Highlighting Meaningful Opportunities at the Intersection of Climate and Food Systems for Business Students
Berkeley Haas was selected to host this year’s ClimateCAP Summit– an annual climate transition conference that brings together MBA students, business leaders, and experts from around the world to assess the implications of climate change for business and investment. An often overlooked sector relevant to the climate transition is the food and farming industry, which accounts for nearly ⅓ of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The US is the 3rd largest emitter in this sector, behind China and Brazil. There are sources of emissions across the entire value chain– from converting previously wild lands into agricultural ones, to deploying chemical-based inputs onto farmland, to processing crops into food products, to the food that we let rot in our refrigerator and then throw into the garbage. Animal-based foods contribute more than double the emissions of plant-based foods, inspiring a new trend of “climavores”– folks who reduce their meat consumption and make other eating choices that decrease their environmental footprint.
At this year’s ClimateCAP summit, the Center for Responsible Business and student-led Food@Haas club co-hosted a panel of experts working toward a more sustainable and equitable food system. Entitled, “What is the Private Sector’s Role in Making Sustainable and Equitable Food Mainstream?”, the panel featured Alice Waters (Climate Activist, Founder of Chez Panisse and Alice Waters Institute), Chris Jocson (COO, Good Eggs; Haas ‘07), Jamie Horst (Chief Purpose Officer, Traditional Medicinals), and John Foraker (Once Upon a Farm, Haas ‘94). The discussion was moderated by Stephen Hohenrieder (Founder & CEO, Grounded Capital), whose fund invests private capital in “building the health of symptoms rather monetizing the symptoms of unhealthy systems”.
Hohenrieder opened the panel discussion by noting that innovation occurs along the entire spectrum of growing, processing, and distributing food from “convention” to “aspiration”. Players across the spectrum are doing their best, whether that’s safely and reliably growing food or innovating in their space. Our panelists reflected that diversity of proactive leadership: Good Eggs is reinventing how food is moved, serving as a farm-to-consumer grocery platform; Chez Panisse helped launch the “farm to table” movement in the U.S.; and larger CPG brands like Once Upon a Farm and Traditional Medicinals balance scale with their commitment to sourcing sustainably. As Horst emphasized, “if there is harm in a system, successful businesses will accelerate that harm” – therefore, reducing harm is the first step. Working more directly with farmers is one lesson that Foraker learned on how to reduce harm in the food system.
When thinking about points of leverage, it’s clear that addressing healthy eating habits at critical life stages– like childhood– can have outsized influence. Alice Waters recognized this when she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which integrates food education throughout the school day, from geography lessons incorporating Middle Eastern cuisines to science lessons incorporating gardening, in order to combat the “sensorially deprived world” that kids (and adults) live in today. Today, 7,500 schools around the world are part of the Edible Schoolyard Project. Similarly, Once Upon a Farm has prioritized accessibility from day one, becoming the first fresh baby food brand available through the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program.
At this year’s Climate Cap, the Center for Responsible Business and student-led Food@Haas club felt that it was crucial to highlight not only the food industry’s negative impact on the accelerating climate crisis but also the actionable opportunities that exist to make our food system more sustainable. For example, reducing food waste and adopting plant-rich diets rank #1 and #2 of 93 currently available and financially viable greenhouse gas reducing climate solutions, according to Project Drawdown. Changing how we graze animals and use land also ranks near the top. Therefore, for MBA students interested in working on climate, the food system offers a fulfilling and impactful career path.
The takeaway from the panel was clear: if you are an MBA student passionate about combating climate change and improving the health of our environment and its living beings, the food and farming system offers both tremendous challenges but also meaningful opportunities to make an impact. Our compelling panelists showed us how, whether you are interested in marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, operations, or nonprofits, there is a fulfilling role for you in the good food movement.
About the Author: Jacqueline Gottuso is a second year Full-Time MBA student at Haas and the former Co-President of Food@Haas.
