Another inspiring, rewarding and exhausting NY 🗽 Climate Week 2025. For 3 days, I🏃♀️ and 🚇 all around the city to attend events hosted by HowGood, Sysco, World Resources Institute, Food Tank, Google, The Farmlink Project, Rethink Food, Planet FWD and more.
A summary of my takeaways:
🌱 Strategy : Sustainability must be integrated into the business, not seen as separate from the core business. Upskill your business partners on sustainability; keep it useful and simple.
🐝 Resiliency : By building resilient supply chains, we will minimize short and long-term risk including operational and financial disruptions core to your company’s competitive edge.
📖 Storytelling : Metrics matter, but stories resonate even more and create a powerful medium to engage consumers. Let’s focus on the “culture” part of “agriculture”.
💡 Innovation : New brands like GoodSAM, PBC are producing delicious, nutritious and sustainable snacks, coffee and more. After years of development and testing, we got to see, feel, taste and learn about Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.'s plastic-free K-cups. Incredible progress by both companies.
☕ Regenerative : Lots of activity supporting regeneratively raised and grown products. AND fair questions such as “Can we feed the world with regen ag alone?” “What role does reformulation of products play?”
🙌 Collaboration : We are stronger together. From pre-competitive alignment on audits to co-development with partners in supporting farmers through transition periods.
💥 Activation : Aidan Reilly, co-founder of The Farmlink Project, summarized an old Ben Franklin quote: There are people who are moveable. There are people who are immovable. And there are people who are the movers. Let’s celebrate the movers!
🌎 Community : I’m thankful for many deep and long-running friendships, and the growth of new relationships which are a powerful testament to the strength of our community.
As Sam Kass reminded us at the YouTube event with Kate Brandt and Jonathan Kung: In our global food system, we rely on a limited number of species - 12 plants, 5 animals. This presents significant risks to the health of people and the planet. And, finally, Marion Nestle reminded us of Michael Pollan's sage advice in 7 words: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Big thanks to my big brother, Craig Cacciola, for letting me crash at his place! You’re the best.
