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Lexicon of Food’s expert panel explores how climate change impacts not only food availability but the nutritional quality of our food.
Introduction
by Becky RamsingWhat is a carbon footprint? why is methane included in a carbon footprint?
by Brent KimTo what extent does the processing of foods, including packaging, contribute to climate change?
by Jane MunckeIs it really better for the climate to buy local?
by Christopher GardnerCompared to other areas of society, how much does food production, consumption and waste contribute to total GHG emissions?
by Jacqueline SilvaHow much does the production of beef contribute to climate change?
by John LynchIs chicken better for the climate than beef?
by Christian ReynoldsHow can eating more plants be good for the planet?
by Brent KimHow do dairy products compare to red meat for climate impacts? Which dairy products have the best and worst climate impacts?
by Kari HamerschlagRice is a plant. How does it increase my climate footprint?
by Dr Kritee KriteeLexicon of Food’s expert panel explores how climate change impacts not only food availability but the nutritional quality of our food.
Introduction
Numerous studies that have demonstrated the need for dietary shifts to mitigate climate change. Here is a sample selection of related research:
Hedenus, F., Wirsenius, S., & Johansson, D. J. (2014). The importance of reduced meat and dairy consumption for meeting stringent climate change targets. Climatic Change, 124(1-2), 79-91.
Bryngelsson, D., Wirsenius, S., Hedenus, F., & Sonesson, U. (2016). How can the EU climate targets be met? A combined analysis of technological and demand-side changes in food and agriculture. Food Policy, 59, 152-164.
Aleksandrowicz, L., Green, R., Joy, E. J., Smith, P., & Haines, A. (2016). The impacts of dietary change on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and health: a systematic review. PloS one, 11(11), e0165797.
Jones, A. D., Hoey, L., Blesh, J., Miller, L., Green, A., & Shapiro, L. F. (2016). A systematic review of the measurement of sustainable diets. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 7(4), 641-664.
Senior Program Officer
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
There is mounting evidence that a healthy, sustainable diet protects public health, the planet, and our climate. But what exactly qualifies as a healthy, sustainable diet? A healthy, sustainable diet can provide good nutrition and safe food, use natural resources with a conservation-oriented mindset, reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases associated with obesity and poor diets, rebuild and nurture ecosystems, and hopefully, also mitigate climate change.
Climate change is one of the most visible ways that we are witnessing the degradation of ecosystems and irresponsible use of natural resources — and our global diets are, in part, exacerbating the problems. By shifting our diets toward plants and away from meat — placing more emphasis on the obligation of high-income countries (HIC) to do so, as opposed to putting the onus on low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) — we not only make strides toward improved public health, we also take steps toward environmental stewardship and climate change mitigation.
Can changing diet and reducing waste mitigate climate change?
Assistant Professor
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
World leaders have agreed on the goal of keeping average global temperature rise within 2° C above pre-industrial levels in order to avoid the most catastrophic climate change scenarios. Even if this goal is met, climate change is projected to have significant global impacts, many of which will likely continue for centuries. Under a business-as-usual scenario modeled by researchers, in which global meat and dairy consumption continues to increase, emissions from food production alone (including emissions associated with land-use change, such as deforestation) would nearly exhaust the emissions budget in 2050 set for having at least a 66% chance of keeping global warming below 2° C. Consequently, when combined with non‐agricultural sectors, global emissions would increase the likelihood of severe consequences for people, public health, economies, and ecosystems. Food system activities (e.g., producing, transporting, and disposing of food) generate up to 30% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Of these sources, livestock production is the largest, accounting for an estimated 14.5% of global GHG emissions from human activities, according to the United Nations. Meat and dairy from ruminant animals, such as cattle and goats, are particularly emissions-intensive.
How can reducing wasted food contribute to a better climate?
About 30% of the global food supply is never eaten. If all the world’s food losses and waste were represented as a country, that “country” would be the third highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter after China and the US. Discarding food is akin to discarding all the embodied GHG emissions involved in its production, processing, transportation, cold storage, and preparation. Additionally, when food decomposes in landfills, it generates significant quantities of methane, a GHG that is up to 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for reducing food waste by 50% by 2030, and the US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Agriculture have set the same goal. Interventions to reduce wasted food in higher‐income countries should focus on the consumer (including expiration date labeling and quality standards), improving shopping/eating practices, and controlling market supply. In lower- and middle-income countries, the greatest need for change is at the production end, including improvements to infrastructure, storage capacity, mechanization, packaging, and roads. According to estimates by climate scientists, meeting this goal alone can reduce projected food production-related carbon dioxide equivalents by 22% in 2050. Dramatic reductions in meat and dairy consumption in high-consuming populations, alongside reductions in wasted food, are crucial for avoiding the most catastrophic climate change scenarios. Achieving this goal requires a nuanced approach to food system emissions mitigation strategies. Demand-side mitigation strategies should result in a reduction in the global average consumption of animal-based foods from projected amounts, with a particular emphasis on reductions among populations that already consume above-average amounts of animal-based foods.
Ecosystem conservation refers to the deliberate and strategic efforts to protect and preserve natural ecosystems, their biodiversity, and ecological processes to maintain their integrity, functioning, and resilience over time. It involves the management and sustainable use of natural resources, the protection of habitats, and the mitigation of threats to ensure the long-term viability of ecosystems.
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Worldwide, approximately 13.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) are emitted by the food supply chain per year.
Assistant Scientist
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
What is a carbon footprint? why is methane included in a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of how much a product or service — such as a pound of chard, a slice of cheese, or a flight from Chicago to Chattanooga — contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet. For most foods, the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions comes from sources on the farm, such as animal manure or chemical fertilizers. Other sources include processing, transporting, and preparing food, generating power for the stores that sell food, and decomposing food in landfills. Although the word “carbon” in carbon footprint refers to carbon dioxide, the term “carbon footprint” is often used to include other important greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are associated with farming activities. Another term that can be used as an alternative to “carbon footprint” is “greenhouse gas footprint,” which more clearly conveys that we should focus on all greenhouse gases!
Process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, soil, or water and transforming it into a different form or biomass to reduce carbon emissions.
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Whilst supply chain emissions may seem high, at 18%, it’s essential for reducing emissions by preventing food waste. Food waste emissions are large: one-quarter of emissions (3.3 billion tonnes of CO2eq) from food production ends up as wastage either from supply chain losses or consumers.
Managing Director and Chief Scientific Officer
FOOD PACKAGING FORUM FOUNDATION
To what extent does the processing of foods, including packaging, contribute to climate change?
Our society’s development of centralized food processing can reduce carbon emissions, and using food packaging can also help with reduction by preserving food, extending shelf life, and thus preventing food waste. But there are aspects of food consumption practices in many countries that contribute to high levels of emissions and other adverse environmental impacts (e.g., long-distance transport in globalized food supply chains, convenience or highly processed foods, non-seasonal products, single-use packaging, and increased meat production). Therefore, to understand the impact of food processing and food packaging on carbon emissions, it is necessary to assess the full life cycle of food products in detail, including their supply chains and packaging materials. In general, the carbon emissions are best reduced through ensuring seasonal food production, local processing, local consumption, and the use of returnable and durable food packaging materials.
A systematic and comprehensive methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product, process, or activity throughout its life cycle; considers various stages (e.g., raw material extraction, production, transportation, use, disposal, etc.) to assess factors such as resource consumption, energy use, emissions, waste generation, and potential ecological effects.
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Eating locally would only have a significant impact if transportation was responsible for a large share of food’s final carbon footprint. For most foods, this is not the case. In fact, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of emissions associated with food production, and what you eat is far more important than where your food has traveled from.
Nutrition Scientist and Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine
STANFORD MEDICINE
Is it really better for the climate to buy local?
It can be better, but context matters. If local food is also seasonal, there can be an advantage to eating local produce grown in its natural season, as this is likely to require low amounts of energy for both production and transportation. However, consider the scenario presented by the following study of tomato production: some of the tomatoes in the study were purchased in England in the winter, where they were produced in a local greenhouse using a process that required extensive inputs for production in the cold weather. The other tomatoes in the study were purchased in Spain, also during the winter, but where tomatoes were still growing naturally. These tomatoes were shipped to England by boat in an energy-efficient manner. The study reported that the tomatoes shipped from Spain netted a greater benefit from overall production and transportation inputs than the “local” English tomatoes.
In conclusion: yes, local can be better — but context matters, and in general, the production inputs for growing food outweigh transportation inputs.
Ultimately, changing the types of foods people eat and how those foods are produced and used is better for the climate than reducing the distances foods travel. Although it varies depending on the product, food transportation is a relatively small contributor to emissions. For most food products, it accounts for less than 10% of the total food-related emissions.
The authors of the UK study above estimated that avoiding air-freighted and hothouse-grown foods could reduce dietary GHG emissions by 5%, in comparison to the 35% reduction that would result from eliminating meat in diets. Another study from the US found that avoiding red meat and dairy one day per week reduces GHG emissions more than eating locally every day. So choosing local food has many advantages, but it is not the only solution for reducing the climate impacts of our food.
Product is grown, processed, and sold within a short distance from the end consumer.
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Food production is responsible for 1/4 of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Nutrition Analyst of Food Consumption Data
FAO
Compared to other areas of society, how much does food production, consumption and waste contribute to total GHG emissions?
The global food system is the second-largest GHG emitter, accounting for 26% of total GHG emissions. When fossil fuel is replaced by renewable energy sources, food systems will become the greatest contributor to GHGe. The production stage (livestock/crop production and land use) releases 80% of food-related GHGs, and 1/4 of those emissions are wasted during food processing, transport, packaging, retail, and consumption.
Gases that act as a “greenhouse” by trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere; includes carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), ozone (O₃), and water vapor (H₂O).
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Expanding the mitigation potential and realizing substantial reductions of direct livestock non-CO2 emissions through demand and supply side measures can make an important contribution to achieving the stringent mitigation goals set out in the Paris Agreement, including by increasing the carbon budget consistent with the 1.5°C goal.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
OXFORD UNIVERSITY
How much does the production of beef contribute to climate change?
Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock are responsible for approximately 20% of current temperature increases. Beef cattle have a particularly significant impact due to the scale of their methane emissions and land use. But unlike continuing to burn fossil fuels, we can envisage a certain level of beef production that could be compatible with stable temperatures. This reality, however, would require a shift to more sustainable farming practices and a drastic change in course from current trends, which would likely bring the level of beef production beyond sustainable limits.
Livestock management strategy that promotes healthy soils and grasslands; can increase water infiltration and reduce erosion of soil; can increase conservation of water resources on farms.
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1/4 of the earth’s land (excluding Antarctica) is used as pastureland, and beef accounts for 1/3 of the global water footprint of farm animal production.
Reader in Food Policy
CITY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
Is chicken better for the climate than beef?
From a purely “size of environmental impacts and land use” perspective, eating chicken is better than eating beef for reducing climate change.
However, as both chicken and beef are animals, they are more resource-intensive and environmentally impactful to produce than plant-based foods. Chicken requires three times more land and emits three times more greenhouse gas emissions than common plant-based protein sources (e.g., beans, peas, lentils). Beef production typically requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per unit of edible protein than common plant-based protein sources. Yet even the most environmentally damaging production methods for chicken have a lower carbon impact than the majority of the world’s beef production. This means that generally, if you want a lower-carbon diet, eating less meat is nearly always better than eating even the most sustainable meat. This is a complicated issue, and lower carbon is only one part of it. When choosing between beef, chicken, and other sources of protein, you might also want to think about issues such as animal welfare, soil health, biodiversity, local economic impacts, and your dairy consumption (with milk production linked to some beef or veal production), to name but a few interrelated issues.
A versatile and widely consumed source of protein derived from domestic fowl; popular due to its lean profile and adaptability in various cuisines; sustainable farming practices are essential for ethical production and minimizing environmental impact in the chicken meat industry.
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Researchers found 14 common sustainable dietary patterns across reviewed studies, with possible reductions as high as 80% for GHG emissions and land use and up to 50% for water use, by adopting sustainable dietary patterns.
Assistant Scientist
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
How can eating more plants be good for the planet?
Compared to most animal foods, plant foods generally require much less land and freshwater to produce and have a much smaller impact on climate change and water pollution. There are exceptions, of course, and there is still room for small amounts of animal foods on sustainable menus. For example, well-managed grazing livestock can build fertile soil and make use of land that is too hilly or rocky for growing crops, while animals lower on the food chain, such as insects, bivalve mollusks (e.g., oysters), and small fish (e.g., anchovies, sardines) have minimal impacts on the environment. A diet consisting mostly of plants, with a small amount of foods from these lower-impact animals, could lower a person’s food-related greenhouse gas footprint by as much as 68% and lower their impact on water quality by 22% — almost as much as the impact of adopting an exclusively plant-based (vegan) diet.
Substances derived from plants that are used in food preparation (e.g., fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds); central to vegetarian and vegan diets, and are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
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Small dietary shifts (e.g., switching from beef to pork, or from poultry to beans) can significantly reduce agricultural resource use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Senior Analyst
EWG
How do dairy products compare to red meat for climate impacts? Which dairy products have the best and worst climate impacts?
Pound for pound, lamb, beef, cheese, and pork (in that order) generate the most greenhouse gases. When measured in terms of GHG emissions per gram of protein, dairy still lands in 3rd place in terms of climate impacts. Dairy products have significant climate impacts because cows emit large quantities of methane from their manure and through their unique digestive process (enteric fermentation). Over a 20-year time frame, methane generates 80 times more warming gases than carbon dioxide, making it a more potent greenhouse gas. Given its association with methane generation, dairy production generates 30% of global livestock emissions. Feed for dairy cows also generates significant quantities of nitrous oxide, a GHG that is 298 times more powerful than CO2. Among dairy products, milk and yogurt have the lowest carbon footprint and cheese has the highest because it takes roughly 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese.
A collection of agricultural practices that regenerate topsoil, increase biodiversity, improve the water cycle, enhance ecosystem services, and support biosequestration to increase resilience to climate change; improves the health of humans, livestock, and ecosystems.
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Rice cultivation results in enhanced methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions , which are both potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change.
Spiritual Director and Founder
BOUNDLESS IN MOTION
Rice is a plant. How does it increase my climate footprint?
When excess nitrogen fertilizers (like urea) are added to soils to support plant growth, naturally occurring microbes in the soil generate nitrous oxide, a heat-trapping gas 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. In fact, the cultivation of all plants produces some nitrous oxide. Rice happens to be the crop that produces the most climate pollution per unit calorie because, in addition to nitrous oxide, rice farms produce another heat-trapping gas called methane which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The presence of standing water at rice farms leads to a lack of oxygen in the soil and decomposition of biological matter which creates methane. The good news is that when the water levels at rice farms are managed to stay within 5 cm (2 inches) of soil level and fertilizer addition is closely matched to the actual needs of the rice plant, total climate pollution from rice cultivation can be reduced by 50%.
Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained, consistent, and high-quality yields.
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Executive Director
ReFED
How much does food waste contribute to climate change?
Wasting food has a shockingly large carbon footprint. In fact, if global food waste were a country, it would be the third-highest GHG emitter (after the U.S. and China), amounting to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In its latest edition, Project Drawdown ranked reducing food waste as the number one climate solution of 76 analyzed. Why so big, you may ask? Producing food has a huge footprint, especially when you consider meat production and the nitrous oxide emissions associated with fertilizer use. And after it’s produced, it must be transported, cooled, stored, and cooked, all of which require significant energy. So when a half-pan of steak is thrown away after a conference lunch, not only is the food wasted, but the climate impact of the wasted food is exacerbated. The good news is that food waste is one of the more solvable problems out there, and according to the IPCC, reducing food waste can not only help mitigate climate change, it can also help adapt to some of the food shortages that are expected because of it.
The discarding or loss of food at various stages of the food supply chain, from production to consumption; occurs due to factors such as overproduction, spoilage, inefficient distribution, and consumer behavior; addressing food waste is crucial for sustainable and responsible food systems, as it minimizes environmental impact, conserves resources, and ensures more equitable access to food.
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Beef contributes to 34 times more climate pollution per pound than legumes (e.g., beans, lentils). Want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local.
Director, Health Campaigns, Health and Food Division
NRDC
Which foods are the greatest contributors to climate change?
The foods that are the greatest contributors to climate change are beef and lamb. This impact is because the grain used to feed animals is most often grown with large amounts of pesticides and fertilizer, which require fossil fuels to produce. These animals are ruminants, which means that when they eat these grains, their multi-chambered stomachs produce methane — a powerful climate polluter that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The manure that they produce after digesting the grain also emits greenhouse gases. Finally, deforestation and other land clearing practices that make way for cattle grazing can also result in more climate pollution. In all, beef is about five times more GHG-intensive than chicken and 34 times more GHG-intensive than legumes like beans and lentils, pound for pound. Beyond beef and lamb, animals and animal products are more climate-intensive than plants. In fact, producing the animals and animal products we eat causes as much climate pollution as all the tailpipe emissions from the world’s vehicles combined.
Protein derived from plant sources (e.g., legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, soy) that offers a sustainable and often healthier alternative to animal sources; crucial in vegetarian and vegan diets, and contributes to reducing environmental impacts associated with meat production.
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Meatless Monday provides delicious plant-based recipes and cooking guides that help people implement Meatless Mondays in their schools, hospitals, workplaces, and communities.
Senior Advisor
GRACE COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION
How can one person changing their diet have a positive impact on climate change?
Cutting back on meat is one of the simplest changes someone can make in their diet, and even small reductions can have a meaningful impact on climate change, particularly when combined with the actions of other people around the world. The Meatless Monday movement, which has spread to over 40 countries, is a powerful example of the individual and collective impact of a shift towards a plant-based diet. If one person in the US chose to practice Meatless Mondays for a year, the amount of emissions saved would be equivalent to driving 348 miles by car. If everyone in the US skipped meat one day a week, the combined total equivalent would equal 109 billion miles. That shared practice would result in a 6% reduction in diet-related GHG emissions! So by reducing meat in a person’s own diet, and by convincing their family, friends, and local institutions to get on board, an individual can make a big difference in the fight against climate change.
Food items primarily sourced from plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds; plant-based diets emphasize these foods, often excluding or minimizing animal products, and are associated with health benefits, environmental sustainability, and ethical considerations.
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Transitioning to plant-based diets (PBDs) has the potential to reduce diet-related land use by 76%, diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 49%, eutrophication by 49%, and green and blue water use by 21% and 14%, respectively, all while garnering substantial health benefits.
Program Director, Food System Policy
JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE
Should I stop eating meat?
You don’t need to stop eating meat, but many of us should eat a lot less meat and be careful to choose meat that is produced through a regenerative system. People choose to limit their consumption of animal-based products because of the impact of animal-based products on the climate and environment, some do it out of concern for personal health, and others do it for animal welfare reasons. But it is important to recognize as well that many people around the world — especially young children in places where undernutrition is prevalent — need animal protein to meet their protein requirements for growth and health. Furthermore, animals are an integral part of a regenerative system, which typically involves rotating animal grazing with crop production. Animal waste is a necessary ingredient in building healthy soils and ensuring plant growth because it contains phosphorus and nitrogen
Dividing pastures into smaller areas (paddocks) and grazing only one at a time for a short period while the other areas rest and recover.
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About
The National Dietary Guidelines Platform is produced by The Lexicon, an international NGO that brings together food companies, government agencies, financial institutions, scientists, entrepreneurs, and food producers from across the globe to tackle some of the most complex challenges facing our food systems.
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The National Dietary Guidelines Platform was developed by Green Brown Blue, an invitation-only food systems solutions activator produced by The Lexicon with support from Food at Google. The activator model fosters unprecedented collaborations between leading food service companies, environmental NGOs, government agencies, and technical experts from across the globe.
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We have no idea who grows our food, what farming practices they use, the communities they support, or what processing it undergoes before reaching our plates.
As a result, we have no ability to make food purchases that align with our values as individuals, or our missions as companies.
To change that, we’ve asked experts to demystify the complexity of food purchasing so that you can better informed decisions about what you buy.
The Lexicon of Food’s community of experts share their insights and experiences on the complex journey food takes to reach our plates. Their work underscores the need for greater transparency and better informed decision-making in shaping a healthier and more sustainable food system for all.
Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?
In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?
How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?
Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?
It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?
Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.
The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.
Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?
How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?
Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.
Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?
Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?
How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?
What if making the right food choices could be an effective tool for addressing a range of global challenges?
Let’s start with climate change. While it presents our planet with existential challenges, biodiversity loss, desertification, and water scarcity should be of equal concern—they’re all connected.
Instead of seeking singular solutions, we must develop a holistic approach, one that channel our collective energies and achieve positive impacts where they matter most.
To maximize our collective impact, EBF can help consumers focus on six equally important ecological benefits: air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon.
We’ve gathered domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.
The Lexicon™ is a California-based nonprofit founded in 2009 with a focus on positive solutions for a more sustainable planet.
For the past five years, it has developed an “activator for good ideas” with support from Food at Google. This model gathers domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.
Together, the community has reached consensus on strategies that respond to challenges across multiple domain areas, including biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, food packaging, aquaculture, and the missing middle in supply chains for meat.
Lexicon of Food is the first public release of that work.
Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?
In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?
How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?
Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?
It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?
Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.
The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.
Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?
How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?
Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.
Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?
Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?
How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?
This game was designed to raise awareness about the impacts our food choices have on our own health, but also the environment, climate change and the cultures in which we live.
First, you can choose one of the four global regions and pick a character that you want to play.
Each region has distinct cultural, economic, historical, and agricultural capacities to feed itself, and each character faces different challenges, such as varied access to food, higher or lower family income, and food literacy.
As you take your character through their day, select the choices you think they might make given their situation.
At the end of the day you will get a report on the impact of your food choices on five areas: health, healthcare, climate, environment and culture. Take some time to read through them. Now go back and try again. Can you make improvements in all five areas? Did one area score higher, but another score lower?
FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET will help you better understand how all these regions and characters’ particularities can influence our food choices, and how our food choices can impact our personal health, national healthcare, environment, climate, and culture. Let’s Play!
The FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET game allows users to experience the dramatic connections between food and climate in a unique and engaging way. The venue and the game set-up provides attendees with a fun experience, with a potential to add a new layer of storytelling about this topic.
Starting the game: the pilot version of the game features four country/regions: Each reflects a different way people (and the national dietary guidelines) look at diets: Nordic Countries (sustainability), Brazil (local and whole foods instead of ultra-processed foods); Canada (plant-forward), and Indonesia (developing countries).
Personalizing the game: players begin by choosing a country and then a character who they help in making food choices over the course of one day. Later versions may allow for creating custom avatars.
Making tough food choices: This interactive game for all ages shows how the food choices we make impact our health and the environment, and even contribute to climate change.
What we eat matters: at the end of each game, players learn that every decision they make impacts not only their health, but a national healthcare system, the environment, climate and even culture.
We’d love to know more about you and why you think you will be a great fit for this position! Shoot us an email introducing you and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Providing best water quality conditions to ensure optimal living condition for growth, breeding and other physiological needs
Water quality is sourced from natural seawater with dependency on the tidal system. Water is treated to adjust pH and alkalinity before stocking.
Producers that own and manages the farm operating under small-scale farming model with limited input, investment which leads to low to medium production yield
All 1,149 of our farmers in both regencies are smallholder farmers who operate with low stocking density, traditional ponds, and no use of any other intensification technology.
Safe working conditions — cleanliness, lighting, equipment, paid overtime, hazard safety, etc. — happen when businesses conduct workplace safety audits and invest in the wellbeing of their employees
Company ensure implementation of safe working conditions by applying representative of workers to health and safety and conduct regular health and safety training. The practices are proven by ASIC standards’ implementation
Implementation of farming operations, management and trading that impact positively to community wellbeing and sustainable better way of living
The company works with local stakeholders and local governments to create support for farmers and the farming community in increasing resilience. Our farming community is empowered by local stakeholders continuously to maintain a long generation of farmers.
Freezing seafood rapidly when it is at peak freshness to ensure a higher quality and longer lasting product
Our harvests are immediately frozen with ice flakes in layers in cool boxes. Boxes are equipped with paper records and coding for traceability. We ensure that our harvests are processed with the utmost care at <-18 degrees Celsius.
Sourcing plant based ingredients, like soy, from producers that do not destroy forests to increase their growing area and produce fish feed ingredients
With adjacent locations to mangroves and coastal areas, our farmers and company are committed to no deforestation at any scale. Mangrove rehabilitation and replantation are conducted every year in collaboration with local authorities. Our farms are not established in protected habitats and have not resulted from deforestation activity since the beginning of our establishment.
Implement only natural feeds grown in water for aquatic animal’s feed without use of commercial feed
Our black tiger shrimps are not fed using commercial feed. The system is zero input and depends fully on natural feed grown in the pond. Our farmers use organic fertilizer and probiotics to enhance the water quality.
Enhance biodiversity through integration of nature conservation and food production without negative impact to surrounding ecosysytem
As our practices are natural, organic, and zero input, farms coexist with surrounding biodiversity which increases the volume of polyculture and mangrove coverage area. Farmers’ groups, along with the company, conduct regular benthic assessments, river cleaning, and mangrove planting.
THE TERM “MOONSHOT” IS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE an initiative that goes beyond the confines of the present by transforming our greatest aspirations into reality, but the story of a moonshot isn’t that of a single rocket. In fact, the Apollo program that put Neil Armstrong on the moon was actually preceded by the Gemini program, which in a two-year span rapidly put ten rockets into space. This “accelerated” process — with a new mission nearly every 2-3 months — allowed NASA to rapidly iterate, validate their findings and learn from their mistakes. Telemetry. Propulsion. Re-entry. Each mission helped NASA build and test a new piece of the puzzle.
The program also had its fair share of creative challenges, especially at the outset, as the urgency of the task at hand required that the roadmap for getting to the moon be written in parallel with the rapid pace of Gemini missions. Through it all, the NASA teams never lost sight of their ultimate goal, and the teams finally aligned on their shared responsibilities. Within three years of Gemini’s conclusion, a man did walk on the moon.
FACT is a food systems solutions activator that assesses the current food landscape, engages with key influencers, identifies trends, surveys innovative work and creates greater visibility for ideas and practices with the potential to shift key food and agricultural paradigms.
Each activator focuses on a single moonshot; instead of producing white papers, policy briefs or peer-reviewed articles, these teams design and implement blueprints for action. At the end of each activator, their work is released to the public and open-sourced.
As with any rapid iteration process, many of our activators re-assess their initial plans and pivot to address new challenges along the way. Still, one thing has remained constant: their conviction that by working together and pooling their knowledge and resources, they can create a multiplier effect to more rapidly activate change.
Co-Founder
THE LEXICON
Vice President
Global Workplace Programs
GOOGLE
Who can enter and how selections are made.
A Greener Blue is a global call to action that is open to individuals and teams from all over the world. Below is a non-exhaustive list of subjects the initiative targets.
To apply, prospective participants will need to fill out the form on the website, by filling out each part of it. Applications left incomplete or containing information that is not complete enough will receive a low score and have less chance of being admitted to the storytelling lab.
Nonprofit organizations, communities of fishers and fish farmers and companies that are seeking a closer partnership or special support can also apply by contacting hello@thelexicon.org and interacting with the members of our team.
Special attention will be given to the section of the form regarding the stories that the applicants want to tell and the reasons for participating. All proposals for stories regarding small-scale or artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, communities of artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, and workers in different steps of the seafood value chain will be considered.
Stories should show the important role that these figures play in building a more sustainable seafood system. To help with this narrative, the initiative has identified 10 principles that define a more sustainable seafood system. These can be viewed on the initiative’s website and they state:
Seafood is sustainable when:
Proposed stories should show one or more of these principles in practice.
Applications are open from the 28th of June to the 15th of August 2022. There will be 50 selected applicants who will be granted access to The Lexicon’s Total Storytelling Lab. These 50 applicants will be asked to accept and sign a learning agreement and acceptance of participation document with which they agree to respect The Lexicon’s code of conduct.
The first part of the lab will take place online between August the 22nd and August the 26th and focus on training participants on the foundation of storytelling, supporting them to create a production plan, and aligning all of them around a shared vision.
Based on their motivation, quality of the story, geography, and participation in the online Lab, a selected group of participants will be gifted a GoPro camera offered to the program by GoPro For A Change. Participants who are selected to receive the GoPro camera will need to sign an acceptance and usage agreement.
The second part of the Storytelling Lab will consist of a production period in which each participant will be supported in the production of their own story. This period goes from August 26th to October 13th. Each participant will have the opportunity to access special mentorship from an international network of storytellers and seafood experts who will help them build their story. The Lexicon also provides editors, animators, and graphic designers to support participants with more technical skills.
The final deadline to submit the stories is the 14th of October. Participants will be able to both submit complete edited stories, or footage accompanied by a storyboard to be assembled by The Lexicon’s team.
All applicants who will exhibit conduct and behavior that is contrary to The Lexicon’s code of conduct will be automatically disqualified. This includes applicants proposing stories that openly discriminate against a social or ethnic group, advocate for a political group, incite violence against any group, or incite to commit crimes of any kind.
All submissions must be the entrant’s original work. Submissions must not infringe upon the trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity or person.
Participants will retain the copyrights to their work while also granting access to The Lexicon and the other partners of the initiative to share their contributions as part of A Greener Blue Global Storytelling Initiative.
If a potential selected applicant cannot be reached by the team of the Initiative within three (3) working days, using the contact information provided at the time of entry, or if the communication is returned as undeliverable, that potential participant shall forfeit.
Selected applicants will be granted access to an advanced Storytelling Lab taught and facilitated by Douglas Gayeton, award-winning storyteller and information architect, co-founder of The Lexicon. In this course, participants will learn new techniques that will improve their storytelling skills and be able to better communicate their work with a global audience. This skill includes (but is not limited to) how to build a production plan for a documentary, how to find and interact with subjects, and how to shoot a short documentary.
Twenty of the participants will receive a GoPro Hero 11 Digital Video and Audio Cameras by September 15, 2022. Additional participants may receive GoPro Digital Video and Audio Cameras to be announced at a later date. The recipients will be selected by advisors to the program and will be based on selection criteria (see below) on proposals by Storytelling Lab participants. The selections will keep in accordance with Lab criteria concerning geography, active participation in the Storytelling Lab and commitment to the creation of a story for the Initiative, a GoPro Camera to use to complete the storytelling lab and document their story. These recipients will be asked to sign an acceptance letter with terms of use and condition to receive the camera.
The Lexicon provides video editors, graphic designers, and animators to support the participants to complete their stories.
The submitted stories will be showcased during international and local events, starting from the closing event of the International Year of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 in Rome, in January 2023. The authors of the stories will be credited and may be invited to join.
Storytelling lab participation:
Applicants that will be granted access to the storytelling Lab will be evaluated based on the entries they provided in the online form, and in particular:
Applications will be evaluated by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).
When selecting applications, the call promoters may request additional documentation or interviews both for the purpose of verifying compliance with eligibility requirements and to facilitate proposal evaluation.
Camera recipients:
Participants to the Storytelling Lab who will be given a GoPro camera will be selected based on:
The evaluation will be carried out by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).
Incidental expenses and all other costs and expenses which are not specifically listed in these Official Rules but which may be associated with the acceptance, receipt and use of the Storytelling Lab and the camera are solely the responsibility of the respective participants and are not covered by The Lexicon or any of the A Greener Blue partners.
All participants who receive a Camera are required to sign an agreement allowing GoPro for a Cause, The Lexicon and GSSI to utilize the films for A Greener Blue and their promotional purposes. All participants will be required to an agreement to upload their footage into the shared drive of The Lexicon and make the stories, films and images available for The Lexicon and the promoting partners of A Greener Blue.
