Hidden behind spotless grocery aisles, perfect vegetables, and a confusing array of best before rules, Tristram Stuart discovered a world of waste. Now Stuart will be sharing his experience and expertise as the closing keynote speaker at the 2017 Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Conference.
Stuart is on a mission to keep food out of landfills. He founded the environmental charity Feedback, which works internationally to improve the environmental impact of food. He is also the founder of Toast Ale, a beer launched in the UK in 2016 that is made using fresh, surplus bread.
It Started With Pigs
Tristram Stuart found his path to food waste activism through a teenage entrepreneurial streak. Intent on raising pigs and selling the meat for a profit, the fifteen year-old Stuart soon discovered a wealth of food being thrown away by the stores around his Sussex home. Most of it was perfectly edible food that never made it to a plate – perfect to repurpose as feed for his pork-bellied investment. But it also piqued his interest. Soon he was delving deeper into the issue of food waste and discovering just how systemic the problem is.
“I noticed we were hemorrhaging out food,” says Stuart in his TED talk on food waste. “And I’m not talking about rotten food being thrown away, but rather perfectly edible food.”
Stuart’s TED talk ends with a blunt finale. “At the moment we are trashing our land to grow food that no one eats.” But his honesty is matched with action.
Campaigns Against Food Waste
His interest in food waste spawned a prize-winning book, Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal (Penguin, 2009) and the organization Feedback, with awareness campaigns such as Stop Dumping, The Pig Idea, and The Gleaning Network. One of the organization’s signature events is Feeding the 5000, where rescued food is gathered before it leaves the supermarket, and transformed into thousands of free lunches handed out in colourful urban pop-up festivals.
Understanding the Future of Food
Tristram Stuart’s passion and vision have put food waste in the spotlight in the U.K. and around the world. However, his understanding of the circular economy and zero waste principles offers vital insights for those involved in other industries, such as packaging, distribution, and marketing. It’s imperative you understand what to expect in order to navigate this fast-changing landscape. Stuart’s experience offers valuable specifics to help you achieve success.
Mark your calendar to attend Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Conference on November 1st, 2017 for a full day of compelling discussion on zero waste and the circular economy, including our opening keynote speaker, retired NASA astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman.
A Circular Economy Within Reach
We’ll also showcase leaders from a broad range of backgrounds and industries throughout the conference, offering their perspectives, tackling vital issues, and making waste prevention principles a top-of-mind priority for industry, government, and consumers. Join us as we welcome the perspectives of innovative thinkers at the edges of possibility, the hard headed realists turning ideas into solutions, and the policy makers who provide the framework for action. Is the circular economy truly within reach? Find out why the answer is Yes – register today at http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?505687