2019 Food Waste Solutions Summit
October 28-30, 2019 | San Francisco, CA
Ned Spang
Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology
University of California, Davis
Bio:
Dr. Spang’s research focuses on characterizing and optimizing the efficiency of linked water, energy, and food resource systems. He is particularly interested in applying methods for measuring and monitoring these systems and their interrelationships in high-resolution and across multiple scales, both geographic and temporal. He further seeks to understand the influence of external markets, technological innovation, and policies on this integrated food-water-energy nexus. His recent publications explore the linked relationship between water and energy resource systems, the drivers and environmental impacts of on-farm food losses, and an in-depth review of the academic literature on food loss and waste.
Schedule
Tuesday, June 24
4:00pm - 5:15pm
[Mainstage Session II] Setting the Table: The Realities Shaping Our Work
We can’t address food waste without understanding the broader food system and the world in which that system operates. This session takes a step back to help frame up the context in which we accomplish our work—the policies, trends, technologies, and environmental issues that shape the system that produces (and wastes) our food.
Wednesday, June 25
10:45am - 11:45am
[Breakout Session III] The Environmental Effect: The Nexus Between Surplus Food and Land, Biodiversity, Water, and Climate
The numbers are staggering—140 million acres of land, enough water for each American to shower seven times a day all year, the same emissions as driving 54 million cars annually—surplus food has an outsized impact on our natural resources and climate. Zeroing in on methane, 10% of emissions of this potent greenhouse gas come from surplus food, which is one reason why reducing unsold and uneaten food is a key strategy to pull the “emergency brake” on climate change. Join this session and hear how food loss and waste intersects with and impacts larger environmental pressures around land conversion, biodiversity, water, and methane.