Spawned in the birthplace of agriculture, society and culture - this original fermented brew was first stumbled upon back in the 5th millennium BC. Since, that process of mixing four simple ingredients - water, malt, hops and yeast - has been keeping gut health balanced, our drinking water clean, and smiles on our faces all over the world. As I get older, that keeping gut balanced means not just a healthy microflora, but keeping our beer guts in check, and not hanging over the belt!
The world of beer is changing quickly as consumers interests evolve. According to the Brewers Association, in 2017, craft brewer sales accounted for 12.7 percent of the U.S. beer market by volume. In 2007, craft brewer sales accounted for a mere 3.8 percent of the U.S. beer market. During our 40 minute conversation we explore how beer has paved a path for differentiating more food categories. After all, it's the same consumer buying this craft beer as we seek to connect with for food produced using elevated production standards. Joining the conversation as cohost is Jay Vilar - the founder, and a Practitioner at ‘Nourish’ - a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health.
Join in on our exciting and engaging conversation on something near and dear to most of us all. Cheers!
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Ep. 65: Dr. Molly Jahn - Prof. Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison - Dept. of Agronomy; the Nelson Institute; the Global Health Institute; and chairs the Scientific Advisory Council of Energy & Environment @ DOE Oak Ridge Labs || Dr. Molly Jahn is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Agronomy, the Nelson Institute, and the Global Health Institute, and chairs the Scientific Advisory Council of the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate at the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Professor Jahn leads a global alliance of research organizations focused on building and testing modern knowledge systems for sustainability. An award-winning teacher and researcher, Jahn also consults globally for business, governments, philanthropic organizations and others.
During our 45 minute conversation we gain Dr. Jahn's perspective on what it'll take to address climate change on a planet of 7.6 billion people. We also discuss how our current approach in producing food and using water are in fact one of the most pressing National security concerns. Dr. Jahn shares how the Government shutdown at the end of '18 / early '19 is impacting real science which so vital in dealing with climate issues in a timely fashion. And, how that science is now losing traction under current governance.
Dr. Molly Jahn has previously served as dean of the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. From 2009-10, she served as Deputy and Acting Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jahn has >100 peer-reviewed publications and >60 active commercial licenses. She has numerous awards, fellowships and lectureships for her research, teaching and outreach. In 2014, she was named the first Lilian Martin Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Martin School. Her innovative approaches to inter-sector partnership, engagement with emerging institutions and integrated large projects focused on impact and technology transfer have been highlighted in a number of studies and books. She has served on numerous boards and scientific advisory panels around the world including the US National Academies of Science Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, NASA’s Applied Sciences Advisory Council.
It was an honor getting to speak with Dr. Molly Jahn about food, science, the climate and about the power of hope and potential. TuneIn to hear more.
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Ep. 64: Thor Sigfusson - Founder & Chairman of the Iceland Ocean Cluster || On episode 64 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Icelandic entrepreneur, author and speaker Thor Sigfusson to the show. Thor is the founder & chairman of Iceland Ocean Cluster. It's the mission of the Iceland Ocean Cluster (IOC) to create value in the seafood industry and for the planet by connecting together entrepreneurs, businesses and knowledge for future marine industries. To serve this mission, Thor and his team have established a new type of working forum that will incubate and propagate new ideas for our future fisheries.
Beginning with the Ocean Cluster House in Reykjavik harbor - The Iceland Ocean Cluster is now pooling together satellite locations in coastal cities of the US, and eventually the World - in effort to work in unison in tackling many of the biggest problems facing our shrinking planet. Each cluster site will be filled with like minded entrepreneurs and a business ecosystem to support and invest in a replicable model for a modern marine innovation economy. During our 40 minute conversation we learn that fishing communities around the globe have many similar fish-to-fry. We learn that there are fundamental problems with an antiquated seafood industry, and in dealing with our warming Oceans which need new perspective - now!
Previous to spawning the IOC, Sigfusson co-founded Codland. He’s also launched a few food halls in Iceland, and he's responsible for the creation of the Ocean House. Additionally, he's written five books on topics of international business, knowledge networks and salmon. Schooled in the US, and most recently spending a good amount of time in New England and the Northwest - we ask Thor for his perspective on the current state of affairs of US fisheries. TuneIn to hear his surprising response.
The need for action on these big problems we face together is real and it's immediate. Sigfusson has been busy curating a fresh crop of smart and passionate folks set on doing well by doing great good through defining solutions of change. It's Sigfusson's goal to leverage his overworked coffee machine and the engaging interactions that it's brewed to steer a new blue food economy for the betterment of Iceland; for the betterment of the world.
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Ep. 63: Lucas St. Clair - Founder of the 'Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument' -ft. co-host: Jay Vilar of Nourish ||
120 years ago Teddy Roosevelt started the US national park system to protect and preserve shared resources. We're hard pressed to believe that in our current political landscape - and with a compounding national debt - that our Federal Government would acquire any new large swaths of land for ecosystem and natural environment conservation. In fact, it been the exact opposite as more conserved land gets squeezed with every congressional cycle. Well, there's a guy in the Maine woods who's got a solution for this problem. Lucas St. Clair's has adapted an innovative approach of succession that could attract more good folks of resources to look at land preservation as their way of giving back, and for planning for a more stable future.
On episode 63 we welcome Lucas St. Clair - the founder of 'Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument' - a U.S. National Monument spanning 87,563 acres of mountains and forestland in northern Penobscot County, Maine, just off the eastern border of Maine's Baxter State Park.
We begin our conversation discussing St. Clair's extensive efforts to turn Maine Woods & Waters into a national monument. We learn of the communities in Maine's 2nd. Of the logging empires, and of their recent demise. We learn more about his run for Congress in 2018, and what drives him to serve at the will of the people. A native to the Maine woods, we hear a bit of the lineage of the iconic brand his family spawned - 'Burt's Bees'. It sounds like good values were adhered to in both the household, and the brand.
Joining as cohost is Jay Vilar, founder and a Practitioner at ‘Nourish’ - a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health. He attributes his success to principles he learned studying health, nutrition, and business principles on increasing your energy, sharpening your mind, being a more productive human being.
TUNEiN to this conversation. www.SourcingMatters.show
ep. 62: Natasha Lamb - Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager at Arjuna Capital ||
Sustainable investing starts with the understanding that a just society, a healthy environment, and competitive financial returns are all “bottom line” issues - explains our guest for episode 62 - Natasha Lamb - Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager at Arjuna Capital. The Arjuna Capital team brings five decades of sustainable investing experience to their vision of better tomorrow. "Together, we invest in the kind of world we want to live in."
Arjuna Capital works with high net-worth individuals, families, and foundations to create a suite of sustainable investments that makes sense to and for the client. At the heart of these relationships is an ongoing, in-depth conversation about the ways clients want their money put to work.
Lamb has quickly become a powerhouse in Stakeholder Activation. Her efforts have some of the biggest companies in the land adhering to changing societal norms and common sense action. Her work in the last few years has instigated pay equality for women and minorities at giants like: Apple, Intel, Microsoft - financial institutions: J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Mastercard, and retail players - Amazon, Nike, Starbucks.
In our 40 minute dialogue we discuss place-based investing, divesting, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, sustainable Ag, and more. TuneIn to hear how this rising star with an impressive track record has set her sights on food & the environment.
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Ep. 61: A.G. Kawamura, Founding Member Orange County Produce -ft. cohost: Scott Soares, former Mass Ag Commish & shellfish farming leader || A.G. Kawamura is third generation fruit and vegetable grower and shipper from Orange County. He is the former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (2003-2010). As a progressive urban farmer, A.G. has a lifetime of experience working within the shrinking rural and urban boundaries of Southern California. Through his company, Orange County Produce, LLC, he is engaged in building an exciting, interactive 21st century 100 acre agricultural showcase at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA.
In our 45 minute conversation we discuss California's massive impact on our food system. We also discuss climate, water, citrus, berries & produce, the Government, and the system as a whole.
Joining-in as cohost is the talented and knowledgable Scott Soares. Soares is former commissioner of Massachusetts Agriculture, and served as the Director of USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the Obama administration. Scott has 15 years of fishery and aquaculture experience prior to that - including early in his career serving as the 1st Massachusetts coordinator of aquaculture for nearly a decade. TuneIn.
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Ep. 60: John Bullard - Former Regional Administrator, Great Atlantic Regions NOAA Fisheries & past Mayor of New Bedford, MA || As Regional Administrator of the Greater Atlantic Region for NOAA fisheries - John Bullard helped manage 44 fish stocks, including scallop and lobster, which - according to NOAA are worth $500 million each. During his tenure, Bullard oversaw efforts to reduce entanglements for marine life in the Atlantic Ocean and helped develop strategies to repopulate rivers in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. In 2016, John approved the Mid-Atlantic Council’s deep-sea coral amendment, which protected 15 deep-sea canyons totaling 24 million acres. Additionally, and probably what many of our listeners will be familiar with is your work investigating notorious fisheries mob-boss Carlos Rafael.
In episode 60 of Sourcing Matters John Bullard also shares some interesting stories about his roles prior to the Greater Atlantic Region at NOAA Fisheries. John Bullard (1) was past mayor of New Bedford, (2) he had a lead role at NOAA Sustainability within the Clinton administration, (3) he was past president of Sea Education Association, and as younger man he received a BA From Harvard and Masters in Architecture from MIT. An engaging dude with some interesting stories to tell.
I hope our listening audience that are out on the water everyday listen to this conversation with John. You'll be especially interested to hear his POV, and to learn whose corner he's truly in. Tune-In
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Ep. 59: Bernie Rollin - author & Distinguished Professor of philosophy, animal sciences & biomedical sciences at Colorado State || Bernard Rollin is a distinguished professor of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University. Rollin is a leading scholar in animal rights and animal consciousness. Dr. Rollin has authored numerous influential books in the field, including Animal Rights and Human Morality (1981), The Unheeded Cry: Animal Consciousness, Animal Pain and Scientific Change (1988), Farm Animal Welfare (1995), and Science and Ethics (2006). Bernie joins us for episode 59: Our Animal Consciousness.
Bernie Rollin helped co-author the 1985 amendments to Animal welfare Act - which was originally signed into law in 1966 by Lyndon Johnson. In our 45 minute discussion Rollin shares what has and hasn't changed in the thirty year since penning the key amendments. The inclusion and awareness of Rollin's work has change laws and practice relating to animal suffering in food production, laboratory work, and within societal norms. In the five decades he's been at this - his work has literally aided hundreds of billions of animals.
Tune in to hear what this matter of fact change-agent has done to better this place.
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For episode 58 we're lucky to be joined by David R. Montgomery. A MacArthur Fellow and professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington, Montgomery is an internationally recognized geologist who studies landscape evolution and the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He is the author of numerous scientific papers and has been featured in documentary films, network and cable news, and on a wide variety of TV and radio programs.
In his book 'Growing a Revolution', Montgomery introduces us to farmers around the world at the heart of a brewing soil health revolution that could bring humanity’s ailing fertile grounds back to life remarkably fast. Montgomery assessed different approaches being used to instigate health into the living systems making up our food. It's called Regenerative, and with it agriculture can help cure what ails us, and the planet. Cutting through standard debates about conventional and organic farming, Montgomery explores why practices based on the principles of conservation agriculture help restore soil health and fertility. Drawing on visits to farms in the industrialized and developing worlds he finds that the combination of no-till planting, cover crops, and diverse crop rotations provides a profitable recipe to rebuild soil organic matter. Farmers using these unconventional practices cultivate beneficial soil life, smother weeds, and suppress pests while spending far less on diesel, fertilizer and pesticides. It's revolutionary stuff.
With his wife Anne Biklé, David is currently framing out his fourth book. We learned that with "What your food eats" - working title of this latest deep dive - this husband & wife writing duo seek to connect soil fertility to human health. Anne and David have also worked together to pen the book 'Dirt' —about the plight of soil and what we've done to it since the dawn of agriculture. And, 'The Hidden Half of Nature', a revealing exploration of how microbial life underpins the health of soil and, even our own bodies.
It's great to speak with David. He's always a wealth of information. His concise and logical explanations of complex subject matter and interconnected systems is pretty special. That comes across in his books, and it came across in 45 minute conversation. I listening in pre-production I realized that this may be the guy who may finally stitch soil health -to- human health. That would be a game changer in establishing broader awareness and appreciation to the fact the Sourcing Matters first. An investment in food and its production is our silver bullet of change.
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On episode 57 we welcome Gabe Brown - farmer, businessman, author and soil health pioneer. Gabe, along with his wife, Shelly, and son, Paul, own and operate a diversified 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, N.D. Their operation focuses on farming and ranching in nature’s image. The Browns holistically integrate their grazing and no-till cropping system, which includes a wide variety of cash crops along with multi-species cover crops and all-natural, grass-fed beef, poultry and sheep. This diversity and integration has regenerated the natural resources on the ranch without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides. Over 2,000 people visit the Brown’s ranch annually with visitors from all 50 states and 16 foreign countries
Brown has recently released the book "Dirt to Soil" - which described their personal voyage into regenerative agriculture. This insight gained over a these decades has established a knowledge-base. In his this first book Gabe Brown has distilled all that complexity into five (5) principles of a healthy soil-ecosystem:
- No disturbance (no-till, no-synthetics)
- Bolstering Soil's Natural Defense (the outer-layer protecting all that life)
- Bio-diversity (marrying nature's way keeps the system healthy)
- A living root in the ground as long as possible (covercrops & seasonal diversity)
- Animal & Insect integration (nature relies on the entire system working together)
Nutritionist Jay Vilar joins again as co-host. Vilar is the founder, and a practitioner at ‘Nourish’ – a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health. Jay has always been on the forefront of using optimal health techniques, and bio-hacking his nutrition to achieve remarkable results in his career. Jay now spends his time teaching people how to use food to heal their body and speaks to businesses on how to optimize focus & productivity using nutritional and behavioral science. Jay recently completed a Fellowship at the Rodale Institute, and just relocated from DC to join our crew in Boston.
It's a fascinating 45 minute conversation with a guy who has a unique ability to tell it like it is. To clarify and simplify some pretty sophisticated subject matter so that we can all better appreciate the broad-reaching values that soil health and regenerative agriculture can bring to our world.
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On episode 56 we welcome newly appointed CEO of AquaBounty, Sylvia Wulf for an engaging conversation that explores a new frontier of food production. Wulf is an industry leader who's directly responsible for coaxing large scale production and distribution to become more sustainable, more responsible and more appreciative of market trends of a modern consumer over the last 25 years.
Prior to AquaBounty, Sylvia was President of StockYards, SVP of Merchandising, and President of the Manufacturing Division for US Foods. A $23 billion broad line foodservice distributor, US Foods is the the 2nd largest foodservice distributor in the US. Wulf was responsible for the P&L of the $10 billion protein and produce categories and the $1 billion Manufacturing Division of U.S. Foods Meat, Seafood and Produce operations. While leading this anchor division, Wulf developed a source to sale strategic approach that not only improved profitability but drove growth in market share at 3X the industry average. In her numerous roles responsibilities included the P&L of Perishables categories, centralized sourcing/replenishment, 15 manufacturing facilities for Meat and produce.
As of January 2019 Sylvia Wulf has taken the reins at known salmon producer and seafood innovator - AquaBounty. For the past 20 years AquaBounty has sought federal approval for their transgenic engineered fish which sets to localize domestic production while reducing the use of synthetics and antibiotics in their approach of farm raising fish. It's not the molecular scalpel used in tweaking RNA expressions as we've learned about with CRISPR, it's DNA manipulation. But, it's done for a different purpose and with different intent than we've seen with past GE or GMO crops so prevalent in seed production. The IP AquaBounty is interested in moving is a methodology for producing fish, cleaner and healthier fish they say. It's surely not designed to move more harmful proprietary chemicals sterilizing soils and the planet. And, BTW - the fish they produce are sterile, so there's no concern with cross-pollination with natural stock.
It's fascinating to explore this from a few different angles. No doubt it's a pressing and timely subject with a stigma. We must all appreciate that this is being rolled out, now - through-out the US. AquaBounty has FDA approval and will soon be part of our current food production system. What needs to be determined is how it's labeled. They've instituted numerous fail safes and they have a compelling message to why they believe the time is now to use their technology to clean-up many of the approaches used in farming fish. So, how do we all find commonality? How do we evaluate all the biological, ethical, social and environmental issues reaching our plate? Tune-In to hear more.
'Nutritionist to The Hill' Jay Vilar joins me as a first-time co-host. Vilar is the founder, and a practitioner at ‘Nourish’ - a bespoke consulting company with a mission to educate, teach, and train people on the benefits of using food to heal your body and optimize your health. Jay has always been on the forefront of using optimal health techniques, and bio-hacking his nutrition to achieve remarkable results in his career. Jay now spends his time teaching people how to use food to heal their body and speaks to businesses on how to optimize focus & productivity using nutritional and behavioral science. Jay recently completed a Fellowship at the Rodale Institute, and just relocated from DC to join our crew in Boston.
Sylvia Wulf knows large-scale production and food distribution. Throughout her career she's worked diligently to elevate standards and improve the experience for a broad swath of consumers and food animals. Tune-In to hear what she's up to in her latest venture - for many reasons I know our audience will find intrigue in this 45 minute conversation.
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On episode 55 we welcome Gray Harris, Senior Vice President of food systems at Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) in Brunswick Maine. Harris is responsible for the strategy, development and implementation of action-oriented business initiatives in the agriculture, food systems, and aquaculture and fisheries sectors. In her role, Gray assesses sector needs and identifies sources of specialized technical assistance and financing for start-up and expanding food businesses; this includes spearheading the development of funds for sector-specific lending and investing at CEI.
In our 45 minute conversation we discuss the ins and outs of investing in regional and sustainable food systems of the Northeast and beyond. CEI is a mission-driven lender and investor specializing in rural business development and financing. In Maine, and throughout the U.S., CEI helps to create economically and environmentally healthy communities in which all people, especially those with low incomes, can reach their full potential. CEI is unique with its dossier of offerings which include business loans, micro-loans, new market tax credits, sub-debt loans, SBA 504 loans, business plans, marketing plans, business advising, financial advising, and public policy leadership.
Gray Harris is a former director of the Maine Farms for the Future program, a statewide business planning and grants program for Maine farmers. She participates in numerous action-oriented initiatives statewide, including the boards of Wolfe’s Neck Farm and the Maine Harvest Credit Union, the Tech Board of the Maine Technology Institute, and she’s a marathon runner! This all comes in handy with her role of conducting Maine’s Value chain.
Dutch-American agricultural economist Renée Vassilos joins again as our co-host. Stemming from fifteen years of agriculture industry know-how with John Deere and the USDA, Vassilos leverages her global cross-functional experience to support the growth of sustainability-focused agriculture business. We’re lucky to have her wealth of knowledge in the co-pilot seat for these types of conversations.
Tune-In to hear more from our conversation which ranged from place-based investment, circular economies, Maine fisheries and we profile the vertical integration of some of the best beer you’ll ever get to experience with Lunch!
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Dr. Alan Goldberg of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University joins us for episode 54 of Sourcing Matters. Goldberg is a professor of Toxicology, the Founding Director of the Johns Hopkins ‘Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing’, and a Principal of the Berman Institute Global Food Ethics Policy Program. In 2007 he was appointed to the Pew Commission on the Impact of Industrial Farm Animal Production.
Goldberg has served in several Administrative positions at Johns Hopkins. He was The Associate Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Director of the Division of Toxicology, and for 15 years was the Associate Dean at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. As a Dean, he was responsible for Research with specific responsibility for technology transfer, conflicts of interest, & work with the private Sector.
Ethics are: A set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values. Basically - “A guiding philosophy”. Dr. Goldberg's work over the last 50 years has reframed our perspective on ethics in food and animal management, and what the resulting impact means to each stakeholder. In 2007, Dr. Goldberg served as a PEW Commissioner on the study of the Impact of Industrial (US) Farm Animal Production, on issues of public health, environment, animal welfare and social justice. Listen-in and learn what Dr. Goldberg has to say about this monumental report which has reframed our approach to production and consumption of proteins, yet unexpectedly it's had almost no impact on our public policy. It's been the consumer acting as the agent of change in adopting ethics on the plate.
In early November 2018 Dr. Goldberg hosted The “ChooseFood” symposium in Baltimore. It was a gathering to evaluate some of the core ethical questions of food and its production. Top brass speakers shared insight on ethics of in food labor, environmental impact, externalities, animal welfare, health risk factors & new tech - all were on the docket. Coming it at from the food animal side It was a fascinating exercise for me to see how far we've come since the 2007 PEW commission report, what more needs to be done with food animal production, and how broad the aperture has grown to encapsulate ethics into our food and global production.
Joining again as co-host is Jennifer Hashley - founder of the The New Entry Sustainable Farming project, and Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds on the renowned Codman Community Farm in the heart of Lincoln MA.
Tune-in for our fascinating 45 minute conversation about all things related to food ethics.
ChooseFood offered an opportunity to learn from leaders with a vested interest in food and how we produce it. Hearing from these diverse stakeholders fighting a similar battle reminded me how much our food is so deeply intwined into family, beliefs, culture and society – no matter where you come from on the planet. I left the symposium wondering if food ethics could be that common development language which would transcend many of the current differences we find in each other? We’re so much more alike than different– could food ethics be a reminder if not the primary ingredient for this panacea? Not sure, but a goal to find some insight and codify better practices that harmonize us and our surroundings on a shrinking planet just seems like a good idea!
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On episode 53 of Sourcing Matters we welcome leadership from the The Carrot Project. Based out of Massachusetts, The Carrot Project creates a sustainable local farm and food economy by providing financing and business assistance so farm and food enterprises thrive. With a goal to foster a sustainable, diverse food system by supporting small and midsized farms and farm-related businesses - The Carrot Project is expanding accessible financing and increasing farm operations’ ability to use it to build successful, ecologically and financially sustainable, businesses.
Joining us for the 45 minute discussion is The Carrot Project founder and Executive Director Dorothy Suput. Suput's commitment to a sustainable food system grew out of the incredible contrasts between Midwestern agriculture, with which she grew up, and the locally focused food and farming system in Switzerland, where she lived after graduating with a BS from Purdue University. Following graduate school at Tufts, Dorothy worked as the first regional organizer on the 1995 Farm Bill for the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group under the auspices of the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, and subsequently, as a consultant for business and agency.
Also profiled in this episode is Julia Shanks, who serves as the Senior Business Advisor to The Carrot Project, and is owner & principal of Julia Shanks food Consulting. Shanks brings a broad range of professional experiences to her clients, from pilot to chef to serial entrepreneur. Julia received her professional training as a chef at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, her BA from Hampshire College and an MBA from Babson College. After more than 10 years of professional cooking, Julia became a college professor of accounting and now works with food businesses and farms, helping them maximize profits and streamline operations through business planning, feasibility studies and operational audits. Julia’s second book, The Farmer’s Office provides tips, tools and templates for farmers to successfully manage a growing farm business.
Co-host Jennifer Hashley of The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project happens to also be a strategic advisor to The Carrot Project, and as always, Jen brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to round out our interesting conversation. Tune-In to these agents of change focused on a more stable and regional food system based on pragmatic economic modeling and a better understanding of the interests of a modern consumer.
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On episode 52 we welcome Kevin Esvelt, Director of the MIT Media Lab Sculpting Evolution group. At the Media Lab, Esvelt and his world class team of geneticists & biologists invent new ways to study and influence the evolution of ecosystems. By carefully developing and testing these methods with openness and humility, the group seeks to address difficult ecological problems to benefit humanity & the natural world.
Prior to joining the MIT Media Lab, Esvelt wove many different areas of science into novel approaches to ecological engineering. He invented phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE), a synthetic microbial ecosystem for rapidly evolving biomolecules, in the laboratory of David R. Liu at Harvard University. At the Wyss Institute, he worked with George Church to develop the CRISPR system for genome engineering & regulation, and he began the use of bacteriophages and conjugation to engineer microbial ecosystems.
Esvelt is credited as the first to describe how CRISPR gene drives could be used to alter the traits of wild populations in an evolutionarily stable manner. And recently, he and his Sculpting Evolution group devised a new form of technology, called ‘daisy drives’, which lets communities aiming to prevent disease alter wild organisms in local ecosystems.
Esvelt offers some of the clearest descriptions of GMOs; CRISPR gene editing; a scientist's role as God while wielding the power of modern tech - and, what we do about that as a society - during our hour 1-hour discussion. Whether you're interested in Genetic Engineering or Fitness Landscapes defining evolutionary biology - this episode will spark your interest. I was just happy just to be along for the ride.
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For episode 51 we welcome critically acclaimed author Sonia Faruqi to the show. In our 40 minute discussion Faruqi goes deep into her recent work 'The Oyster Thief' which blends fantasy and environmental activism. It's a Sci-Fi novel which depicts an underwater civilization of mer-people themed amongst true ocean science, and acts of conservation living out in a deep-sea community. Tune-In and hear her out...
Think of if this way: Many folks have found their calling in STEM through an interest in Science Fiction - which was introduced to them at a young age. Our interests in space travel & Super Heroes have changed our society (and some's belief structure) within a generation. Sonia believes that the genre of Sci-Fi sparks interest and passion in young folks - and, this has incubated broader interest in more sciences & maths. Getting them interested in this stuff at a you age makes them inquisitive, and more adoptive of science through-out their life. That's a theory which has a great deal of merit.
Faruqi's previous work ‘Project Animal Farm’ was released in 2015. This non-fiction work looked at the world’s food system through chronicling a journey to 60 animal farms in 8 countries. Faruqi combines her hands-on immersive learning with analysis on modern global agricultural models. The well researched book comes in tow with recommendations, and food sustainability solutions for many of these international issues. She has some heavy hitters in food, agriculture and ocean health singing her praises.
So, If we're going to address the many issues facing our shrinking planet - our oceans - we'll need more great minds interested in planetary sciences. That's a fact. Environmental Sci-Fi seems to be an interesting strike-point to trigger more interest within the right groups, at the right time, for all the right reasons. Sonia Faruqi has me convinced!
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Elaine Ingham maintains an active schedule of classes and webinars focused on the most up-to-date knowledge about growing plants without pesticides or inorganic fertilizer. Ingham consults and educates large scale commercial cotton and soybean growers, large scale berry growers, as well as large commercial fruit producers as well as shrimp production. Tune-In to learn about the great things Elaine is doing for the savior underfoot.
Ingham is well known for her work on the USDA soil-primer based on a concept she coined called the “Soil Food Web.” Now, based on her decades of pioneering work as a soil microbiologist – Ingham has made it the objective of her company SoilFoodWeb.comto restore soil to its optimum state, anywhere at any scale.
What most may not know is about her efforts that saved humanity and all living planets on this planet. You see…
“In 1992 the Environmental Protection Agency was only a few weeks away from ending life on the planet as we know it,” so writes George Lawton in the April, 2001 issue of Acres USA (“A Voice For Eco-Agriculture”). Lawton reports that the EPA, although only having done limited tests at that time on a variety of genetically engineered microbes, all of which had been approved for release into the atmosphere, were prepared to approve the release of a GE variant of Klepsiella planticola (KP), one of the most common bacteria on the planet. “This particular variety of GE KP,” he writes, “had the unique ability to convert dead plant matter into alcohol. It was hoped that this would provide a way for farmers to transform their unused stalks, leaves and other types of compost material into alcohol, which could be used for washing, running vehicles. “ So, it’s worth giving a listen to our discussion to learn more about Elaine’s focus, her interests, and her scope on a stable and prosperous future from the ground up. www.SourcingMatters.show
Ep. 49: Karen Karp - CEO & founder of KK&P || Karen Karp is a fourth-generation food entrepreneur. Her great grandfather Morris, a first generation immigrant from Ukraine, opened a butter, eggs, and cheese wholesale outlet on Manhattan’s far west side, and later a feed and seed company on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. Karen’s father served the farmers of Long Island’s East End as a real estate broker concentrating on industrial and agricultural properties, and brokered the country’s first Transfer of Development Rights deal in the 1970s. This stuff and that area are in her blood. Karen Karp is now leveraging her diverse background in food and its production, in public health, and within investment communities in The City to empower more young women to assess things differently; to take more control of their own destinies.
For episode 49 of Sourcing Matters we focus on Karp's recent project - “Investigating the Role of Women, Capital, and the Transformation of Food and Agriculture.” Co-chaired by leadership at AgFunder and 'The New Food Economy', this analysis sets to find some answers to timely and important questions that we all need to pay more attention to. As sons, husbands, brothers & fathers - we all need to pay better attention too.
Since establishing Karen Karp & Partners in 1990 she's focused efforts on developing a range of bespoke strategies that explore the interconnections between agriculture, food, policy and people, and how to marry common interests of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. KK&P has grown to become a nationally respected boutique consultancy with a uniquely skilled staff and a diverse roster of clients - including nearly a decade co-producing the James Beard Foundation conference.
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Karen and her team are equally adept in the boardroom, in the kitchen, or on the land – their systems-based approach is always both conceptually rigorous and grounded in practical understanding. Have a listen to our discussion about finding gender equality in innovation economies; at the workplace; at home; within food and its production.
On episode 48 we welcome celebrated chef, advocate and food system reformer - Michael Leviton. As past chef-owner of Boston area favorites Lumière and Area Four, Michael has recently spawned "Region Foodworks" - an initiative providing regionally sourced and produced bulk products for the institutional food service market.
After working alongside some of the world’s best chefs at Square One, Le Cirque, and La Bernadin - Michael Leviton returned to his hometown of Newton, Massachusetts in 1999 to open Lumière. In Lumière’s first two years in business, the restaurant was recognized as one of the Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appétit, and Michael was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine. In 2011, Leviton opened Area Four, a wood-burning oven/bar and attached coffeehouse/bakery. Modern and minimalistic in both menu and design, each property earned local and national recognition for serving highest quality product, sourced locally and all scratch made, at a price point and in a setting that is accessible to all.
Tune-In to our conversation to hear how Michael's experience San Francisco, New York and in Paris influenced this launch of these world-renowned restaurants in the suburbs of Boston. Sourcing local food from regional farms using elevated production standards in the Northeast is surely how Leviton cast his name. But, his influence has since created a movement - and not just here, in the Northeast. Leviton's time as chair of the organization 'The Chef's Collaborative' from 2010-2014 influenced a generation of top chefs. He's established a tree of disciples and understudies who share similar interest for values in the food and neighborhoods they serve. In fact, he's cultivated a formula that when put in the proper hands can be overlaid in many metropolitan burbs throughout the US.
Now, Michael works to maximize throughput of local and regional production by focusing his business on "offering producers a fair price for the work they do." Through Regional FoodWorks it's Leviton's objective to rejigger supply chains by offering consistent demand for regional food - with - business commitments for local producers - offering new growth and capacity-building opportunities for the regions he serves.
Joining the chat as co-host is Scott Soares - former commissioner of Massachusetts Agriculture, and served as the Director of USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the Obama administration. Scott has 15 years of fishery and aquaculture experience prior to that - including early in his career serving as the 1st Massachusetts coordinator of aquaculture for nearly a decade.
The scale that Leviton works in has changed, but he's maintained a commitment to food's value throughout each market he enters. As he explains - he didn't start a chefs movement towards more local food on the East Coast, but he's surely instigated i! And now, as a rock start of local and sustainable food - Michael Leviton is leveraging his voice to make more great things happen.
Ep. 47: Live recorded at Johns Hopkins “ChooseFood” Symposium – we welcome Maisie Ganzler, Chief Strategy & Brand Officer at Bon Appétit Management Company For episode 47 we speak with Maisie Ganzler of Bon Appétit Management Company live recorded at the Johns Hopkins 'ChooseFood' symposium in Baltimore Maryland. Ganzler is Chief Strategy & Brand Officer at Bon Appétit Management Company, an on-site restaurant company offering full food-service management to corporations, universities, museums, and specialty venues. Based in Palo Alto, CA, the company operates more than 1,000 cafés in 34 states for dozens of marquee clients. Maisie has been instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic direction. We focus our discussion on the diverse sustainable initiatives and purchasing policies Ganzler has implemented in her 25 year career at Bon Appétit management company.
The "ChooseFood" gathering was a collective effort of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. The goal of the event was to evaluate the broad reaching ethics of food, and its production. Issues like Labor, environmental impact, externalities, animal welfare, health risk factors & new tech were all part of the ethical questions for food. Maisie was asked to share with the group some of the impact her work has had, and how the commitments at Bon Appétit have influenced some vast changes in the foodservice industry.
During our 40 minute discussion we dig deep into a few of the initiatives Ganzler described in her presentation, including her 1999 initiative "Farm to Fork" that buys meat, vegetables, and other products within a 150-mile radius of a client. In fact, (at a national level) at least 20% of Bon Appétit purchases meet this criteria. You'll hear how of their pioneering initiatives to reduce food waste, work with small farmers, improve animal living conditions and ability to influence industrial scale agriculture to become more conscious & conscientious have evolved a minimum market entrance for their competitors. For this innovative company not afraid to draw a line in the sand - a dedication to ethics is paying off with positive business results. As you'll hear in my conversation with Maisie, it's all working for Bon Appétit because... it's all authentic.
To hear of lessons learned and milestones gained by an industry leader at Bon Appétit is invaluable for us all. As we're all consumers of it, we all have equal stake in food. For me, it's inspiration and hope for what tomorrow can bring if/when we embrace 'business ethics' as a core competency in how we decide to vote for what we believe in - with our dollars - with our forks. TUNE-IN.
ChooseFood offered an opportunity to learn from leaders with a vested interest in food and how we produce it. Hearing from these diverse stakeholders fighting a similar battle reminded me how much our food is so deeply intwined into family, beliefs, culture and society - no matter where you come from on the planet. I left the symposium wondering if food ethics could be that common development language which would transcend many of the current differences we find in each other? We're so much more alike than different - could food ethics be a reminder if not the primary ingredient for this panacea? Not sure, but a goal to find some insight and codify better practices that harmonize us and our surroundings on a shrinking planet just seems like a good idea! www.SourcingMatters.show
On episode #46 we welcome Alex McIntosh, CEO & co-founder of Thrive natural care. Thrive designs and sells high-performance skincare, powered by regenerative plants. Since 2013, Thrive’s team of American and Costa Rican entrepreneurs, farmers and scientists have produced new-to-market botanicals for the company’s products by means of an inspiring regenerative farming model that helps restore degraded ecosystems and communities. Thrive’s vision and 500% growth over the past year has attracted retail partners such as Whole Foods and Amazon, national media such as Travel+Leisure and Esquire, and investors from Clorox, Nestlé, Unilever, venture capital and the NBA.
Prior to Thrive, McIntosh was the founding Director of Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship at Nestlé Waters North America, the $4B division of the world's largest consumer water company. At Nestlé Waters, Alex developed the vision and strategic plan, and provided hands-on leadership to build the corporation's first sustainability program from the ground up during a time of intense social scrutiny. Prior to Nestlé, Alex was Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy, where he helped raise a record $75MM in private capital for two of the largest watershed conservation projects in the organization's history.
Male grooming market is booming global. In fact, from the $15.5 billion in worldwide sales in 2012 - the Male grooming market is estimated to be worth about $29.14 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. In our 45 minute discussion on Sourcing Matters.show we explore how personal care, especially for men, is a category yet to mesh with modern consumer interest and demands. The blue goop we shave with will increasingly be a thing of the past. McIntosh and team see this horizon when this macro trend leaning towards safer and cleaner ingredients will mesh with the growth projections in personal care. This is a sound business set on leaving this place better than they found it.
Looking forward, levering an impressive background which had him participating in those diverse stakeholder seats - Alex McIntosh will continue to build Thrive as an example; better yet, a model for a "regenerative" supply and business across any sector. www.SourcingMatters.show
On episode 45 we welcome Bill Mook, founder and CEO of Mook Sea farm. Mook Sea Farm is an oyster farm founded in 1985 on the Damariscotta River in Midcoast Maine. They rear the American oyster from egg to adult size. Currently, the hatchery produces 120 million juvenile oysters (seed) annually for sale to other oyster growers throughout the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, and for our own cultivation of Wiley Point and Pemaquid Point oysters for the half-shell market.
They’re surely good eating, but oysters represent so much good to their surrounds, the shared environments, and the communities they support. You see, each adult oyster filters 50 gallons of water daily, they restore keystone marine ecosystems, and they build protective reefs around susceptible coastal communities – protecting us from storm surge and severe weather events. In this 45 minute discussion Bill Mook goes into details describing why Oysters are so important to the stability of seas, and to our planet.
As you’ll hear, Mook has implemented bleeding-edge R&D in his hatchery that is second to none. Innovations include development of methods for overwintering seed out of the water; a tidal powered nursery system; a vessel and gear for mechanizing the use of OysterGro™ cages; and a unique, energy efficient, and highly productive system for growing the micro-algae we use for food in the hatchery. Effectively his approach to “brew” feed for Oysters, or for other animals for that matter, sets to be revolutionary.
Joining the conversation as a first time co-host is Scott Soares. Soares is former commissioner of Massachusetts Agriculture, and served as the Director of USDA Rural Development for Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the Obama administration. Scott has 15 years of fishery and aquaculture experience prior to that – including early in his career serving as the 1st Massachusetts coordinator of aquaculture for nearly a decade.
If you care about the health of the Oceans, the solidarity of working waterfronts & local economies, the sanctity of place, or if you just like to eat great seafood – have a listen to what this agent of change is doing in the clean cold waters of Maine.
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Ep. 44: Marion Nestle – Author & Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University -ft. Jennifer Hashley of New Entry Sustainable farming ||
Today we welcome Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. An icon in the food movement, Nestle’s research examines scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choice, obesity, and food safety, emphasizing the role of food marketing.
Nestle coined the term “vote with your fork”. Effectively, this mantra empowers us all to reevaluate our food choice as a daily decision and endorsement to how we see the future. For this spirited dialog delving deep into how much politics influences food choice, and robust support systems – Jennifer Hashley of the New Entry Farming Project joins as co-host for Sourcing Matters episode #44. Throughout our 45 minute discussion we evaluate what it will take to change food, nutrition and broader perspective.
Nestle has some pretty impeccable chops in the space, and shares this unique wisdom with us. You see, Marion Nestle is author of six prize-winning books re: food, policy, health, diet and more. Acclaimed titles include: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (2002), What to Eat (2006), Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics (2012), Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (2015) Additionally, she has written two books about pet food Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine (2008) and Feed Your Pet Right (2010).
Despite all the truths she knows, Nestle is supremely positive about the future of food in this country. Her efforts to engaged younger generations in these daily decisions have already seen monumental impact, and seem to be just the tip of the iceberg set for transformative change within a decade. Tune-in to hear to how Marion addresses questions about subsidies, land access, food waste, awareness and the importance of diverse food value.
Finally, Nestle shares additional insights on her forthcoming book, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat. So, whether for you or your dog – listen and learn to how and what you eat is being pre-determined in a boardroom of Big Food and Big seed with no concern for your best interest. It is clear that most often in a modern US food system it’s your commitment to being part of a throughput engine chock full of waste, externalities, and abuse is your desired role. Tune-in and learn how to “vote with your fork!”
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On episode 43 we welcome Alicia Harvie, Advocacy & Farmer Services Director at Farm Aid. Her role is to guide the organization’s advocacy, research, farmer services and policy-related activities. Supporting her work, Harvie has a masters degree in Agricultural & Environmental Science and Policy from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Jennifer Hashley of the New Entry Farming Project joins the conversation as co-host, sharing unique understanding of the farmer and of Farm Aid. Throughout this episode Harvie describes the many positive initiatives Farm Aid is involved or has spawned in current day. More than just an annual concert event, Farm Aid has become advocate, an influencer on national and local policies, a coalition builder, and a broad venue for communications for farmers, the community and eaters.
Bringing 24,000 concert goers to Hartford in September- the 2018 Farm Aid event was a smashing success. Featuring Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Sturgill Simpson and many more – this gathering amplifies the needs, and helps define current state of farming in this county. Alicia Harvie and Jennifer Harvie describe their moving experiences during both the main concert event and the field visits and pavilion days leading up to the top billing.
As you’ll hear Harvie provides some unique insight into what needs to be done to save the American farm and to promote healthy economies for our farmers. Nearing a decade at Farm Aid has provided her a clear vision to what can be done, and what should be done first. Tune-in to get a better understanding of what this wonderful organization really does, and how influential their great people really are!
Serving as the Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health, a collaboration between the Dell Medical School and the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, for episode 42 of Sourcing Matters we welcome their founder – Stacey Chang.
Until 2014, Stacey served as the managing director of the health care practice at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm. Clients included governments; research institutions; hospitals; companies involved in pharma, insurance and medical technology; and all the upstarts trying to rewrite the script in established and emerging markets. Chang levers this unique experience in his current efforts to redesign the future of domestic healthcare.
Transplanted into a truly unique community healthcare situation in Austin, TX – Chang is tilling new ground for US programs. Travis County, TX has employed Stacey and his talented team at the Design Institute of Health to redraft an approach of healthcare based on outcome measures of patient good health, using value-based care. They’ve put together an entirely new architecture that incentives good health, for more. Their objective is to service the needs of their constituents; all of them.
These guys will prove to us all that fixing the healthcare system is attainable through palatable, bite-sized portions. Chang’s vision for food and agriculture as preventative care is a must, and a welcome bridge across industries for diverse stakeholders. Additionally, smart data analytics looking for anomalies has already saved the county millions in insightful preventative action. When their slower burn projects – like improving social determinants of health in each community, and enhancing the quality of food across the board – this potion of the Lone Star State could be a next healthcare capital. Take a trip to Austin during SXSW if you don’t believe what these folks can do. Don’t mess with Texas!
We all need to care more about our care. It’s changing, fast. This 45 minute conversation provides a good overview of what is broken in the system now, why incentives are what they are, and how it can all fixed. There is hope. And, this guy, Stacey Chang – is a righteous guy in the right place making the right things happen. Thank goodness for that! Have a listen: www.SourcingMatters.show
Live recorded at Harvard’s 'Let’s Talk About Food' festival – we host a discussion about “Systems Thinking in Food Production” with founder of New Entry Farming Project – Jennifer Hashley, and CEO & Founder of Big Picture Beef – Ridge Shinn ||
Get this. What if I told you it wasn’t the cow that was the problem, but instead the management shortcuts that are causing concerning environmental impact. Properly orchestrated food animal management can actually have a net positive impact on the climate! That’s right. Despite being counterintuitive to everything you’ve heard, it’s actually a straight forward leap to return to natural order. More broadly, it’s just another example of an awakening to systems thinking on a shrinking planet. In this 45 minute conversation expert guests will describe a few different systems thinking scenarios that will drastically evolve food production to positively impact future food systems, and our planet.
Sourcing Matters ep. 41: “Systems Thinking in food production”– live recorded at the “Let’s talk about Food” festival at Harvard University – looks at harmonizing with more natural systems, and evaluates better management practice that could be used to produce our food in the future. Host Aaron Niederhelman will guide the discussion to cover diverse topics. Not the least of which a process that’s being used to sequester carbon through reengaging the natural system of our living soils – on the hoof. Additionally, one of the most under valued workforce in food production – pollinators. And, it’ll be a conversation that clearly detail how what you eat is the most impactful vote you have to positively benefit your health and that of your family, to increase global stability and to mitigate climate change. So, If you’re an environmentalist, a humanitarian, a patriot, a doctor, or even that you just want to look and feel better – tune-in and learn how your grocery budget can change the world.
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Live recorded at Harvard’s Let’s Talk About Food festival – we host a discussion about “Ocean Farming” with CEO of Ocean Approved Bri Warner, and Perry Raso, founder of Matunuck Oyster farm & bar ||
Our seas are under threat. Floating plastic islands are but icing on the cake of a much bigger problem – how we manage the oceans. It’s a complex discussion with a simple solution. You see, we’ve got 92% of global fisheries already stressed, and large population densities are tied to some of these soon to reach exhaustion. The continued contamination from the waste we spew into these channels of our food, and all the supporting natural systems of the oceans will soon reach a ceiling. And, it’s going to hurt. With 3 billion reliant on sea-proteins as their main caloric intake for the day, if we have only dirty or no fish we’re all due for a rude awaking no matter where you call home. We’ve begun farming fish in all reaches of the planet. In fact, today 50% of fish consumed is farmed raised. But, most of that farm raised stuff is nearer feedlot beef as compared to the clean and healthy moniker that open caught seafood had long-since enjoyed. That it’s all changing is an understatement.
Sourcing Matters ep. 40: “Regenerative Ocean Farming”- live recorded at the “Let’s talk about Food” festival @ Harvard University – Host Aaron Niederhelman speaks with two dynamic New England leaders in shellfish and seagreen production to learn what it takes to farm our waters. Similar to a terrestrial grass-fed beef brethren – there’s been increased interest in regenerative ocean farming. Regenerative effectively means everything is renewed in the process of using it. It’s ecology down to trophic level, and up-throughout the interchange of vast systems which do include food animals, mollusks and ourselves. For those who do tend to the farmed fresh food from the ocean, alot of the hope for the future is being spawned in our clean cold waters of the Northeast. These local (ocean) farmers have developed models that give back to their natural environment to reap the benefit of a better crop. It just makes sense. By (i) addressing sea level rise and storm surge, (ii) alleviating hunger in impoverished areas, (iii) creating local jobs near highly populated areas, (iv) sourcing clean seafood as preventative human health care, (v) stabling natural environments in keystone areas (vi) motivated champions to fight for a cleaner environment – Regenerative Ocean Farming has vast potential for all coastal communities everywhere in the world.
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According to HHS.Gov – in the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. Increased prescription of opioid medications led to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids before it became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive. Now, easy access to highly addictive drugs now has 11.4 million consumers misusing prescription opioids. Directly correlated, nearly 1 million folks now use heroin, and 130 people die everyday from opioid-related causes.
Today we welcome a Veteran with some answers in how to deal with this Opioid Epidemic crippling many communities and families with its mighty grasp. What’s so interesting – Scott uses many of the same soil management practices that we do in food.
Scott Murphy is currently VP of Compliance & Security at Revolutionary Clinics. Previous to this, Murphy was Chief of Compliance / Director of Operations at Garden Remedies – where beginning in 2014 he built-out one of Massachusetts’ first professional marijuana grow, processing & value-ad facilities. Scott is also an Army combat veteran who served from 2006-2010. Murphy was deployed to Iraq with 3rd Infantry Division as part of the “Surge” from January 2007 to April 2008.
Last, Scott Murphy serves as President of Veterans for Safe Access to Compassionate Care. An organization fighting for smart, just pain management programs for their brethren; for every community, and for every family as a proactive plan against this epidemic.
Acclaimed author Judith Schwartz joins us for Sourcing Matters episode 38 – One on Land, a second on Water. Schwartz has written two transformative books which get under the hood of vast ecological systems, and their impact on us.
First, in “Cows Save the Planet” – she takes a look at restoring large scale ecological systems through holistic planned grazing of herbivores. Basically, by keeping animals on the parterre lands, in natural environments we evolve our management practice to actually harmonize with natural order. This kick starts natural environments that can have vast net positive impact on the climate. Soil everywhere becomes a thriving carbon bank – by first stabilizing natural exchanges, then sucking-up excess carbon we spew into the air. Judith shares her thoughts on the current state of affairs with this approach & mindset, and some new discoveries since publishing the book.
In her most recent work “Water in Plain sight. Hope for a thirsty world” – Schwartz goes into the often forgotten, but supremely complex natural systems that sustain and maintain clean water. She makes a direct connection of her past work studying living soil, and its ability to store, lever and interchange life with water. The lifeblood for all living things, water is set to have vast and drastic impact if we continue to manage our natural resources like this. Water is now, and maybe at one point was an actual tip of the iceberg thanks to climate change. Tune-In to our 40 minute discussion as Schwarz brings it all full circle with her latest work – hitting us all close to home.
On episode 37 of Sourcing Matters we welcome an icon who has long since promoted clean food animal production in the US – Bob Martin, Director of the Food System Policy Program at Johns Hopkins Center for a livable Futures. Operating within the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Martin and his team at Johns Hopkins CLF have embraced their role as a leader and curator of a revolution happening in food production, and through deeper understanding of required planetary commitments.
Previous to beginning his work at the CLF in 2011, Martin was the Executive Director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. Martin managed a comprehensive two-year, $3.6 million study that led to the publication of eight technical reports and a final 122-page report on the public health, environmental, animal welfare and rural community impacts of our conventional methods for producing meat, dairy and eggs. The report – “Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America.” defined that seminal moment of awareness in US production, food, and health. It’s a realization that our approach to raising our animals has broad reaching human & public health impact.
Joining the conversation today as is co-host and friend Ken Kaplan. During his impressive 20 year career at MIT, Kaplan has been a visiting Scholar, a Senior Health System Advisor at the Sociotechnical Systems research center, and now acts as a Advisor the Sloan Initiative for Health Systems Innovation. Kaplan leverages his unique background in health, food systems and architecture to institute systems thinking on broader problems needing new perspective. Ken and Bob have been friends for over a decade, and that proves evident in the conversation as the two leaders share stories of each other's commitment and accomplishments throughout our 45 minute chat.
Our engaging conversation ranges in subjects - from food animal wellbeing & living environment, Superbugs, the more general concept of investing in Onehealth, the power of convening diverse stakeholders, and much more. Without a doubt it’s the concept of systems thinking that underpins most of the discussion, and is what should be considered the biggest take away from this latest episode. If you want to get under the hood a bit, to learn what’s really going on thanks to many of the shortcuts used in raising animals and food in the modern food system – this will be an enlightening conversation to tune-in.
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On episode 36 we welcome Shauna Sadowski - Head of Sustainability, Natural & Organic Operating Unit at General Mills. "The way we manage agricultural lands is driving many environmental and social challenges and I seek to create solutions that account for a more balanced, triple-bottom line (people, planet and profits) outcome. I care deeply about the food that ends up on your plate and work to create a healthy and balanced system for people and the planet" explains Sadowski about our role in properly managing natural resources to feed ourselves moving forward.
Throughout the 45 minute conversation Shauna shares some interesting anecdotes of situations that have arisen in her time at as VP at Annie's, and most recently while managing the organic allotment of General Mills' vast arsenal of products. "I believe that food companies have an opportunity and a responsibility to play a significant and positive role in creating a more sustainable food system. I work cross-functionally and throughout the industry to create programs that enable transparency to the farm and a deeper understanding of how our agricultural and farming systems connect to the foods we eat."
Earlier this year Annie's and General Mills launched a wireframe for their regenerative scorecard. The objective of the scorecard tool is to encourage producer commitment and consumer awareness to soil health. It seems a shared language would be a big win for food values. Now, heading up Sustainability and Organic brands for a fortune 500 company with 38,000 employees - Shauna continues to demonstrate her commitment to moving the industry more regenerative through creatives approaches that bridge a production divide. It's interesting stuff - have a listen:
On episode 35 we welcome Dr. Jonathan Lundgren. After 11 years at the USDA, responsible for his own lab and a good sized staff, the career of this well-regarded scientist and author began to fall apart as he published research that cautioned against the use of specific pesticides approved by the federal agency. Continuously penalized for his actions, Dr. Lundgren was soon forced out of the USDA as retaliation against his scientific findings and for not backing down. A whistle blower case was filled against the USDA stating the actions of leadership in the agency was to suppress his voice, to suppress his science.
Dr. Lundgren had done extensive research into the pesticide Neonicotinoid (neonics), and their impact on bees. Lundgren discovered that one kernel of GMO corn has enough neonics to kill 360,000 bees. These potent neurotoxin synthetics are now the most used pesticides in the world. Used on mass and vast scale stateside – his research showed that we were wiping out 150% (after re-queening) of our hives annually.
Lundgren stood tall and let the piece fall as they may. "The planet is facing some pretty serious issues right now, and we need people to stand-up and do the right thing for the right reasons." Lundgren states in explaining his actions. So, if not Jonathan, than who was going to step forward and risk their career for something they’d believed in; for something that is true and just? As it turned out, Lundgren proved to be a pioneer in his efforts. The USDA was laster hit with 200 additional cases by whistle blowing scientist who corroborated Lundgren’s claims that the agency tampering or muzzling their findings. The ripple effect of Lundgren’s actions are being witnessed in realtime throughout broader federal agencies where scientists, public servants and concerned systems thinkers are standing tall for what’s right.
Today, Dr. Jonathan Lundgren is the founder and director of the Ecdysis foundation. He’s set on changing the minds of farmers around the world backed on the research he does at the Blue Dasher Farm Lab. Through the support of his community and supporters Lundgren crowd-funded his research lab focused on the future of regenerative agriculture. In our 35 minute conversation we cover subjects including planetary stability, professional science, future food & farming, and much more.
Have a listen you what this truthteller has to say.
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On Sourcing Matters ep. 34 Jennifer Hashley joins me for an interesting discussion with physician and author Dr. Daphne Miller. We get under the hood connecting soil, human & planetary health. Dr. Miller offers these reasons why physicians must become involved in future food and agriculture:
- The frontline of knowledge – “Doctors can tailor agriculture to be health centered.”
- Access to resources – “Health care has the deep pockets in this county. If we started to do the math on the true cost of our food system to health – this spending at the end-effect of our care could be better invested earlier on (in food & soil).”
- Advocacy – “People in health care are excellent advocates in changing things.” Dr. Miller cites emissions, car safety, Tobacco – all environments where Drs. were agents of change uniting communities and eventually our society behind a precautionary principle. “We need people in health to weigh-in on the food system.”
Dr. Daphne Miller is a practicing family physician, author and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco. For the past fifteen years, her leadership, advocacy, research and writing have focused on the connections between food production, ecology and health.
Miller founded WholeFamily MD, San Francisco’s first integrative primary care medical practice, in the Fall of 2001. Her mission was to reclaim the heart of medicine by focusing on her patients rather than on the business and red tape of medical practice. Over the ensuing years the practice has grown, but Dr. Miller has not strayed from her early vision.
When she is not seeing patients or teaching, Dr. Miller writes books and articles related to food, farming, the environment, and health. She has authored two best-selling books: The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets from Around the World, Why They Work and How to Make Them Work for You (HarperCollins 2008) and Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up (HarperCollins 2013).
Miller is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Medical School and completed her family medicine residency and an NIH-funded primary care research fellowship at UCSF. She is also a Bravewell Fellow with the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. Since 2005, she has consistently been elected by her peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America. www.SourcingMatters.show
On episode 33 we welcome Ridge Shinn, CEO of Big Picture Beef - a businessman making us all more regenerative through a smarter regional production approach. In 2010, Time Magazine cast Ridge as the original Carbon Cowboy. He lives that mantra everyday.
It's as fundamental as investing in animal well-being for the betterment of our planet's and your health. As the financial landscape in production continues to evolve, Shinn sees a sustainable business model for future meats being of more regional production - an approach that he believes others will soon follow. Founded in 2015 - Based out of Hardwick, MA - Big Picture Beef’s mission is to establish an environmentally sustainable and economically viable model of producing beef through managed grazing—no feedlots and no grain, ever. Shine & Big Picture envision a system that produces healthy animals, healthy food, healthy soils, and fair wages for farmers.
"We work with numerous farms in the region that produce young stock according to our standards. Then we aggregate these cattle for fattening on several large finishing farms, also in the region, that are staffed by skilled graziers. A variety of regenerative farming techniques, notably rotational grazing to foster soil health and fertility, are key to our success. We harvest the finished cattle and sell 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef and beef products to wholesale customers." - Ridge Shinn.
In our 40 minute conversation we discuss topics ranging from bioregions; consumer's role as change agents; drawdown; and one-health of animal, planet & consumer. Ridge offers insights into an operating model that seeks to be benefit diverse stakeholders interested in preserving a regional provenance, and commitment to a production approach. Decades of experience offers Shinn assurance that all of that hard work developing protocols in the fields are now queueing market interest. It'll be fascinating for all, but if you live in the Northeast - you should give it a listen.
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On episode 32 we welcome Usman Javaid – CEO of Ricult. This startup spawned out of MIT sets to change the paradigm in global agriculture by rejiggering how folks who grow our food in all corners of the world can access resources, and sell their resulting crops to benefit themselves and their consumers. Ricult is unique as they aim to fix the agriculture value chain through simple mobile tools that can be overlaid on modern technology platforms. By improving the value chain, Ricult is enabling farmers to pull themselves out of poverty while tapping a multi-billion dollar market.
“We are not a charity; we are an empowering community transformation. This is the basis for a brighter future, built on hand-ups, not handouts” describes Javaid, an entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in Telecom, Mobile Banking, Mobile Agriculture in Pakistan/Bangladesh – who is now equipped with an MBA from MIT Sloan. Usman leveraged his past experience selling petrochemical fertilizers at Exxon, and time spent with Pakistani dairymen while at Nestle to better understand and appreciate the perils of small stakeholder farmers around the world. While at Sloan school he helped organize a team of global thought-leaders equally interested in changing global agriculture through defining a new paradigm focused on the farmer first. And, that’s what they’ve done.
Their Bill and Melinda Gates foundation backed company has now architected and framed a system which alleviates many of the issues within current supply chains for small farmers. Supply chains for the billion small stakeholder farmers throughout the globe are often controlled by their investors, who maybe be better described as loan-sharks and present limited interest in feeding a shrinking planet nor looking out for the best interests of their debtors. From Clearinghouse -to- Financier -to- Marketplace preserving production qualities – it’s RIcult that has stepped in to re-introduce potential for small stakeholder farmers to make a fair living through growing our food.
The solutions they seek set to address vast global problems like food shortage, malnourishment, poverty, and rural unemployment. Javaid and his leadership team at Ricult have decided this must begin by investing in the smallholder farmer. Their promise is to give these farmers the tools they need to be better informed, and to empower economic actors which will help more farmers work their way out of debt & poverty. As Usman states – “The world is ready for farming to be revolutionized and become more inclusive by liberating the very people who form the backbone of this industry.”
No matter where you’re from. where live, or what you’ve done – have a listen to our 40 minute conversation. This discussions impacts us all.
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On episode 31 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Ryland Engelhart and Jesse Smith of Kiss The Ground. Well known for the critically acclaimed book and forthcoming movie, both sharing the same namesake as their organization, non-profit Kiss The Ground is telling a new story about our ability to regenerate land, reverse climate change and reconnect to nature by building back healthy soil. Through programs focused on storytelling, education, business, community gardens and the farmland – Kiss The Ground empowers people to restore soil and help accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture.
Seamlessly complementing each other throughout the 45 minute conversation, both guests brought unique insight to our discussion which connected soil, human, and planetary health. Ryland Engelhart currently serves as the Mission Fulfillment Officer and co-owner of Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre. Engelhart co-founder of Kiss The Ground, and now works tirelessly to educate and advocate about the movement. As a storyteller, Ryland co-created the award-winning, transformational documentary film, “May I Be Frank.” Also, he’s an entrepreneur and activist, using his restaurants as a platform to inspire more “gratitude” into our culture. Running the Kiss The Ground Farmland program, Jesse Smith adds unique acumen from the perspective of a producer and philosopher. Smith is a farmer, designer and consultant focused on the intersection of regenerative supply and enterprise. His passion for agriculture and food systems is rooted in his love of California’s diverse ecosystems, and influenced by his work and travels through Africa, Europe and the western United States. Jessie’s family, friends and community are what inspire him to develop a network of farmers, restaurants and consumers to benefit our soil, water & air.
In this episode we go deep into the problems, and potential solutions for a shrinking planet. Ryland describes the impetus for formulating this unique arena of Kiss The Ground which seems set on democratizing complex subjects that will prove increasingly essential for stabilizing all corners of the world. Engaging consumers and citizens as the agents of change, it was consensus amongst all of us that it has to be the grass-roots to lead us forward through this tumultuous and concerning time for the future health of our planet. The people will lead, and the policy will (eventually) follow. Through the collection of their farms, non-profit initiative and restaurants this west coast collaborative is drafting a new recipe for moving us forward. A mechanism that vertically integrates the value chain which will benefit the consumer of their food, fiber and fuel, and lead to positive externalities of regenerative results.
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On episode 30 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Wood Turner, Sr. Vice President of Agriculture Capital. Focused on integrating and operationalizing the firm’s cross-platform sustainability strategies into the 4 staple permacrops they invest in, Turner brings unique background and expertise to the changing dynamic of food production.
It’s Agriculture Capitals mission to grow access to healthy, sustainable food. “We’ve assembled experienced professionals from finance, farming, processing, marketing, and sustainability to bring innovative thinking to managing successful food enterprises.”described the firm’s website. Turner has over 20 years of experience in corporate sustainability, environmental management, and consumer engagement. Most recently, he was on the executive team at organic yogurt pioneer Stonyfield Farm as the company’s VP Sustainability Innovation. Prior to that, he was founding executive director of Climate Counts, an international NGO focused on measuring and scoring the world’s largest consumer companies on their concrete, enterprise-level responses to climate change. Wood has consulted to brands, elected officials, and public agencies on mobilizing the public around ideas that improve the environment and build community.
Agricultural economist Renee Vasillos joins as co-host of our 45 minute conversation which covers subjects that range from the current state of citrus, consumer engagement, “softening the edges” of investing in & production models that support pollinator health, and the all important topic of water. Private equity often gets a bad rap for being too focused on the deal instead of the value creation. Wood Turner and his team at Agriculture Capital seek to restructure how capital can deliver multi-dimensional returns beneficial to many stakeholders and the shared environment.
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On Sourcing Matters episode 29 we welcome Gina McCarthy, Director of C-Change at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health. McCarthy has a background fighting for, and evolving practice & policy relating to the environment that is second to none! A change-agent of positivity, Gina McCarthy has been a leading advocate for common sense strategies to protect public health and the environment for more than 30 years. She served under President Barack Obama as the 13th Administrator of the EPA from 2013–2017. Her tenure as EPA Administrator heralded a paradigm shift in national environmental policy, expressly linking it with global public health. Prior, during her career in Massachusetts, McCarthy advised five governors on environmental affairs, worked at the state and local levels on critical environmental issues, and helped coordinate policies on economic growth, energy, transportation, and the environment.
In our 45 minute conversation we discuss both the need and opportunity to embrace sustainable best practice across the board. We chat about the current landscape in DC. We discuss Scott Pruitt and his $43K soundproof phone booth, Trump’s perspective on the environment, climate change deniers, future food, agriculture and much more. Regarding her take on the political divide “We need to stop Washington from simply making climate change part of a partisan platform. Frankly, It has nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat. Absolutely nothing! If you’re a human being – you need to care about this, and you need to act.” To do this we need to motivate, inspire and let people come to their own conclusions that this all matters. “It’s a strategy that we need to stop scaring people, and start creating the pied piper effect. Play great music, and let people follow you.”
Gina explains that the EPA isn’t a birds & bunnies agency. But, instead one focused on public health and national security. “People need to realize, climate isn’t about polar bears, it’s about their kids.” McCarthy gets to the brass tacks of the movement, “The most important thing we can do is to realize the future is in our hands. We need to grab opportunities where they come, and be positive about it.” She continues, “We need to put science to work, and explain it in terms that everyone can understand.” McCarthy recently completed a few fellowships at Harvard. “I found the students to be incredibly exciting and engaging. They had a sense of social justice and equity that was just palpable. They just didn’t want to tolerate moving forward in a world that doesn’t recognize that science is real, that climate change is happening, that manmade emissions are causing it; and that we have to do something – not least of which is to more women into office!”
After her work in DC and finalizing the fellowship programs, Harvard’s Chan school of Public Health became the ideal venue to continue her transformative work in materializing the impacts of climate change and environmental pollution on public & personal health. The goal of the new C-Change center is to make sure science is driving actions continuously. She explains “The Dean wanted the science to be done not just well, but to be communicated well. To actually get into the hands of decision makers, and we can actually make a difference based on real facts on the ground.”
McCarthy details, “The greatest opportunity we have to improve health in this century is embrace climate change as a public health issue. Climate change is opening our eyes to what we need to do to live sustainably. And, a low carbon future is something we should be running towards; investing in; talking about; getting exciting about! I want people to know that climate change is perhaps the most direct threat they have today for their kid’s tomorrow. Taking action against climate change now is the greatest opportunity we have to chart a future that is sustainable.” What we’re learning is: we do have great leaders, from all over, with diverse backgrounds who are ready for their time up at bat. This has melded with a confluence of a citizen awakening, and what seems to be a zeitgeist of generation next where responsible action can be the permanency to set a proper course moving forward. Recent defeats from this administration is a gut check; maybe a call to actions for us to gain some small wins, together, for greater good and stability. So, whether instigating change from our dinner plate, in a lab or research center, via technology & innovation, or from some of the most prestigious institutions in the land – we’ve got this talent. We need now to mobilize around small victories and milestones from the grass-roots. It’s our time we get out and make a difference! www.SourcingMatters.show
Today on Sourcing Matters ep. 28 we welcome Willem Ferwerda – CEO of the Commonland Group. Based out of the Netherlands, Commonland believes that landscape restoration offers tremendous untapped opportunities for sustainable economic development. To demonstrate this potential, they develop landscape restoration projects that are based on business cases, and proper monitoring of their successes using multi-dimensional returns. With current projects in Southern Africa, Spain, Western Australia, and the The Netherlands – Commonland engages with multidisciplinary teams or investors, companies, and entrepreneurs in long-term restoration partnerships with farmers and land-users into an approach which has cast new expectation for what returns represent to these different stakeholders.
The goal of Commonland is to realize large-scale landscape restoration with local farmers, land-users and experts based on sustainable business cases with each impact being assessed through a matrix monitoring diverse returns that connect natural and economic landscape zones through a multi-stakeholder initiative benefiting all parties. Willem founded Commonland with the idea the long-term commitment is important, as it takes approximately 20 years – or one generation – to restore a landscape. Their holistic restoration approach focuses on the 4 key returns of Inspiration, Social, Natural, Financial. Those returns combine to define a baseline for their long-horizon mission – which is to contribute to a large-scale landscape restoration industry, aligned with international policies and guidelines throughout a shrinking planet.
Maybe Teddy said it best:
“I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us. I ask nothing of the nation except that it so behaves as each farmer here behaves with reference to his own children. That farmer is a poor creature who skins the land and leaves it worthless to his children. The farmer is a good farmer who, having enabled the land to support himself and to provide for the education of his children, leaves it to them a little better than he found it himself. I believe the same thing of a nation.”
– Theodore Roosevelt: The 1910 New Nationalism Speech
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On episode 27 we welcome founder of The Common Market, Tatiana Garcia-Granados – with co-host Jennifer Hashley of the New Entry Farming Project to a discussion on ‘Making Regional Work’. Pioneers in a new system of regional food hubs, Tatiana Garcia Granados and her husband, Haile – founded Common Market in 2008 as an innovative solution to deep problems in the food system by creating a mutually beneficial link between family farmers and urban communities.
The flagship Common Market Mid-Atlantic is a mission-driven distributor of sustainable, local farm foods. Spawned of their North Philly Neighborhood – they developed a concept that would connect institutions and communities with good food from now over 200 producers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. There’s also a second proof case in the The Common Market Georgia – connecting producers with larger institutions in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee. And, a newly spawned 3rd program out of Houston, TX, NYC & DC. All hubs set to build local food systems that generate health and wealth of rural and urban communities alike.
Each day, thousands of pounds of fresh produce, meat and dairy products leave the distribution center of the Common Market destined for school lunches, hospital meals and the shelves of local grocery stores. “We provide specific grower information when you place an order, and it’s printed on every invoice and every case of food so you know exactly how the food is grown and where it’s coming from.” – explains Garcia- Granados.
Co-host Jennifer Hashley always adds insight to the conversation. Coming at it from the producer, aggregator, and teacher’s seat – Hashley knows the bottlenecks, and the potential of it all. Centered out of the Tufts Friedman School of nutrition – The New Entry Sustainable Farming program is one of the first initiatives nationwide to help immigrants and refugees develop commercial farming opportunities. Jennifer’s goal is to help new farmers excel in the field, and New Entry gives them the tools to do that. It’s a revolutionary program that looks at sustainable and regenerative farming as jobs creation, and economic growth for regions often in need of stimulus. In partnership with her husband, Jennifer oversees a diversified pasture based livestock operation, including Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds on the the renowned Codman Community Farm in Lincoln MA. She’s a wonderful advocate for the agricultural region of the Northeast, and the small farmer everywhere..
Finally, Tatiana and Jennifer share some of their experiences for their Eisenhower Fellowship programs. Tatiana’s focus on food access and policy throughout her program in Brazil was inspiring, and offered benchmarks for what can be accomplished to support the many family farms & farmers in our country. Jennifer witnessed a colliding of two agricultural worlds in Ghana & Nigeria. Titans from conventional seek scale, but are running into infrastructure and resource limitations needed to operate their model.
Whether it’s a food system in South America, North America, Africa, the EU or the Far East – Regional is everyone’s future. Tatiana Garcia-Granados & Jennifer Hashley are two of the great folks proving that regional can happen! We’re lucky they’re both on ourside.
What’s really going with local farms & regional food economies – have a listen. www.SourcingMatters.show
If food choice is the panacea to remediate the biggest issues plaguing man and our planet, how we capitalize the production and distribution of that better quality food needs innovation within the confines of modern high finance. On episode 26 we welcome someone fighting this battle, Warren Valdmanis – Managing Director of the Bain Capital Double Impact fund. Focused on investing with three themes of impact: (i) Sustainability, (ii) Health & Wellness, (iii) Community Building – Warren and his team seek financial and impact growth for their partner companies solving critical problems through sustainable business models. The Bain Double Impact fund utilizes a value-added approach, experienced team and a broad platform of expertise to provide the resources and capabilities that these companies need to thrive in a modern world.
In our 35 minute conversation we discuss a variety of topics throughout the value chain of food, and throughout a circular economy. Warren begins episode by shares interesting anecdotes and details on a few of their portfolio companies. He describes the criteria Bain Double Impact uses to assess and invest in these different companies. Warren also shares how he got into the impact space; how through both personal motivation to improve his wellbeing and to cast a leading light for his family – they’ve defined a tip-of-the-spear approach in private equity which could till new ground for an industry looking to better connect with millennial investors set to inherit $40 trillion in the next decade.
With a goal of creating value for diverse stakeholders, Warren Valdmanis and his partners at the Bain Double Impact fund set to connect the desires of a modern consumer with the realities of industry in dire need of ingenuity. This is not philanthropy. And, that’s a wonderful thing as the only way we’re going to deal with the problems of a shrinking planet pressed by skyrocketing populations, and not enough resources to go around if we stick to a business as usual approach – is to engage the free markets and the capital markets to drive change through multi-dimensional returns with impact on more.
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On episode 25 we welcome Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts 6th District. Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Moulton has been introducing innovative policy and ideas to benefit those he represents, and the region he’s from. Probably best known on a national level for his voice of resource in addressing gun violence and just ownership laws, to many of his constituents North of Boston – he’s well known as a jobs creator and champion of a modern fishery.
I first connected with Moulton’s team a few years back when they hosted Monica Jain and the Fish2.0 Northeast Hub near their offices in Salem, MA. Since then, Seth Moulton has taken his commitment to responsible fisheries and regenerative ocean farming back to DC with the introduction of the 2017 “The Young Fisherman’s Development Act”. This bi-partisan bill co-authored with Republican Don Young of Alaska looks to empower those working on waterfronts and oceans of tomorrow. You see, too often folks look at US fisheries, especially in the Northeast, as an oppressed and declining industry. Congressman Moulton and his team have a different perspective. One that views a modern responsible fishery and the entire seafood industry as an innovation economy with potential for persistent jobs creation for the region he represents. Moulton seeks to find common-ground (water) amongst necessary regulation/quota restriction, and an industry with linage older than our independence. On a shrinking planet with increasingly depleted and contaminated Oceans the approach we’ve instituted in the Northeast United States, one now being bolstered by representative Moulton, has unique potential to cast a long shadow as intellectual property which can be scaled to teach more of 3 billion reliant of sea protein how to properly manage the bounty of the sea for generations to come. In our 30 minute conversation we evaluate the capacity of including fisherman and ocean farmers in future US Farm bills. For clarity, 80% of the resources of the proposed 2018 Farm bill will be allocated to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) aka. food stamps. This national program of a 1/2 of trillion dollars which arises every five years is in fact our shared domestic food plan, and it drastically under represents our population densities in coastal cities. The inclusion of fisheries & seafood not only adds a voice to the food plan for our largest populations, and guarantees more high-quality food for more in need of SNAP, but it gives our fisherman the same war chest to deal with impending environmental change as we currently employ with many terrestrial food producers. Effectively, we discuss how this pragmatic approach to introduce multiple returns to diverse stakeholders seems realistic under new and future leadership.
The Clean Cold Waters of the protected North Atlantic provides some of the best and healthiest food in the world. Our well regarded fisherman and ocean farmers who manage these waters deserve to be celebrated for their craft and unique stewardship of these natural resources. With these natural gifts bestowed upon us, and our approach in managing our Marine Ecosystem over the last 50 years – we provide diverse offerings, and the knowledge of how to interject an innovation economy into a longstanding but stagnant industry to meet a changing environmental and consumer landscape.
If you’d like to know who’s on deck for leading us in 2024, or maybe even as early as 2020 – have a listen to what this highly decorated champion of the Northeast has to offer. www.SourcingMatters.show
On Sourcing Matter episode 24 we welcome Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District. A lifelong advocate for better food and equal rights - since her first day in office Congresswoman Pingree has been a dogged supporter of the local food movement, of the farm worker, and for improving access to nutrition for more US families.
Having the opportunity to connect with Rep. Pingree a week after returning from a visit to the southern US border where she witnessed firsthand what's happening in our modern day internment camps - we begin our conversation correlating how these policies are impacting the agricultural work force; and their kids! In our 1 hour conversation we also chat about SNAP and the 2018 Farm Bill. We share appreciation for the many bounties of Maine. And, we discuss how nutritious food can be preventative health care for each and every American citizen.
Chellie Pingree currently serves on the Congressional Committee of Appropriations, the subcommittee of Agriculture, and that of the Interior & the Environment. As a past Eisenhower Fellow and with a decade of experience in US Congress – her unique experience allows us to seamlessly transition the conversation from rural Maine, to the New England region, to the entire US, and throughout the globe. Despite canvasing the map – our discussion is underpinned by the theme of reconnecting with natural order, and food.
Truth is, a good portion of our discussion focused on the beautiful State of Maine. Once, and what could again be the fulcrum of the regional food system of the Northeast, Maine has an agricultural linage dating back to the beginning of the Union. 3500 miles of coastline boasting access to a bounty of some of the cleanest waters and seafood in the world. Through this, Maine could cast a long shadow in future bio-regional economies. Pingree embraces systems thinking on her farmstead & Inn in Maine, and in the other House – on The Hill, 600 miles south.
Whether looking to progress regenerative agriculture, or responsible fisheries & ocean farms, or the connection of food and its impact on the environment, or just teaching constituents of the many values of good food – Maine seems it could be ground zero for a food and production revolution. If Pingree has anything to say about it Maine will become the tip of the spear in growing its economy by investing in its own regenerative resources that service the wellbeing and stability of its citizens. You see, years of forced innovation has matured into diverse layers of Maine ingenuity ready to be put through its paces. With an arsenal of natural resources, and knowledge that mitigates risks of future instabilities local and abroad - Pingree is drafting a new plan. Tune-in, and listen to the insights of this passionate and impactful leader drafting a new plan for our future food. www.SourcingMatters.show
related links discussed in our conversation:
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Blog: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/ Food Policy Action Scorecard: http://foodpolicyaction.org/scorecard/ Information on Rep Pingree’s food policy work: https://pingree.house.gov/food Her newsletter sign-up: https://pingree.house.gov/contact/newsletter
Wine is more than just any libation, it’s an experience steeped in history. It’s part of ritual and beliefs; it ties us with friends, family, cuisine, and for many – with their lineage. From the highest-end vintages that are matured & aged for decades, to the low-end box of wine at the corner store costing a few bucks – this cold fired fermenting extends a full spectrum of offerings that now accounts for a $62B domestic industry. The success of the industry is tied to its ability to differentiate those offerings throughout that spectrum. From the region it’s from, to an elevated production approach, to the aging process, or its unparalleled cuisine connection that helps develop an ecosystem of aficionados that have become increasingly interested in each of all of these unique factors further connecting the consumer with their drink of choice and its affinities – it matters in wine.
Producing Châteauneuf-du-Pape style Rhone wines native to the Southeast Corner of France, today we welcome Partner and General Manager of Tablas Creek Winery Jason Haas to Sourcing Matters. Situated squarely between San Francisco & Los Angeles, Jason’s family began their California winery in 1989 using elevated practices that focused on Organic and regenerative in effort to benefit their soils, and the flavor of their wines. Now, producing 360,000 bottles a year of biodynamic and diverse vitas – Tablas Creek has established themselves as a desired brand that engages consumers and progresses the industry through their commitment to producing world-class wine.
From "Place" and provenance, to cleaner and transparent production, to agritourism which engages & retains, to preservation of values throughout the supply chain - have a listen and hear how this approach in wine can act as a new baseline for more food categories to follow. So, when next marrying wine with your cuisine – we hope those expectations for quality and associated values on wine thus ports (carries-over) to the food you’re pairing. www.SourcingMatters.show
Situated on over 600 acres of preserved coastal landscape in Freeport, Maine – Wolfe’s Neck Center uses its setting to connect people of all ages to the food they eat and where it comes from. As a nonprofit, Wolfe’s Neck Center draws upon a rich history of innovation and experimentation to continue the legacy of this place today. Through regenerative farming, innovative soil health research, and visitor interactions, the land is now used as an educational resource to create a healthier planet for all.
Joining for episode 22 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Dave Herring: Executive Director at Wolfe’s Neck Center; and Fiona Wilson, Chair of the Board at Wolfe’s Neck, and ED at Center for Social Innovation and Enterprise, Asst. Prof. at UNH’s Paul College of Business.
Our 45 minute discussion ranges from regenerative best practice -to- the current state of milk -to- the business potential of regional production -to- encouraging more connection to nature, and systems, through getting out - and camping. Fiona and Dave have begun a new epicenter of food, agriculture and environmental research on Casco Bay in Maine. It’s a marquee example of Sustainable Coastal Farming that works to “Transform our relationship with farming & food, to transform the planet.” Hear how these folks are amplifying, educating and curating an ecosystem.
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Did you know that the thin walled produce you eat can be some of the most concerning foods in your diet. From everything we think we know - that just seems counterintuitive. How can Fruit & Veg possibly worse than processed food, high fructose sugar, feedlot beef? Well, that may come down to the eye of the beholder. Concerns with neurotoxins and hormone disruptors used extensively in common pesticides throughout conventional production, or that of glyphosate are real and are worthy of scrutiny.
On Sourcing Matters episode 21 we welcome Volkert Engelsman, CEO of the EU's largest importer of organic and biological produce - EOSTA of the Netherlands. Engelsman is a global thought-leader fighting for cleaner food and healthier soils through a unique process of engaging more stakeholders in sourcing. "When you commoditize products, you anonymize origin and backstory" explains Engelsman in describing why he launched trans & trace technology platform Nature & More to validate the integrity of his supply chain. Now, as the backbone of their produce distribution - this framework brought mainstream through a "Sustainability Flower" is used to evaluate, manage and communicate the sustainability achievements of organic growers. The six flower petals deal with ecology: soil, water, air, plants, animals and energy. The heart of the flower shows the words "freedom", "justice" and "solidarity", which refer to cultural, societal and economical sustainability respectively.
Along with the UN and Ernst & Young - Volkert Engelsman and the team at EOSTA have levered the Nature & More framework to prove healthier & cleaner food has greater value than the cheap stuff. The pilot program has been labeled "True Cost Accounting for Food, Farming & Finance". We learn that French Government has calculated a 54b Euro impact of externalized costs from contamination on the water supply and environmental impact tied to conventional food production. More over, the UN calculates $2.8 Trillion of environmental externalized costs and $2.1 Trillion in social damage tied to extractive models of agriculture. Engelsman explains that's about the equivalent of the total revenues of all food products from around the world. “The report makes clear that organic food is not too expensive, but rather conventional food is too cheap.” - details Engelsman.
in 2015 Engelsman launched a viral initiative to engage everyday citizens, VIPs, and political leaders to Save our Soils. With 30 football fields of soil being lost every minute to irresponsible farming practices, this UN-backed Save Our Soils initiative aims to inform consumers about the urgent need to halt the loss of irreplaceable soils. To amplify the impact Engelsman employs ambassadors like Prince Charles, Julia Roberts, King of the Netherlands, Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, activist Vandana Shiva and conservationist founder of North Face Douglas Tompkins to support efforts in preserving soils, and promoting clean food on a shrinking planet with a fresh look at true costs.
Have a listen, and hear what's going on around the world. There are some pretty exciting concepts ripe for change. This guy, Volkert Engelsman of the Netherlands, is a driving force teeming with insight and creativity set on changing the world for the better.
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There’s been a citizens awakening to Ocean Health. A macro trend in the US, much instigated by a younger generation to the problems we have on a shrinking planet. On Episode 20 we welcome Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Founding Dean of school of the environment. Umass Boston & Michael Tlusty, PhD – Associate Professor – Sustainability and Food Solutions at the School for the Environment, Umass Boston.
.With over 70% of that shrinking planet being blue, and that ocean acting as the trash receptacle for the past 40+ years – we’re running out of never-never-land to throw away our trash and get away with it now pilling up where we may see it. In that same half century time period – human population has skyrocketed from 3.5 billion to 7 billion. Non-biodegradable plastic is now everywhere. Even forming its own landmass!
During our discussion I learn about their new state of the art campus on Boston Harbor. They share how the School of the Environment was “created out of a series of modified environmentally Ocean focused programs that we specifically designed to solve a Marine or Ocean health problem.” Michael discusses his innovative background and past initiatives with the New England Aquarium, and now his goals within blue food economies. Robyn has great perspective on jobs creation throughout ecological & environmental markets. We discussed solutions to funding, policy, practice, awareness problem local and abroad. This UMass Boston School of the Environment is entirely New School Ocean.
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