Blink:

I find it extremely alarming the number of people I communicate with tell me: “I do not follow the news anymore, it’s too depressing.” D’accord – Ukraine, Middle East, antisemitism, mass shootings, dysfunctional American politics, etc. However, I think everyone is too distracted, thus missing the major news story: climate overshoot!

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In English, what is climate overshoot? Climate change experts predict we will surpass the global threshold goal 1.5° Celsius established by the United Nations’ Paris climate agreement within this century to prevent irreversible climate damage. The Paris climate agreement set a goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Warning: Experts have indicated overshooting the increase in global temperatures by half a degree would have serious environmental and societal consequences. Recently the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds published updated research detailing their concern if humanity continues to emit CO2 at current levels. Their research calculated   there is a high probability we will exhaust by the end of the decade our carbon budget (the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere) within the 1.5° C threshold established at international climate talks.

I do acknowledge news regarding the impact of higher global temperatures occasionally makes the headlines. Especially this past summer’s record temperatures which intensified weather events around the world – extreme wildfires, heat waves, and severe flooding. However, I am concerned whether numerous segments of humanity which are not directly impacted by these climate catastrophes truly understand the long-term ramifications planet earth is overheating. Fortunately, thanks to LinkedIn, the online platform I utilize to aggregate science-based information via special interest groups (e.g., environmental, sustainability), I am informed of the relevant facts regarding the climate crisis we are experiencing. An example would be an article I read last week. It detailed the accelerated rate (potentially by the end of the century) glaciers are melting in Switzerland and globally (Andes, Himalayas) which will negatively impact the agricultural sector, hydropower production, water reserves, as well as increase the risks of natural disasters (e.g., floods, landslides, and debris flows) wiping out homes and other infrastructure. Numerous projects have been launched by Switzerland to counter glaciers melting.

The good news: The Leeds study underscored the fact we are still deeply reliant on fossil fuels, thus injecting enormous quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere each year. However, the study indicated it is unlikely, but not impossible, for humans to hit the lower temperature target set by the landmark 2015 Paris agreement. Humans still have a lot of power to limit warming due to the ongoing implementation of greenhouse emissions reduction solutions across all business sectors. The international group of research scientists believe we have a fifty per cent chance of staying within the 1.5 °C threshold established at the international climate talks. I am encouraged the conversation on climate change has expanded. Rather than focusing on limiting the end-of-century warming at 1.5°C, the real news is the environmental and societal risks associated with global temperatures peaking before that point – climate overshoot!

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

As a planet wellness advocate, I am incessantly concerned our ocean’s ecosystem is being pushed beyond its complete restoration. I last posted about several ocean renewal solutions over a year ago. Time for an update.

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Canada has implemented the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy Program to drive the adoption of AI across its economy and society. They recently announced they were allocating substantial funding ($20 million) to Ocean Supercluster (OSC) to accelerate the development and commercialization of several innovative AI ocean-based solutions. Specifically:

• Fish Monitoring – Several programs to assist in safeguarding fish populations.

• Imaging Technologies – Seafloor sediment analytics to monitor crucial environmental information.

• Biomass Analytics – Assist in better understanding the ocean’s biomass needed for seaweed farming, oyster farming, as well as the overall health of aquaculture.

In my last couple of posts, I have expressed my concern about the risks associated with AI potentially being an energy burden especially as it relates to planet earth’s environmental resources, and health (power & water). However, I support the utilization of AI to help in the restoration of our ocean’s ecosystem. To me a pragmatic use of energy compared to CPG companies crunching consumer data to analyze snacking behavior.          

Blink:

This will be a brief post. I just want to address the relevancy of my September post, when I proclaimed generative AI’s potential as the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment based on computing centers’ reliance on energy and chilled water for cooling.                   

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Recently numerous articles about a looming AI energy burden are surfacing. The specialized computer chips utilized in the current AI boom consume immense amounts of electricity which would also impact the world’s carbon emissions if data centers get their power from fossil fuels. From what I have read, projections are all over the map:

• One conservative estimate is by 2027, 0.5% of the world’s current electricity (equivalent to Sweden, the Netherlands, and Argentina combined).
• Most companies have been guarded about their energy and water usage. Another projection is 1 to 1.3 of the world’s electricity based on the sales of the technology (hardware and software) sold by the dominant market leader Nvidia (an estimated 95% market share).

Potential Solutions? A.) More efficient utilization (accelerated computing) of the current AI hardware servers; B.) Increased supply of specialized chips beyond Nvidia’s which has become an AI capacity bottleneck; and C.) Advocate/support the moratorium on the accelerated development of AI to give regulators and companies the time needed to formulate the future safeguards needed to protect us from the risks associated with AI, especially as it relates to planet earth’s environmental resources, and health.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

In my last post, I shared details about the waste linked to the fashion industry. Today as a food futurist marketer specializing in the food-away-from-home channel, I am going to share an update on food waste in the business sector I am a stakeholder.

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Last week I listened to the Food Institute’s podcast on food waste. Their guest was Josh Domingues, founder, and CEO of Flashfood; a Toronto based technology company working to eliminate retail food waste by connecting consumers via their app with discounted food nearing its best-by date. The Flashfood digital marketplace is helping families across North America access nutritious food at affordable prices, while reducing the volume of food, retailers send to landfills. Flashfood is currently partnered with more than 2,000 stores across North America. Interesting food waste eradication solution! However, it remined me of an article I read last month I wanted to write a post about and share with my readership.

It is estimated one-third of all food is lost annually during its production and transport, plus wasted in our homes. In addition, food loss and waste accounts for 24% of the food sector’s greenhouse emissions, approximately 6% of the global total. Addressing the adverse environmental impact of food loss and waste on the surface appears beneficial. Au contraire! A disconcerting new study released by Nature Food based on research conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder revealed a phenomenon labeled the rebound effect. Researchers collected data on how consumers would react to the increases in food supply resulting from solutions to alleviate loss and waste in individual global markets. Their findings indicated as food supply goes up thanks to the reduction in food loss and waste, the research revealed key markets typically responded by decreasing food prices, which increased consumers’ purchasing power/consumption. As a result, consumers buy more food than they ordinarily would have purchased. The study identified this surge in food purchases decreased production less than originally anticipated, offsetting the environmental benefit associated with the utilization of production resources – land usage, fertilizer, water, energy, etc.

Food waste is a major threat to the natural ecology of our planet – greenhouse emissions, the environmental resources needed to produce, package, and transport food. In addition, food waste is a problem as it relates to addressing/offsetting world hunger which has now been further exasperated by our current climate crisis (e.g., extreme weather conditions – drought, flooding, etc.) decimating crop yields. I consider myself an optimistic pragmatist. Thanks to my food futurist research I am constantly learning about the current solutions being implemented to eradicate food waste. Right now, they are all baby steps (micro) which will eventually all add up to make a difference. To me, the macro solution will be a shift in global human behavior – Ubuntu, a topic I will explore in a future post.

 Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

I read a friend’s post on LinkedIn about AI computing data centers’ reliance on chilled water for cooling, thus resulting in a damaging environmental (e.g., water resources) counterbalance. Interesting tidbit of information! Subsequently, I processed generative AI’s potential as the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment.

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Have you been following or partaking in the generative AI rage? I have from a marketing perspective. Complex AI models involve intensive computing power from semiconductors requiring significant amounts of electricity which generate considerable levels of heat. Water from AI facilities’ cooling towers is utilized to maintain optimal operating conditions/temperatures. One relevant estimate I read was approximately half a liter of water for every five prompts. Leading tech giants (e.g., Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google) have been extremely guarded about AI’s environmental impact.           

Why am I concerned generative AI is the elephant in the room in regards to planet earth’s environment? Its use as a marketing tool to influence consumer purchasing behavior. The byproduct is it drives the overall consumption of material-based products which might not be manufactured by numerous companies within the sustainable guidelines needed for a healthier plant earth.

In our “Digital First World” generative AI will transform marketing forever, thus enable companies to crunch consumer data in real time to develop personalized content/messaging (e.g., social platforms, email, etc.) to their target audiences which will ultimately drive engagement and conversion. Recent research revealed 73% of U.S. marketers (source: Statista) indicated their organizations have used generative AI tools. It is estimated the percentage of AI usage will escalate to 90% in two years.

For brevity of today’s post, I am going to cite the fashion industry (one of the largest manufacturing industries on the planet which is highly unregulated), as a prime example of wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. Relevant facts (source: Earthday.org):

• 100 billion garments are produced a year; it is estimated 87% will end up in a landfill or an incinerator. Note: Only 1% of discarded clothing is recycled.
• The average person now buys 60 percent more items than they did 15 years ago, but keep them for only half as long – the average article of clothing may be worn as few as ten times before it is tossed. 
• 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to France, Germany and the U.K. combined. 
• the utilization of highly toxic dyes, pollutants which once flushed end up in the planet’s ecosystem.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
• deforestation since a considerable number of trees are razed for cellulosic fibers.             
• the negative impact of non-organic cotton farming (e.g., soil depletion/degradation, pesticides).
• the utilization of synthetic fibers like polyester which is a derivative of crude oil (a non-renewable resource). 
• the negative carbon footprint associated with shipping clothing from point A to point B. 
• Clothing production has doubled since 2000 and is expected to grow an estimated 63% by 2030 with the rise of the global middle class population.                                                

As I stated above, for today’s post, I chose the fashion industry as an example of a manufacturing industry heavily impacted by wasteful consumer purchasing/consumption behavior fueled in part by marketing. My plan is to research/analyze other industries embracing generative AI for marketing to write a more in depth article to share online with my LinkedIn community.

How many elephants are there in the room?

Blink:

Did you know?

• Gen Z’s estimated disposable income is $360 billion plus.
• Food is the third most popular trivia category.

Chipotle knows!

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For the record this is my third post about the marketing prowess of Chipotle. Back in 2020 I first wrote about the restaurant chain’s implementation of innovative supply chain initiatives, the foundation of their brand’s positioning to deliver “Food with Integrity” focusing on sustainable farming and sourcing natural ingredients a core value proposition which resonates with their Gen Z target market. In addition, they also won  

Marketing Dive’s 2020 mobile marketer of the year award for their digital marketing savvy which appeals to the Gen Z demographic group.

Recently I was conducting marketing research when I learned they are rolling out the fourth edition of their Chipotle IQ trivia game to test their patrons’ knowledge of their brand, food standards, and community engagement. Winners receive rewards for a perfect score. They recognize gamification, as a marketing engagement tool is very popular with Gen Z.

In closing, as a marketing food futurist, I must praise Chipotle when it comes to marketing, they are a cut above. They are consistently reaching out/messaging their brand delivers “Food with Integrity” targeting Gen Z, their current and future core customer base.

Blink:

I was researching upcycled foods which are made from ingredients otherwise destine for food waste when I learned about Biomass Resin Holdings. The company, located in Japan takes irregular rice normally discarded and turns the waste into a bioplastic. An innovative product which crosses two hurdles with one leap.

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Hurdle #1 (Upcycled Product): Their innovative manufacturing process which was first conceived 20 years ago, starts with irregular rice normally thrown out by farmers. The rice utilized is old or considered inedible due to bad flavor thus not suitable to sell at Retail.  The rice is then mixed with a small amount of polypropylene which is considered an environmentally conscious form of plastic since it is biodegradable, does not release toxins, and has a relatively low carbon foot print. The result, is a bioplastic material which can be used for cups & table ware, bento boxes, everyday trash bags, toys, and smartphone covers.

Hurdle #2 (Plastic Replacement): Being a food futurist (a.k.a. planet earth wellness advocate), I am concerned mankind is choking on plastic. Macro stats (primary source: IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature):

• Approximately 400 million tons are produced every year. Without changes in regulations and innovation some environmentalist project plastic waste to triple by 2060 exceeding over one billion tons.
• Globally only 9% is recycled.
• The plastic produced is used for a wide variety of applications – an estimated 50% are created for single-use items (e.g., shopping bags, cups, and straws).
• At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year and comprise 80% of all marine debris both in surface waters and deep-sea sediments.

Relevancy: In an old post I referred to a 2019 study by WFF International which concluded we ingest approximately 5 grams of microplastic per week which is the equivalent weight of one plastic credit card. Imagine adding one American Express card to your weekly diet!

In closing, thanks to being a food futurist specializing in food-away-from-home marketing, I am bullish about the upcycled food movement, thus monitor its progress closely. Learning about Biomass Resin Holdings, an innovative company in Japan transforming repurposed rice into a product which is a solution to curb plastic wastes’ negative toxic impact on planet earth’s environment, excites me! Validates one organization can make a difference, plus makes me optimistic if we add up all the environmental innovation being implemented globally, we are on the right path to nurse planet earth’s wellness back to manageable levels.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Yesterday my French teacher was telling me to be patient. She went on to explain how French is a very difficult language to learn and she understood the risk I took moving here only knowing tourist French. I then shared with her my mantra: No Risk, No fun!  Forever relevant.           

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I posted No Risk, No Fun on my blog back in November, 2021. I quoted one individual who has inspired me: Japanese violinist Daishin Kashimoto, concertmaster (since 2009) with the Berlin Philharmonic often recognized as the world’s finest orchestra – “Taking risks means, of course, that there are times when we come up short. No risk, no fun!” Coincidentally, after having the risk conversation with my French teacher, later that day, I watched the Netflix sports documentary “The Playbook A Coaches Rules for Life” specifically the segment on Jill Ellis. Jill coached the United States women’s nation soccer team which won two consecutive FIFA women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2019. One of her rules: Risk is opportunity. Definitely in synch with Daishin’s wisdom “no risk no fun!”          

Opinions welcomed!

Blink:

I am an advocate for the AI technology being designed/implemented to solve our planet’s health and environmental issues. Today I would like to provide an update and give kudos to the startup Freshflow who has developed software to help grocers reduce food waste.                       

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The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released their report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023” earlier in the month. They estimated between 691 million to 783 million people faced hunger last year. If you were to look at the median of their calculations roughly 735 million, it equates to 122 million more people went hungry than in 2019 before the pandemic disrupted the world. They also revealed nearly 30 percent of humanity or approximately 2.4 billion people did not have access to adequate food last year (2022) and 3.1 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet. Note: Given the complexity of measuring world hunger, the U.N. defines hunger as the long-term or persistent inability to meet minimum dietary requirements. Alarming! A major setback to the U.N.’s charter of eliminating hunger by 2030.

Solution? There is no one solution. It will take a variety of innovative solutions in the global food system to eliminate hunger. A good starting point I addressed in my original Innovative Planetary Technology post would be precision agriculture, Agritech, the use of AI technology and technological innovation to improve the efficiency and maximize output of agricultural processes. However, I am concerned the progress of AI data driven agriculture will be slowed down by the ravages of climate change. Consequently, I believe a pressing problem we are currently contending with is the environmental impact of reduced food waste which can also generate numerous solutions to eliminate hunger. Note: The UN estimates 17 per cent of total food produced annually goes to waste at both the retail and consumer level. Fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) at retail is a leading contributor of food waste primarily attributed to antiquated (e.g., manual) stocking systems. Freshflow, a Berlin- based software company has developed an AI-powered automated forecasting platform to predict the amount of produce a retailer will need. Different data point factors analyzed include weather, season, and local events as well as historic retailer data to forecast supply and demand. An early adapter, one of Germany’s leading grocery retailers has already experienced 30 per cent less food waste which also resulted an estimated 17 per cent revenue boost.

Remember, the management of waste reduction in produce throughout the global food system thanks to AI driven platforms like Freshflow, is an immediate solution to fight hunger by reallocating the unused produce normally wasted.

Opinions Welcomed!

Blink:

Global heat records have been surging this summer. Consequently, I am constantly reviewing innovative solutions which are being implemented to offset the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions in the food-away-from-home and hospitality sectors. An interesting update.

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In an old post Menu Greenwashing, as a food futurist, I questioned whether consumers will make food-away-from-home food choices based on the environment. Earlier this week I read about the U.K. company SKOOT which has created an Eco-Contribution tool designed to enable establishments to counteract the emissions generated from every meal by planting trees. How does it work? Upon receiving their bill, diners can choose to pay the optional Eco-Contribution set by the restaurant to offset emissions from the meal by planting a tree (note: each tree removes CO2). SKOOT estimates to date they have planted 800,000 trees with their tool which has countered a significant amount of CO2. Sounds good/positive! My thoughts:

• For restaurants to truly reduce the impact of their greenhouse emissions they will have to closely examine reducing their food waste, scrutinize their supply chain (e.g., responsible sourcing), as well as the energy they utilize for cooking.
• Are restaurants addressing how they are reducing their menu’s carbon footprint, really a marketing ploy (a.k.a. greenwashing) targeting environmentally conscious consumers. More importantly, as I have stated before, I question whether consumers will make food-away-from-home food choices based on the environment.

Opinions Welcomed!