In a world of finite resources and growing population, the traditional “take-make-dispose” economic model is increasingly unsustainable. As a consequence, companies are feeling pressure from customers, NGOs, regulators, and investors to rethink wasteful linear value chains. The “circular economy” envisions a more regenerative alternative focused on a “refurbish-repair-reuse-recycle” model that has the potential to sustain global growth in the face of increasing resource scarcity.
American Express announced today that it has been ranked #1 on the 50 Best Places to Work for New Dads by Fatherly, the leading digital media brand for dads. American Express is one of just 50 companies included on the annual report highlighting the best paternity benefits offered by companies in the United States.
Alessandro Bianciardi wanted to help get fresh water to communities that needed it the most -- rural farmers in areas that were hardest hit by climate change-induced drought. So when he and his team of engineers and designers at the company Planet set out to create a more affordable, scalable and radically sustainable solar still, they went right to the source of the most effective R&D process they knew of -- nature itself.
As head of R&D for a major vegetable seed company, I get to travel around the world to meet with farmers and many other veggie-loving stakeholders from across the food chain. Thanks to events hosted by our seed brands, De Ruiter and Seminis, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with vegetable suppliers, grocery retailers, restaurateurs, renowned chefs, food writers/bloggers, and other stakeholders. I have also had wonderful opportunities to speak at many culinary or “foodie” events.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a workshop on Vertical Farming as a pre-summit event at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco. I had the pleasure of joining key leaders from this promising new industry to discuss the role that plant science and technological innovations may play in optimizing yields and delivering valuable products. My message was simple: Partnerships between seed companies and vertical controlled-environment producers, and the application of modern biology tools to create custom germplasm, will be key to enabling these new and exciting production systems, just as they are in today’s most commonly-used fruit and vegetable production systems.
Today, Mayor William Peduto is excited to announce the grand opening of Cool Globes in Pittsburgh. The nearly 30 large globe sculptures - described as “public art with a purpose”- will be on display in Market Square, PPG Plaza and Gateway Center through early October. Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet aims to raise awareness of and inspire viewers to take actions on climate change.