Watch our recap video below:

Designed for action learning, the speaker series features a diversity of topic related leaders and experts recognized for their innovative, inclusive and systems thinking in advancing food security and climate resiliency in Canada and abroad to get their views on the future of food in a time of great change.

Why now? Why a Systems Approach?
Over 5.6 million Canadians live with food insecurity, hunger and poverty every day of their lives! With the impacts of Covid-19, rising inflation and climate change across the supply chain, the actual number of people living with hunger is likely a lot higher than what’s reported.

The 2022 Food Price Report for Canada forecasts a 5% to 7% increase in food prices in 2022, the highest in its 12-year history. This translates to an annual cost of food of $14,767 for the average Canadian family – an increase of $966 over 2021.

This is a highly concerning figure for Canada’s most vulnerable people. There is more than enough food produced to nourish every Canadian, but over 50% of our produce gets wasted. There are clear systemic challenges that need to be explored. These complex supply dynamics are shifting rapidly.

It is a complex, interconnected problem that needs to be explored, understood and addressed with a futures lens and systems approach.

REGISTER TODAY

Separate Eventbrite registration links are included with each the speaker dates, listed below:

#1: May 5, Thursday at 11 AM ET: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-reimagined-future-of-food-security-and-climate-resiliency-week-1-tickets-319796970347

FOCUS: Rethinking and Repurposing Food Waste. A Circular Economy of Well being, Business, Communities and Cities.

SPEAKERS

As a senior economist, Dr. Beaudoin brings an ‘economics for transition’ lens to the Foundation aimed at helping to enable a socially thriving and ecologically sustainable Canada. He applies the art of change and participatory social processes to a variety of themes that include: adaptation to uncertain climate futures, embedding local, traditional and indigenous knowledge in policy decision and choice-making, and promoting a transition to a sustainable relationship between society and Nature. From his decade with the United Nations, prior to his return to Canada in 2018, he has been facilitating conversations around the world, highlighting solution pathways towards a well-being centric, beyond GDP economic system. Most recently, he has been co-leading the inception of the Well-being Economies Alliance for Canada and Sovereign Indigenous Nations (WEAll Can) to help in the re-imagination of the purpose of an economy.

Too Good To Go is the leading app for fighting food waste and is championing the movement into the Canadian market.

Sam moved to Toronto as a first-generation immigrant more than 23 years ago. His first job in Canada was in the food service industry where he saw, firsthand, how consumer demand for speed and selection produced a consequential increase in food waste! Since then, his love for food has taken him to more than twenty countries around the world discovering many new cuisines, transforming his relationship with food from “love” to “respect”.

He has held multiple leadership positions in both global and scale up organizations and was recognized by Marketing Magazine’s “30 under 30” in 2014.

His constant focus is balancing performance with purpose and empowering Canadians to join the fight against food waste.

Dr. Tammara Soma MCIP RPP is an Assistant Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management (Planning program) at Simon Fraser University and Research Director of the Food Systems Lab. Originally hailing from Indonesia, she conducts research on issues pertaining to food loss and waste (FLW), food system planning, food access, and the circular food economy. Dr. Soma is a Co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Food Waste, and co-founder of the International Food Loss and Food Waste Studies group, a global network of FLW researchers and practitioners. Dr. Soma was selected as a committee member of the US National Academies of Science and co-authored the consensus study A National Strategy to Reduce Consumer Food Waste. She leads numerous tri-council funded research projects and is routinely featured in international and local media (BBC, CBC, TVO, CTV, Huffington Post, National Observer, Chatelaine and more). In 2021, the Food Systems Lab was recognized as one out of the four women-run projects that are redefining agriculture by the Canadian Organic Grower. She was also named by Chatelaine magazine as one of the 10 inspiring Canadian women saving the environment. She is a registered professional planner and a proud mother of three.

Neil Hetherington joined Daily Bread Food Bank as CEO in January 2018. Neil began his career in project management at Tridel Construction, Canada’s largest condominium developer. In September 2000, he made a career change by joining Habitat for Humanity Toronto, at the time as the youngest CEO of a Habitat affiliate in the world. Neil’s non-profit experience includes 16 years as CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Toronto, and then New York City, and two years as CEO of Dixon Hall, a multi-service agency with 240 staff serving thousands of people in Toronto through its social programs, shelters, seniors programs, youth initiatives and community revitalization efforts. Neil holds degrees or certificates from the University of Western Ontario – Huron College, Seneca College, Harvard Business School and the University of Virginia – Darden Business School. He obtained his MBA from the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey Business School in 2013. He is an active pilot and sailor. He enjoys furniture making and in his spare time plays tennis terribly, snowboards poorly and bikes slowly.

Thought leadership publications by/ related to the May 5th Food Security and Climate Resiliency Themes
From Sam Kashani, Too Good to Go
• The fastest way to combat climate change is by reducing food waste. And the fastest way to reduce waste is to democratize it.
• A Single Action, We Should Start There.
• Now is better than New.
From The Daily Bread Food Bank
• Government Public Policy Drives Number of Food Bank Visits: New Report.
• Government Public Policy Drives Number of Food Bank Visits: Key Findings.
• Take action now to make food banks obsolete!
• At The Table Daily Bread Spring 2022 Newsletter.
• 23% of Canadians Report Eating “Less than They Should” Due to Rising Inflation.

From Dr Tammara Soma, Simon Fraser
• Soma, T. (2022). Critical food guidance for tackling food waste in Canada: A closed-loop food system alternative to the food recovery hierarchy. Canadian Food Studies, 9(1).
• Rajasooriar, D., Soma, T. (2022). Food access, mobility, and transportation: a survey and key informant interviews of users of non-profit food hubs in the City of Vancouver before and during the COVID-19 crisis. BMC Public Health 22, 6.
• Soma, T., and Nuckchady, B. (2021). Communicating the Benefits and Risks of Digital Agriculture Technologies: Perspectives on the Future of Digital Agricultural Education and Training Frontiers Communications.
• Committee, National Academies of Sciences “A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level: Consensus Report”.

About The Other May Events and Registration Links

#2: May 12, Thursday at 12 PM ET: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-reimagined-future-of-food-security-and-climate-resiliency-week-2-tickets-323294972967

FOCUS: Transitioning to health promoting and locally sourced, sustainable food supply for Canada.

SPEAKERS:

Rod MacRae, PhD
Food Policy Analyst, Associate Professor
York University, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change

Dr. MacRae is a sought-after expert on health-promoting and sustainable food and agriculture systems. He writes and speaks extensively on these themes in the academic and popular press; and. consults to government, business and NGOs, and teaches at York. He has a PhD from McGill.

Brenda Hsueh
Organic Farmer
Black Sheep Farm

Brenda Hsueh is a Chinese Canadian organic farmer who has been farming at her 40 acre farm, Black Sheep Farm, since 2009. She spent over a decade working in the financial industry in Toronto, before pursuing her dream of regenerative agriculture. Over the years, she has been joined at the farm by her partner, Skyler, and their daughter Emma. They grow organic vegetables for CSA members on a no-till vegetable plot, and practice intensive managed sheep grazing on 20+ acres of pastures. The rest of the farm is planted to trees, and has a pond for amphibious life and all those needing a watering hole. The priority for the farm is to increase biodiversity and habitat, sequestering carbon by keeping living roots in the ground, while also producing nutritious and flavourful food for the farm’s community. Brenda is also working with Farmers for Climate Solutions to roll out their Farm Resilience Mentorship program (FaRM) as there is so much potential for climate change mitigation, and maybe even reversal, if agriculture starts to make some major shifts.

Matt Hammond, PhD
Chief Technology Officer
HiGarden

Matt is a systems-thinker working on environmental, conservation and sustainability problems. He works across disciplines – including biodiversity, ecosystem science and agriculture – to develop new urban agriculture technologies. He has worked for Environment Canada, consulted internationally and researched widely in academia. He applies his broad experience to developing insights and solutions that can enable a greener and more resilient future. He has a PhD in Ecology from McMaster University and an MSc in Marine Science from University of Otago, New Zealand.

Yasmin Glanville
Founder, Futurist
Rethink Sustainability Initiatives

Yasmin is a recognized futurist, innovation and growth strategist and advisor for leaders, boards, organizations and communities in the Americas, Caribbean and Europe.

She specializes in helping clients explore the future and mobilize best fit approaches and solutions to thrive in the new realities of a highly disruptive world impacted by Covid 19, climate change, digitization, inflation, social-economic inequities and more.

Backed by 30+ years of international experience as both an executive and a senior advisor for and with corporations, government/NGOs and NFPs, Energy/Social Innovation Hubs, entrepreneurs and philanthropists she is a sought-after keynote speaker and strategic advisor.

Yasmin uses a similar futurist-systems thinking approach for community initiatives.

This includes the 2021-2022 RSI Community Climate Action project by and with St James Town members, a dedicated project team and experts from seven countries – funded in part by the Government of Canada.

In 2011, she founded RSI as a go-to knowledge exchange for senior leaders to broaden their understanding of how important it is to embed sustainability and resiliency as core business priorities vs. a sideline.

Since then, RSI has evolved into a global brand, spanning all sectors, with a common focus on building a more resilient, just, and sustainable future. RSI collaborates with a diverse and inclusive ecosystem of senior and emerging leaders, partnerships, associations and youth.

#3: May 19, Thursday at 12 PM ET: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-reimagined-future-of-food-security-and-climate-resiliency-week-3-tickets-323311000907

FOCUS: Future Food Distribution and Sustainability.

SPEAKERS:

Sylvain Charlebois, PhD
Researcher and Professor, Food Distribution and Food Policy
Faculties of Management and Agriculture
Dalhousie University

Dr. Charlebois is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

Jess Newman
Senior Director of Agriculture and Sustainability
McCain Foods

Jess Newman is the Senior Director of Agriculture & Sustainability at McCain Foods, the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products and appetizers. Her team of agronomists and field representatives are responsible for all the sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, and other vegetables purchased directly from farmers. They also implement McCain’s 2025 sustainability goals related to agriculture: 100% of farmers implementing regenerative practices, 25% reduction in farming CO2 emissions intensity, 15% improvement in irrigation water use efficiency in water-stressed regions, and the launch of three Farms of the Future.

Jess works remotely from her home state of Michigan and travels frequently to support her team (when covid allows).

Jess is passionate about sustainability in agricultural supply chains. Her philosophy is to meet farmers where they are and help them move along the sustainability spectrum – while creating profitability too! Talking to farmers is what energizes her. Shas worked at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Ecologic Institute, New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Booz & Company, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and Anheuser-Busch. She holds a B.A. from Harvard, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management (with Sustainability Certificate). She loves baking bread, sci-fi/fantasy, and cats.

Dihan Chandra
Founder
The Spent Goods Company

Dihan started his first social enterprise, Organic Lifestyle, to focus on promoting non-toxic alternatives for the home, such as organic pillows, linens, and mattresses.

While researching whether his dog’s poo could be used to generate energy to power his house, instead of having to pick it up, he was inspired by solutions that made revenue from plastic pollution, cementing his belief that practical solutions to reducing waste while generating profits are within our reach.

One night at his local pub, Dihan asked the question we’ve all been too shy to ask: What happens to all the grain used to make beer?

After learning that most spent grain, especially from smaller breweries, ends up in landfills, The Spent Goods Company was born. The company is currently working with craft breweries to transform their leftover barley grains (spent grains) into delicious food.

#4: May 26, Thursday at 12 PM ET: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/a-reimagined-future-of-food-security-and-climate-resiliency-week-4-tickets-323379666287

FOCUS: The Future of Food Security for Communities and Cities.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Kim Zeuli
Founder and Managing Director
Feeding Cities Group – USA

Dr. Zeuli established the Feeding Cities Group in 2019 to mobilize the vision for resilient urban food systems she forged while serving as the Senior Vice President at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC). Kim holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and has extensive experience as a researcher and consultant working on food system issues in the U.S. and globally. She has worked in and with corporations, government agencies, philanthropic and non-profit organizations as a thought leader and trusted advisor at the intersection of food systems, disaster risk mitigation and community development.

Phil Fung, P.Eng.
Founder & President
HiGarden

Phil Fung is a Consulting Engineer (Energy and Sustainability) in Ontario, Canada. His areas of expertise are energy efficient and sustainable buildings design, nature-inspired regenerative buildings design, energy modelling, and LEED certification management. Starting his career as an Automation & Robotics Engineer, Phil accepted the part-time professorship at Humber College in 2012. Phil’s overarching design principle is “Buildings like the forest ecosystems.” Using nature as mentor and tool, Phil designed and applied for patent of his Vertical Indoor Aquatic Ecosystem – Vertical Indoor Garden (VIGA™) – in early 2014 which was based on biomimetic, biophilic, and bio-synergistic design principles. Recently, Phil secured a research grant from NSERC (National Science and Engineering Research Council) using biophilic design to enhance the mental health of people working from home and improve their productivity and effectiveness.

Kate McMurray
Education Outreach
The Big Carrot

Kate is a certified nutritionist and healthy food systems advocate. For 10 years her work at The Big Carrot has focused on championing organic agriculture, building better food literacy, and fostering creative partnerships in the community.

The Big Carrot is a worker-owned natural food market that has been committed to local, organic, non-GMO and sustainable food systems since 1983. Growing from 9 founding partners to a thriving worker-owned business, The Big Carrot is run in the same democratic manner as when it first opened. Its approach to health includes creating and protecting sustainable, robust food systems and facilitating community innovation. Each year The Big Carrot funds two grant streams: Carrot Cache and Natures Finest Fund which support sustainable farming and equitable food systems in Ontario.

Mike Carter
Founder
First Green Energy

The opportunity Mike sees in agri-voltaics threads his collective experience and fuels his ambition to be a change maker and accelerator of the energy transition through an agricultural lens.

Mike has been involved with the renewable energy industry for most of his life. He has led teams to develop and operate utility-scale solar, energy storage and hydroelectric projects throughout Canada and the US. Under First Green Energy, Mike has returned to his roots and has redoubled his attention to the acceleration of the electrification transition in Canada bringing his personal background in farming and applying his professional experience towards expanding agrivoltaics into Canada.

Mike founded First Green Energy in 2007 as a renewable energy development consultancy after growing up supporting his family’s hydroelectric business endeavours. Mike has held many roles concurrent to his renewable experience including mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and automotive sectors. For the past 20 years, Mike has also managed his family’s farm operations, where he was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Halton Hills in 2013. Through his farming efforts Mike led various endeavours seeking added value from a difficult to resolve agricultural reality for many of today’s family farms. These efforts included organic strawberry growing , on-farm market development, traditional cash cropping, and market gardening.

Through all of his experiences in energy, farming and elsewhere, Mike has continually developed strong business relationships with ever diverse parties to contemplate, realize and deliver innovative business outcomes.

Yasmin Glanville
Founder, Futurist
Rethink Sustainability Initiatives

Yasmin is a recognized futurist, innovation and growth strategist and advisor for leaders, boards, organizations and communities in the Americas, Caribbean and Europe.

She specializes in helping clients explore the future and mobilize best fit approaches and solutions to thrive in the new realities of a highly disruptive world impacted by Covid 19, climate change, digitization, inflation, social-economic inequities and more.

Backed by 30+ years of international experience as both an executive and a senior advisor for and with corporations, government/NGOs and NFPs, Energy/Social Innovation Hubs, entrepreneurs and philanthropists she is a sought-after keynote speaker and strategic advisor.

Yasmin uses a similar futurist-systems thinking approach for community initiatives.

This includes the 2021-2022 RSI Community Climate Action project by and with St James Town members, a dedicated project team and experts from seven countries – funded in part by the Government of Canada.

In 2011, she founded RSI as a go-to knowledge exchange for senior leaders to broaden their understanding of how important it is to embed sustainability and resiliency as core business priorities vs. a sideline.

Since then, RSI has evolved into a global brand, spanning all sectors, with a common focus on building a more resilient, just, and sustainable future. RSI collaborates with a diverse and inclusive ecosystem of senior and emerging leaders, partnerships, associations and youth.

*********

Event Sponsors:

*********

To learn more and to explore other ways of getting involved, including partnership opportunities, contact:

Patrick Gossage at pgossage@rethinksustainability.ca / mobile (416) 347-1862 and communications@rethinksustainability.ca, urvil.villaruel@rethinksustainability.ca

About the Series Organizer and Contact Information

RSI is a dynamic “think-do” knowledge exchange that helps executives, entrepreneurs and innovators examine the challenges they face while helping them identify strategies and insights for advancing the sustainability and resiliency of business and society to thrive into the future. Our exchange, through formal and informal discussions, action-learning accelerators, workshops, keynote presentations and publications, provides access to progressive leaders and actionable insights for Canadians and our global partners.

For more information:
Email: communications@rethinksustainability.ca