Food and Climate Change
Bon Appétit Management Company is leading a national effort to encourage our chefs and guests to think about how their food choices could help reduce climate change. Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions created by our business by at least 25% over three years. We will accomplish this through our Low Carbon Diet program, which was spearheaded by the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation.
After reviewing the scientific literature and analyzing the supply chain for certain foods, the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation designed the Low Carbon Diet program. Compiling and assessing extensive peer-reviewed research regarding food and climate change was necessary to ensure that our Low Carbon Diet initiatives were based on sound science. Furthermore, when creating the Low Carbon Diet Calculator, which calculates the carbon emissions impact of various foods, the Foundation led our partnership with EcoTrust to actually develop the data. Active in the development and now implementation of the operational initiatives, the Foundation continues to be the leading force behind the Low Carbon Diet program.
Helene York, director of the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation, has been invited to speak about the Low Carbon Diet program and the topic of food and climate change at many different conferences and symposiums. Here is a partial list of her upcoming and past speaking engagements:
Upcoming Scheduled Events
Chew on This: Food, Climate Change, and Personal Choices
Nobel Peace Prize Committee - invited speaker
Friday, March 6, 2:45pm - 4:00pm
St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Monday, April 20, 2009
Expected audience: chefs, food service managers, and media
Past Events
The Low Carbon Diet: Implementing a Science-based program in a food service environment
American Association for the Advancement of Science – Annual Meeting
Co-panelists include Peter Tyedmers, PhD,
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 8:30-11:30
Audience: scientists, graduate students and media
Beyond ‘Going Green’ – Why Food Matters
Art Institute of
Thursday, October 30, 2008, 1:00 PM
Audience: meeting planners and museum leadership
Food and Climate Change: Myths versus Reality and How Methodology Matters
Yale Sustainable Food Project Speaker Series on Food and Climate Change
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 7:00 PM
Audience: undergraduate and graduate students and community visitors
Food and Climate Change: Myths versus Reality
Duke University Marine Laboratory Fall 2008 Seminar Series
Thursday, September 25, 2008, 5:00 PM
Audience: graduate students and community visitors
Chew on This: The Connection between Food and Climate Change
Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 6:30 PM
Audience: undergraduate students and community visitors
Food and Climate Change: Myths versus Reality
CITRIS* Distinguished Speaker Series,
(*Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society)
Monday, September 22, 2008, 4:00 PM
HP Auditorium in Soda Hall (UC Berkeley campus)
Audience: faculty, students, staff, and industry visitors
The Food Sector & Climate Change: Measuring the Linkages, Developing Mitigation Strategies
“Environment and Technology from the Policy and Business Perspective”
Fall 2008 – PP282 (Graduate Student Section) Instructor: Prof. Margaret Taylor
UC Berkeley campus,
Thursday, September 18, 2008, 12:30-2:00 PM
Audience: graduate students
Eating the
Presented by the Commonwealth Club in association with Slow Food Nation
Co-panelists Jessica Prentice and Kevin Lunny; Naomi Starkman, moderator
Commonwealth Club,
Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 6:00 PM
Audience: Members of the public (fee to attend)
Considering the Ethical Dimensions of School Food
National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference,
August 1, 2008, 10:00 AM
Audience: student leaders from 27 Jesuit campuses
Chew on This: The Connection between Food and Climate Change
City of Santa Monica-Public Speaker Series @Main Library
July 22, 2008, Reception: 6:00 PM; Presentation: 6:30PM -8:30PM
Audience: members of the public
Keynote Address: Redefining Campus ‘Sustainability’
Institute on
Thursday, June 12, 2008, 1:30-2:30 PM
Audience: faculty, students, staff of numerous member colleges
Chew on This: The Connection between Food and Climate Change
Getty Research Institute
Monday, April 7, 2008, 11:00 AM
Audience:
The Food System and Climate Change: A Primer
Sloan Industry Studies Workshop:
Saturday, April 5, 2008, 9:30 AM
Audience: faculty from several universities and leaders of several major greenhouse-gas producing fields invited by conference organizers
Will Climate Change Define a New Frontier for Sustainable Food?
2007 Women Chefs and Restaurateurs National Conference
Monday, November 5, 2007, noon
Audience: chefs from around the country and food-related media
Why Food Matters in the Climate Change Debate
Monday, November 5, 2007, 7:30 PM
Audience: students, staff and faculty at RWU
Why Food Matters in the Climate Change Debate
October 3, 2007, 3:00 PM
Audience: students and faculty at
Will Climate Change Define a New Frontier for Sustainable Food?
Food Industry Center-Annual Fall Symposium
Universityof
October 1, 2007, 10:00 AM
Audience: students and faculty at UMN and food industry representatives
