colin tetreault, sustainable food - covering the green economy

Serving Up Sustainability

Colin G. TetreaultMaster of Art’s, Sustainability

School of SustainabilityArizona State University

Colin.Tetreault@asu.eduTwitter: ColinTetreault

Steve ShortChief Executive Officer

Atlasta Catering &Event Concepts

Steve@srestaurantconcepts.comTwitter: atlastacatering

Outline for Discussion

Sustainability Overview

Current Business State

Systems Thinking

Sustainable Business Strategy

Food System Issues

Restaurant and Catering Concerns

Atlasta Story

Inquiries & Discussion

Sustainability Overview

What is your definition of sustainability?

Sustainability and environmental advocacy– Same, Different, Synergistic, Dissonant? – Jimmy Carter?– Hippies versus Capitalists?

Sustainability Overview

Webster’s Dictionary on Sustainability:

The ability to continue without interruption.

Metaphors for SustainabilityThe Earth does not belong to us.

We are borrowing it from our grandchildren.

Treating the Earth as if you intended to stay

Spaceship Earth

Stewards of the Earth

Don’t eat your seed corn.

Sustainability Overview

Sustainability Overview

Then I say the earth belongs to each generation during its course…No generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence.

Thomas Jefferson to James Madison

The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired in value.

- Theodore Roosevelt

Sustainability Overview

We thrive and survive on planet earth as a single human family. And one of our main responsibilities is to leave to successor generations a sustainable future.

-Former UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan

Sustainability Overview

Sustainability Overview

Sustainability Overview

– Degradation of habitats and loss of biodiversity

– Exhaustion of natural resources

– Economic stratification

– Population growth

– Globalization

– Urbanization

– Water and food

– Climate change

– Uncertain legislation & regulation

There are complicated and difficult situations facing us

Current Business State

– Sustainability– Corporate social responsibility

(CSR)– Corporate citizenship– Triple bottom line (TBL)– Corporate accountability

– Environment, social and governance (ESG)

– Socially responsible investing– Eco-performance– “Green” companies

Varying nomenclature in the marketplace

Current Business State

What do you think?– What role does business play in the world?– Industrialization, Globalization, et cetrea– What does sustainability do for/to business?

Finite, Risk-Averse, ROI– Checklist-style scope– Long-term=3-5 years– Cash is king

Current Business State

Reductionist Tendencies– Dangerous, limiting, not strategic– Global Climate Change > Green House Gases >

CO2 > Reduce Emissions > Energy Efficiency > ROI > SUSTAINABILITY!

Green washing– Risk of being “caught”– Inflexible platform & structures

Is this really sustainability?

Current Business State

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Level of Sustainability Thought and Integration

Current Business State

• Climate• Biodiversity• Increased costs• Difficulty in sourcing• Boycotts & Bad Publicity• Litigation

• Innovation• Opportunity• New Markets• Security• Resource Intelligence• Preparedness• Resilience

Copyright: George Basile

Sustainability: A Decision Making Funnel

Current Business State

Systems ThinkingEco-Efficiency + Production Process

Core Biz Strat Product Design

Company based on sustainable principals

Market Strategy

Opportunity

Systems Thinking

Systems Thinking

Systems Thinking

Principles for Sustainabilitydefining success in the system

Global Systems & ScienceA way to understand the world

Strategic Principlesfor achieving success

Actionsinitiatives on several fronts

Toolsimplementation and assessment

Copyright: George Basile

Defining business within the “system”

Systems Thinking• Transparency• Stakeholder dialogue• Support sustainability

policy• Encouragement

• Differentiated taxes• Subsidies• International

agreements• Legislation

• Reinvestment• Backcasting• Flexible platforms• ROI• Precaution• Iterative

improvement

• Resource productivity

• Less waste

• Renewable• Nature-like• Degradable• Less area

required• Equity

Reduction

Substitution

Definition of sustainability

Strategy

PhysicalSocial

PolicyFactor X

LCAISO

14001

HHS

GRI

Eco-Footprint

SPIMIPS

Problem

Solution

Copyright: George Basile

Systems Thinking

• Transparency• Stakeholder dialogue• Support

sustainability policy

• Differentiated taxes and subsidies

• International agreements

• Legislation

• “Back-casting”• Creation of flexible

platforms• Reinvestment• Partnerships• Precaution

• Increase resource productivity

• Reduce waste

Use inputs that are:

• Renewable• “Nature-like”• Degradable• Less area

required• Equity

Reduction Substitution

Definition of sustainability Sustainability principles:4 basic principles

Strategy Physical Social Policy

Outcomes

System Science

Actions

Strategies

Toolbox Factor X LCA ISO14001 HHSGRIEco-

Footprint SPI MIPS

E.g., turn to renewable energy,

increase mix of green products, etc.

How is the system itself constituted?

What are the ecological and social principles for constituting the system?

Copyright: George Basile

Sustainable Business StrategyMapping the Business System

Sustainability Action Map

Operations Product ExternalSupply Chain

•Global energy efficiency

•Paper reduction•Green power•Green purchasing•Greener facilities•Global water•Employee incentives• Internal comms

•Packaging•Energy

efficiency•Green contest•Solar roadmap•Design for Env•Eco training

•External comm’s•Govt engagement•Green build demo•Trade sponsorship•Tradeshow offsets•Policy leadership

•Green fleet•Green purchasing•Key Components•Sector leadership•Eco guidelines

Vision | Goals | Strategy | Success

Copyright: George Basile

Sustainable Business Strategy

– Integrate sustainability principles and organizational definition of

success

– Establish value in sustainability via stakeholder engagement,

innovation, marketing, efficiency, and the “DOING THE RIGHT THING”

– Create a flexible platform for success that embraces change as

opportunity for growth

– PROFITS WITH PRINCPLES

Food Industry Concerns

Food, like oil, is BIG

Where does your food come from?– The farm

– The grocery store– The refrigerator

How much food do you eat?– 1 hamburger a day?

– 1 steak a week?

Food Industry Concerns

Volume: Not Grandpa’s Farm– Global Population: 6.8 Billion

– Urban Population: 50.5% of population (2010)

Resource Utilization: McDonald’s– 75b/sec*60sec*60min*24hours=6,480,000 burgers/day / .20 pound =

1,296,000 lbs ground beef/day.– 2,000lbs steer=400 lbs ground beef– 1,296,000/400=3240 cows per day.– 8 lbs of feed for every 1 lbs cow…wow…– Does not account for water, fuel to transport, electricity to run farms

Food Industry Concerns

Food versus Fuel Use– 2007 Clean Energy Act – consumption & production incentives

– Energy negative production– Global environmental modification for growth/Global starvation

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s)– Pro’s and Con’s

– Lack of labeling and awareness

– Control: domestic and internatinoal

Food Industry Concerns

Organic– Confusion

– Process – Legitimacy

Systemic Environmental Effects– Land-use change

– Transportation, production, consumption

Norms and Values

Restaurant and Catering Concerns

– Push vs. Pull

– Operational Size: blessing & curse

– Nomenclature & creative omission

– Marketing Misunderstanding

– Low handing fruit or systems thinking

– Evoke sustainability vs. operations plan & business as usual

Atlasta Story

– Formed 1974

– Major expansion in early 1990’s

– Precipitous drop – sales and staff – 2007-2008

– Personal reorientation

– Moving towards integrated sustainability

– Inside questions to ask

Inquiries and Discussion

Steve ShortChief Executive Officer

Atlasta Catering &Event Concepts

Steve@srestaurantconcepts.comTwitter: atlastacatering

Colin G. TetreaultMaster of Art’s, Sustainability

School of SustainabilityArizona State University

Colin.Tetreault@asu.eduTwitter: ColinTetreault