How Many Trips to Mars Will it Take us to Stop Wasting Food?

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Jonathan Harris, my Long Bottom Line collaborator, recently shared an interesting website with me called Counting Animals. The site is described as “a place for people who love animals and numbers” – a niche that I find myself in. My accountant side was satiated by their statistics about food loss at the retail and consumer level, segregated by type of meat. But I digress.

In an earlier post this year I discussed the tremendous amount of food waste we generate as a society and how this waste is costing us billions of dollars. When I saw the statistics on Counting Animals, it struck me that there were several issues at play here – each one a compelling case to manage our food supply chains (and our kitchens and pantries) better. Based on statistics from the USDA, there is approximately 12.4 billion pounds (5.6 million metric tonnes) of beef, chicken, pork, turkey, fish and shellfish that is lost at the consumer level every year in the US.

Airplane pollution 400_299

Extrapolating these amounts by emissions factor estimates for each kg of meat consumed, there are roughly 84 billion kg of carbon dioxide equivalents that are generated for meat that is spoiled and never eaten! To put this number into perspective, 84 billion kg of carbon dioxide equivalents is about the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would be caused by a 397-seat Boeing 747 travelling from Toronto, Ontario, to Mars, and back…..four times, and then circling the earth 5,000 times….every year. With carbon emission reduction targets becoming more prevalent at the state/province and national levels, tackling food waste could be a compelling method to reducing unnecessary emissions.

Sources:

http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/climate-and-environmental-impacts/

http://www.carbonplanet.com/downloads/Flight_Calculator_Information_v9.2.pdf

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/134674/tb1927.pdf

A Trillion Dollar Question: Can You Do Well By Doing Good?

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There are more and more success stories of companies applying sustainability concepts to their business. And the inspiring thing is that they often find that their sustainability initiatives turn into more than just cost centres, but into sources of improved profits and lower risk. For example, take the famous case of Interface Inc., the carpet manufacturer, whose founder Ray Anderson noted that:

“Since 2003, we’ve sold over 83 million square yards of carpet with no net global warming effect. These climate-neutral carpets, Cool Carpets, have been runaway bestsellers. That’s competitive advantage at its best – doing well by doing good.“

But do sustainability improvements in company’s business models translate into better returns in the financial markets? That’s a trillion dollar question that demands much more analysis and a much lengthier post than this. However, there is some encouraging evidence. Companies in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) and Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) delivered approximately double the total return of the Global 500 companies between January 2005 and May 2011. Over this period the return of the Global 500 was 42.71%, while that of the CPLI was 85.72%.

CDP-CDLI-CPLI-G5001

Now care must be taken when considering these numbers as the Carbon Disclosure Project hasn’t disclosed exactly how they calculated these results, and I haven’t tried to replicate them myself. Also, other less exciting effects could be going on. For example, perhaps better carbon disclosure is just indicative of better corporate governance, which leads to better performance (rather than a lower carbon footprint leading to better performance). However, it is still encouraging to see that the companies in these indices have been out-performing the rest of the Global 500!

Among other things, it would be interesting to see if this out-performance has continued over the last year and a half, and if there was a significant difference in volatility been the carbon indices and the Global 500. Not to mention looking at the performance of other sustainability related indices. I really would like to do some research on this, so if you’re reading this post and you have some suggestions for interesting datasets to look at, then please do let me know!

Innovation isn’t always Glorified (Sometimes it’s Crap)

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toilet-new

I don’t know about you, but when I think about innovation, the first thing that comes to mind is flashy, new technology – a tablet computer that documents my thoughts as I think them, or a car that runs on air as fuel. Sometimes the most impactful innovations come from looking at old technologies, products or processes that we take for granted as operating at an optimal performance level.

Take toilets, for example. Even though many toilet manufacturers are now producing “low-flow” models, the basic design and process by which a toilet captures human waste and washes it into a sewer system has not changed since the early origins of the toilet. In the 1880’s, the English invented a toilet with an elevated cistern of water placed above the toilet bowl, which released water to flush away waste. Today’s toilets have changed minimally since these innovations over one hundred years ago. You don’t see too many horse-drawn buggies on city streets these days, but this may be the rough equivalent in public sanitation terms.

There are some companies who are taking a hard look at toilets, and other innovations of our ancestors, to find modern-day innovations that can have some real environmental benefits. Take Landwasher, for example. This Beijing-based company has been pioneering the waterless toilet industry in China since 1999. According to an interview in Fast Company, the CEO and founder, Henry Wu, made it his life’s mission to create an environmentally friendly toilet, even destroying his marriage along the way. Challenges aside, Wu and Landwasher have created a system of public toilets that don’t require water for flushing waste away. Essentially, these toilets separate out urine and excrement, using the former, which is sterile, to wash away the latter. While it may sound gross compared to the standards we enjoy in water-rich areas, many parts of the world do not have access to the amount of gallons of fresh water required just for washing waste into a sewer system.

With the global fresh water storage, it’s innovations like these that will have some of the most impactful results on the world’s population and finite resources. What other sustainable innovations are we overlooking?

The Future of Impact Investing

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The Future of Impact Investing

Check out this interview with Sir Ronald Cohen, who is known as “the father of social investment”. It includes his prediction that:

“Impact investing is the next Big Thing. Society cannot continue to cope with prevailing social issues in the traditional way. We need to harness entrepreneurship, innovation and capital to achieve in the social area what they have achieved in the creation and growth of entrepreneurial firms in general, and technology firms in particular.”

Eating for a Better World

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Ever since I started seriously researching sustainability and the state of our planet there is one topic that has struck me as affecting almost all the issues we face today: FOOD. For example, it is estimated that livestock’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is between 10-51%! If the higher figure is correct, then the easiest, fastest way to stop climate change would be to replace just 25% of today’s livestock products with alternatives.

Now I could continue with more and more statistics about the food industry. But instead, I’ve selected a picture for each issue below that illustrates just one reason why you might want to think about eating a greener diet, even if you only really care about making your own life better. If you would like to know more, then the free online documentary “Farm for the Future” is a great place to start.

Climate Change

Wouldn’t you like the climate to stay stable – not too hot and not too cold, but just right for hanging out in the park?

glorious-day-in-hyde-park-london-hdr-303413

Health

Wouldn’t you like to be healthier and fitter like professional surfer (and vegetarian) Anastasia Ashley?
ashley2

Equality

When you visit developing areas, wouldn’t you like to see that the people are happy, well-fed, and eager to learn like these children I visited in rural China?

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Jobs

Wouldn’t you like to see sustainable farming create fulfilling jobs for underskilled people, leading to mental health benefits for all?

Red-Dog-Farm-Crew-450x300

Fresh Water

Wouldn’t you like our fresh water resources to be protected from chemicals, as well as overuse, so that our rivers are clean enough to drink and swim in?

A-swimmer-jumps-into-the--001

Ocean Health

Wouldn’t you like our oceans to be protected from toxins and acidification, so that when you go scuba diving you can see sights like this?

Coral-reef-near-Fiji-007

Land

Wouldn’t you like to see our forests protected and expanded, so that we can all enjoy their magnificence?

Forest

Waste

Wouldn’t you like to see the end of wasteful plastic packaging, so that the only stuff washing up on our beaches is the occasional bit of seaweed?

stock-footage-sandy-beach-with-palm-trees

Crowding

Wouldn’t you like to see the revitalisation of rural communities, so that urban knowledge centres can be greener and less crowded?

cn_image.size.twilight-carriage-ride-central-park

Security

Wouldn’t you like your country to be reasonably self-sufficient for both its food and energy needs, so that its military can be mostly just for show?

PEREGRINE TROPHY H/C FPU 07/02/2003

What would you like your world to be like?

Long Bottom Line Pioneer: Elon Musk

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Elon Musk has been a hero of mine for several years, and his recent TED talk in February reminded me why. For the uninitiated, Musk is the creator of PayPal – the first business to make a real splash in online payments. After PayPal, Musk went on to found Tesla Motors, a leading North American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer; Solar City, an innovative distributed solar utility in California striving to bring solar power to American households; and SpaceX, a company that designs, builds and launches space rockets using advanced technologies.

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S

In this profound TED talk, Musk describes his personal and business missions with Tesla, Solar City and SpaceX. Some of the highlights from a Long Bottom Line perspective are as follows:

  • EVs are a substantially more carbon efficient transportation method than combustion engine vehicles, even if the electricity grid utilities the EVs plug into are powered by fossil fuels. He hopes to have a mass market EV model produced in several years.
  • Musk has placed a personal bet that solar power will be the most widely-used form of energy within two decades.
  • An appropriate financing model (the Solar City approach) can lower household energy costs without requiring the homeowner to purchase solar panels – these become capital assets of the company, funded through bank debt financing.
  • Space exploration as it is currently practiced is a very wasteful practice – the cost for each rocket launched into space can exceed one billion dollars, and these rockets are completely expendable (i.e., they are only used once). Musk’s goal is to create a reusable rocket that re-enters earth’s atmosphere and lands in one piece – allowing it to cost almost 100 times less than typical launches.

This is a fascinating talk, please enjoy.

The Path of Least Resistance

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My last few posts have focused on the idea that making changes to the way we think about food and diet can have huge impacts on our individual health, as well as greater systemic benefits in the form of massive savings and a generally happier population. Our habits, however, are not easily broken (discussed further here). This past weekend, I watched two TED talks by a couple of omnivores, that address both the need for western populations to change their behaviour with food, as well as a great solution. Be a part-time vegetarian. By reducing the amount of meat you consume, you can contribute to environmental preservation – livestock production plays a significant role in climate change and land degradation. You can also experience some of the benefits that a plant-based diet has on health – like reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative diseases – without giving up meat cold turkey (pun intended).

For more information, please check out the following two excellent TED talks:

Graham Hill: Why I’m a weekday vegetarian (4 min.)

Mark Bittman: What’s wrong with what we eat (20 min.)

How can we add a Long Bottom Line to our political system?

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Check out this post on Huff Post Green UK by Halina Ward. The post highlights the publication earlier this month of an independent review by Sir George Cox called ‘Overcoming Short-termism within British Business’. The review found that “short-termism has become an entrenched feature of the UK business environment”, and it proposed a set of ways to rectify this including abandoning quarterly reporting, and increasing funding for research and post-graduate education. Related to this, Halina Ward’s organisation has just launched The Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability which includes the idea that:

“Democracy must plan for present and future human needs in ways that respect the earth’s natural limits. From the local to the global, the practice of democracy at every level urgently needs to overcome short-termism.”

Have a look at their video below, and you might even want to sign up to their manifesto to add your support to their work towards a long bottom line in politics. People that have already signed up include MP Caroline Lucas and John Elkington, chairman of sustainability consultancy Volans.

The Manifesto for Democracy and Sustainability and You from Democrability on Vimeo.