Ep.86: Kathleen Kennedy – Collective Intelligence

Ep. 86: Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Director of MIT Center for Collective Intelligence ||

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On episode 86 we welcome Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence.  Kennedy is a frequent speaker at technology and entrepreneurship events around the world. She serves as a judge for many competitions including the MacArthur Foundation, the Inclusive Innovation Competition, and the Lemelson-MIT prizes.  In addition, she is a venture partner at Good Growth Capital and she serves on the board of Hubweek.
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Prior to her current work, Kathleen served as a lead organizer of The Engine, an MIT initiative created to advance innovation.  This venture fund and accelerator program was created to provide comprehensive support to transformative ideas from the formative stage to their most effective implementation.  Kennedy was also awarded the Folio: 40, which recognizes the most innovative and influential people in the media industry, and named by the Harvard Club as one of Boston’s Most Influential Women of 2017.
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During our 45 minute discussion we evaluate how technology and automation will impact the future of food and its production.  More generally, we discuss the future of work and how advancements / innovation doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have less jobs in the future.  We learn about how one of the first projects the MIT Center of Collective Intelligence initiated – called the ‘Climate CoLab’ – is using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a proving grounds where computers and humans can work together in a more cohesive way to take on big problems at vast scale.
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Joining as cohost is Chris Sherman, President of Island Creek Oysters. Focused on promoting the many values that shellfish bring to humans, the Oceans and the planet – Chris and his team have built a brand known for global excellence.  As pioneers in regenerative ocean farming – Island Creek Oysters have established a sustainable model of sustenance, and jobs for their community in Massachusetts. Levering his ocean smarts to do greater good, Chris also curates the Island Creek Oyster Foundation, a non-profit which has codified a replicable model of aquaculture for the developing world.  Additionally, Chris is a 2018 Eisenhower fellow. As part of his program to Spain & Columbia – Chris assessed capacity building and innovative financing models for the future of biomimetic aquaculture.
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TuneIn to hear how a Collective Intelligence in many forms allows people and machines to work together in defining proper logic structure and smarter implementation that can help address the biggest problems facing humanity and our shrinking planet.

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co-host:

Chris Sherman

  • President of Island Creek Oysters
  • Eisenhower Fellow 2018
  • Regenerative Ocean Farming Pioneer
  • Curator of ICO Foundation

@IslandCreek

 

Ep.81: John Piotti – No Farms, No Food

Ep. 81: John Piotti, CEO & President of American Farmland Trust, Washington D.C. ||

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On episode 81 of Sourcing Matters we welcome John Piotti of American Farmland Trust.  American Farmland Trust (AFT) is an organization that works to protect and conserve farmland throughout the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C, – AFT is staffed and governed by farmers, policy experts, researchers and scientists.  With the call to action of “Join the Movement”, “Save a Family Farm”, and “Stay Informed” – American Farmland Trust seeks to engage diverse stakeholders in evaluating: What will happen to the nation’s food supply if we continue to wastefully develop our best farm & ranch land?
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By the late 1970s, Peggy Rockefeller, a passionate farmer and active philanthropist, had become frustrated that none of the major environmental or agricultural organizations were effectively applying the emerging tools of land conservation to agriculture. She pulled together a brain trust to explore what could be done. This first-of-its-kind analysis of how and why America was losing farmland had recently been completed by USDA and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. The group recognized the serious threat posed by farmland loss and concluded that our nation needed a new kind of organization, one that stood at the intersection of agriculture and the environment. It would take a unique and highly innovative organization to operate effectively in this previously unexplored realm. But there was clearly a void that needed to be filled. They formally chartered American Farmland Trust in 1980.
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John Piotti joined American Farmland Trust as president and CEO in July 2016, bringing more than 25 years of executive management and public policy experience to the organization.  Prior, John served as president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust for 10 years. Under his leadership, Maine Farmland Trust became an award-winning statewide nonprofit organization, helping over 500 Maine farms remain viable. Piotti has earned a reputation as a nonpartisan problem-solver; as a Statesman, an Eisenhower Fellow – and – as a leader in future food that has helped stabilize a regional dairy industry, and procure funding to protect working waterfronts & our natural lands. John holds three degrees from the MIT, in engineering, public policy, and management.
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TuneIn to our 50 minute conversation to hear more about how the practice of American Farmland Trust has now cast over 6,500,000 acres of farmland in the United States into perpetual conservation.  With John’s focus on conservation (regenerative) agriculture practice of these lands, and more  – AFT will remain a pillar in American farmland access, and its management for the foreseeable future.

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@FARMLAND

 

 

 

 

Ep.68: Gov. Christine Whitman – EPA & Fluid Politics

Ep. 68: Christine Todd Whitman – President of Whitman Strategy Group, the 50th Governor of New Jersey, and former Administrator of the EPA for President George W. Bush ||

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On episode 68 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Governor Christine Todd Whitman, the Vice Chair of the Eisenhower Fellowships board of Trustees. Joining as co-host is Eisenhower Fellow, Jennifer Hashley – the founder of the The New Entry Sustainable Farming project, and Pete & Jen’s Backyard Birds.
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Governor Whitman is American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey, from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003.  Whitman was New Jersey’s first and, to date, only female governor, and also the first Republican woman to be reelected governor. Governor Christine Whitman is currently President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues.
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From Jan. 1994 – Jan. 2001 – Whitman served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey. During our dialogue we learn that the Governor of the State of New Jersey constitutionally has the most power of any Governor in all of the 50 states.  We must understand that during her tenure – Christie Whitman earned praise from both Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was also recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as having instituted the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation.
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As part of our 45 minute conversation we discuss her transformative work with the EPA to introduce legislation which held perpetrators for Brownfield contamination (a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination) accountable.   We learn that it was Ronald Reagan who introduced climate change as cornerstone in the national security discussion. Now, using that as a call to action for all leaders no matter which side of the aisle, Whitman clearly differentiates between climate concerns vs. weather.  And, how polarization and finger pointing has been impetus for a political divide tied appreciation for climate change which has arisen together over the past 20 years ago.
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As the Vice Chair of the Eisenhower Fellowship Board of trustees we learn how Gov. Whitman’s current role as an ambassador and mentor to a global community of future leaders continues to inspire her work.  Core to the mission of the fellowship program, Whitman states that “We have more alike than different.”  When asked what advice she has for folks seeking hiring office or for those seeking to become a Head of State – she explains “do the job you’re in, and the next one will come with hard work and commitment.”   Great advice for us all.
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TuneIn to hear more from this Agent of Change..

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@GovCTW

 

co-host:

Jennifer Hashley

  • Founder of Tufts New Entry Sustainable farming project 
  • Owner of Pete & Jen’s backyard birds
  • Evangelist | Activist| Innovator
  • Eisenhower Fellow 2016

@JHashley

Ep.42: Stacey Chang – Value Based Healthcare

Ep. 42: Stacey Chang – Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health – Dell Medical School Univ. of Texas ||

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Serving as the Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health, a collaboration between the Dell Medical School and the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, for episode 42 of Sourcing Matters we welcome their founder – Stacey Chang.

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Until 2014, Stacey served as the managing director of the health care practice at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm. Clients included governments; research institutions; hospitals; companies involved in pharma, insurance and medical technology; and all the upstarts trying to rewrite the script in established and emerging markets.  Chang levers this unique experience in his current efforts to redesign the future of domestic healthcare.  Transplanted into a truly unique community healthcare situation in Austin, TX – Chang is tilling new ground for US programs.   Travis County, TX has employed Stacey and his talented team at the Design Institute of Health to redraft an approach of healthcare based on outcome measures of patient good health, using value-based care.  They’ve put together an entirely new architecture that incentives good health, for more.  Their objective is to service the needs of their constituents; all of them.

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These guys will prove to us all that fixing the healthcare system is attainable through palatable, bite-sized portions. Chang’s vision for food and agriculture as preventative care is a must, and a welcome bridge across industries for diverse stakeholders. Additionally, smart data analytics looking for anomalies has already saved the county millions in insightful preventative action.  When their slower burn projects – like improving social determinants of health in each community, and enhancing the quality of food across the board – this potion of the Lone Star State could be a next healthcare capital.  Take a trip to Austin during SXSW if you don’t believe  what these folks can do. Don’t mess with Texas!

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We all need to care more about our care.  It’s changing, fast.  This 45 minute conversation provides a good overview of what’s broken in the system now, why incentives are what they are, and how it can all fixed.  There is hope.  And, this guy, Stacey Chang – is a righteous guy in the right place making good things happen.
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For our sake, thank goodness for that!  Have a listen:

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Ep.27: Tatiana Garcia-Granados of Common Market ft. Jennifer Hashley – Making Regional Work

Ep. 27: Tatiana Garcia-Granados – founder & COO of the Common Market joins co-host: Jennifer Hashley of the New Entry Farm project, and Pete & Jen’s backyard birds ||

 

On episode 27 we welcome founder of The Common Market, Tatiana Garcia-Granados – with co-host Jennifer Hashley of the New Entry Farming Project to a discussion on  ‘Making Regional Work’.  Pioneers in a new system of regional food hubs, Tatiana Garcia Granados and her husband, Haile – founded Common Market in 2008 as an innovative solution to deep problems in the food system by creating a mutually beneficial link between family farmers and urban communities.
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The flagship Common Market Mid-Atlantic is a mission-driven distributor of sustainable, local farm foods. Spawned of their North Philly Neighborhood – they developed a concept that would connect institutions and communities with good food from now over 200 producers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. There’s also a second proof case in the The Common Market Georgia – connecting producers with larger institutions in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee.  And, a newly spawned 3rd program out of Houston, TX, NYC & DC. All hubs set to build local food systems that generate health and wealth of rural and urban communities alike. Each day, thousands of pounds of fresh produce, meat and dairy products leave the distribution center of the Common Market destined for school lunches, hospital meals and the shelves of local grocery stores.

 

“We provide specific grower information when you place an order, and it’s printed on every invoice and every case of food so you know exactly how the food is grown and where it’s coming from.” – explains Garcia- Granados.
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Co-host Jennifer Hashley always enriches the conversation.  Coming at it from the producer, aggregator, and teacher’s seat – Hashley knows the bottlenecks, and the potential of it all.  Centered out of the Tufts Friedman School of nutrition – The New Entry Sustainable Farming program is one of the first initiatives nationwide to help immigrants and refugees develop commercial farming opportunities.  Jennifer’s goal is to help new farmers excel in the field, and New Entry gives them the tools to do that. It’s a revolutionary program that looks at sustainable and regenerative farming as jobs creation, and economic growth for regions often in need of stimulus.  In partnership with her husband, Jennifer oversees a diversified pasture based livestock operation, including Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds on the the renowned Codman Community Farm in Lincoln MA.  She’s a wonderful advocate for the agricultural region of the Northeast, and the small farmer everywhere..

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Finally, Tatiana and Jennifer share some of their experiences for their Eisenhower Fellowship programs.  Tatiana’s focus on food access and policy throughout her program in Brazil was inspiring, and offered benchmarks for what can be accomplished to support the many family farms & farmers in our country.  Jennifer witnessed a colliding of two agricultural worlds in Ghana & Nigeria.  Titans from conventional seek scale, but are running into infrastructure and resource limitations needed to operate their model.

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Whether it’s a food system in South America, North America, Africa, the EU or the Far East – Regional is everyone’s future.  Tatiana Garcia-Granados & Jennifer Hashley are two of the great folks proving that regional can happen!  We’re lucky they’re both on ourside.

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@CommonMkt

@HaileJohnston

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co-host:

Jennifer Hashley

  • Founder of Tufts New Entry Sustainable farming project 
  • Owner of Pete & Jen’s backyard birds
  • Evangelist | Activist| Innovator
  • Eisenhower Fellow 2016

@JHashley

Ep.24: Chellie Pingree – Drafting a New Plan

Ep. 24: Congresswoman Chellie Pingree – Maine’s First District ||

 

On Sourcing Matter episode 24 we welcome Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District.  A lifelong advocate for better food and equal rights – since her first day in office Congresswoman Pingree has been a dogged supporter of the local food movement, of the farm worker, and for improving access to nutrition for more US families.

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Having the opportunity to connect with Rep. Pingree a week after returning from a visit to the southern US border where she witnessed firsthand what’s happening in our modern day internment camps – we begin our conversation correlating how these policies are impacting the agricultural work force; and their kids!  In our 1 hour conversation we also chat about SNAP and the 2018 Farm Bill.  We share appreciation for the many bounties of Maine. And, we discuss how nutritious food can be preventative health care for each and every American citizen.

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Pingree currently serves on the Congressional Committee of Appropriations, the subcommittee of Agriculture, and that of the Interior & the Environment. As a past Eisenhower Fellow and with a decade of experience in US Congress – her unique experience allows us to seamlessly transition the conversation from rural Maine, to the New England region, to the entire US, and throughout the globe. Despite canvasing the map – our discussion is underpinned by the theme of reconnecting with natural order, and food.

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Truth is, a good portion of our discussion focused on the beautiful State of Maine.  Once, and what could again be the fulcrum of the regional food system of the Northeast, Maine has an agricultural linage dating back to the beginning of the Union.  3500 miles of coastline boasting access to a bounty of some of the cleanest waters and seafood in the world.  Through this, Maine could cast a long shadow in future bio-regional economies. Pingree embraces systems thinking on her farmstead & Inn in Maine, and in the other House – on The Hill, 600 miles south.

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Whether looking to progress regenerative agriculture, or responsible fisheries & ocean farms, or the connection of food and its impact on the environment, or just teaching constituents of the many values of good food – Maine seems it could be ground zero for a food and production revolution.  If Pingree has anything to say about it Maine will become the tip of the spear in growing its economy by investing in its own regenerative resources that service the wellbeing and stability of its citizens.  You see, years of forced innovation has matured into diverse layers of Maine ingenuity ready to be put through its paces. With an arsenal of natural resources, and knowledge that mitigates risks of future instabilities local and abroad – Pingree is drafting a new plan.  Tune-in, and listen to the insights of this passionate and impactful leader drafting a new plan for our future food.
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@ChelliePingree

@nebolodge

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related links discussed in our conversation:

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Blog: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/
Food Policy Action Scorecard: http://foodpolicyaction.org/scorecard/
Information on Rep Pingree’s food policy work: https://pingree.house.gov/food

 

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photo source: Grist (header) | Civil Eats (headshot)

 

Farzana Yaqoob: Food for Thought & Stability

Ep. 9 Farzan Yaqoob: Politician of a Global Village, and WEF Young Economic Leader ||

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Former Minister of Social Welfare & Women’s Development in Kashmir, Farzana Yaqoob joins us for episode 9 of Sourcing Matters. An expert in international conflict resolution, Farzana has spent most of her lifetime fighting for stability in tumultuous environments.  Connecting social, economic and political stability to the Staples of Life – we learn how supremely populated regions with complex backgrounds are dealing with the realities of a shared planet and increased stresses on current systems already overwhelmed in sourcing enough water and food to just sustain.

 

Farzana levers her recent appointment as a World Economic Forum “Young Global Leader” to discover and disseminate solutions to some of these most pressing problems set to plague an increasingly shrinking planet. From addressing the impending realities of climate refugees expected to top tens of millions within a decade, to providing eduction and water access to women & children in the developing world, to spreading the good word of “commonalities” throughout the global village – this Eisenhower Fellow is an agent of change committed to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.  Follow Farzana:  @farzanaY1947

co-host:

 John Della Volpe

  • Founder at SocialSphere
  • Eisenhower Fellow
  • Director of Polling at Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics  

@DellaVolpe

Full bio: John Della Volpe is the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, where he has led the institute’s polling initiatives on understanding American youth since 2000.  The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion and influence especially among Millennials and in the age of digital and social media.  In 2008, he received an Eisenhower Fellowship for which he traveled extensively throughout China, Hong Kong, and Korea (including a supervised day in North Korea) studying Millennials; in 2011, he was appointed to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media.  John is also founder of SocialSphere, a Cambridge based public opinion and analytics company.  He serves on the Board of Trustees of iCatholic Media, the Ad Club of Boston and is a member of the Global Alumni Council for Eisenhower Fellowships.  John appears regularly on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and his insights on the Millennial generation are found in national media outlets in the U.S. and abroad, including the Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Ep. 7: Chris Sherman – New American (Ocean) Farmer

Chris Sherman: Island Creek Oysters President ||

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On episode 7 of Sourcing Matters we welcome Chris Sherman, President of Island Creek Oysters (ICO) , and 2018 Eisenhower Fellow.  For the past 25 years Island Creek Oysters has been building a brand now known for global excellence.  Focused on promoting the many values of shellfish to humans, the Oceans and the planet – Chris and his team at ICO continue to push the envelop in regenerative farming of the sea.

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Through the vertical integration of their thriving Oyster farms, a successful distribution company and world-renowned retail outlets – these “New American Farmers” have developed a sustainable model of sustenance and jobs for their community in Massachusetts, and the North Atlantic.  Levering these ocean smarts to do greater good, Chris also curates the Island Creek Oyster Foundation, a non-profit which has codified a replicable model of aquaculture for the developing world.

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Building off their many successes in advancing ocean farming, Chris was recently awarded an opportunity to do more. Later this year Sherman is headed to Spain and Columbia as part of an Eisenhower Fellowship program focused on evolving the process of stitching biomimetic farming of fish & shellfish into responsible fisheries throughout coastal communities on a shrinking planet.

www.IslandCreekOysters.com
The ICO Foundation

co-host:

 John Della Volpe

  • Founder at SocialSphere
  • Eisenhower Fellow
  • Director of Polling at Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics  

@DellaVolpe

Full bio: John Della Volpe is the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, where he has led the institute’s polling initiatives on understanding American youth since 2000.  The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion and influence especially among Millennials and in the age of digital and social media.  In 2008, he received an Eisenhower Fellowship for which he traveled extensively throughout China, Hong Kong, and Korea (including a supervised day in North Korea) studying Millennials; in 2011, he was appointed to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media.  John is also founder of SocialSphere, a Cambridge based public opinion and analytics company.  He serves on the Board of Trustees of iCatholic Media, the Ad Club of Boston and is a member of the Global Alumni Council for Eisenhower Fellowships.  John appears regularly on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and his insights on the Millennial generation are found in national media outlets in the U.S. and abroad, including the Daily Show with Trevor Noah.