SUSTAINABILITY MONTHLY MEET UP – SERVE MORE VEG & BETTER MEAT: 17 JAN 2023

Future Green Sustainability Monthly Meetup: Serve More Veg & Better Meat

Sponsored by Fresh Accounting and Invest HK

Held on January 17 in the lovely Pool House at The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, this was our first monthly meet-up for 2023. We will host these on the second Tuesday of each month throughout the year (though 14 February will be our Unconference, a one-of-a-kind sustainability summit, instead of the usual meet up)

 

Heidi, CEO of Future Green began the event by emphasising that Serve More Veg & Better Meat aligns with the UN Sustainable Development goals. And with food production responsible for around a third of GHG emissions, chefs are well placed to create change by encouraging more responsible food practices. These include ethical sourcing, reducing food waste and encouraging local and seasonal. In particular, choosing better meat and increasing the amount of veg on menus can make a significant difference.

Heidi also highlighted some great resources for further reading, the Planetary Health Diet recommended by EAT Lancet; Menus of Change, a joint programme between the Culinary Institute of America and Harvard School of Public Health; and Protein Flip, an infographic that strikingly illustrates the need to ‘flip’ the prominent role of protein on restaurant menus (though not new our chef members continue to find them incredibly useful).

Nobin Jones on eating for personal and planetary health

Heidi then handed over to Nobin John a certified coach from Orka Wellness who talked about the health and environmental benefits of ‘more veg and good meat’. He described how the world has become a giant, inefficient farm that’s harming both the planet and human potential. And that we must urgently shift to a plant-forward mindset.

Supplier Member Spotlight: Belu and VMO

After a spirited Q&A led by Nobin, two new Future Green members took the stage,

Claire Pearson, a director of Belu, spoke about how this innovative company is providing a sustainable still & sparkling filtered water solution to the Hong Kong hospitality industry.

The mike was then handed to Kenneth Ka Ho Law from VMO (Vegetable Marketing Organization), a non profit that works on behalf of the local wholesale vegetable industry. As well as providing testing, certification and consultation services, VMO also supplies consumers with reasonably-priced local organic and hydroponic produce.

Guests and speakers then had an opportunity to network and exchange ideas and name cards. This was a most productive and enjoyable meetup! A big thank you to our three captivating speakers, our two sponsors, and The Grand Hyatt for hosting the event and providing delicious refreshments.

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Now for the quirky AI, Chat GPT version (since that’s all everyone in tech and innovation is talking about) where we asked it to turn our blog into Shakespeare 🙂

Enjoy!

Twas on the seventeenth day of January,
In the grand Pool House of Hyatt,
That we did gather, a merry band,
For our first meetup of twenty-three.

With Fresh Accounting and Invest HK,
We did sponsor our theme so bold,
Serve More Veg & Better Meat,
In line with UN goals, we are told.

 

Heidi, from Future Green, did speak,
Of food production’s heavy toll,
And how chefs can make a change,
By choosing wisely, and playing their role.

She did speak of EAT Lancet’s diet,
And Menus of Change, so true,
And Protein Flip, an infographic,
That illustrates the meat we choose.

Nobin John, from Orka Wellness,
Did speak of health and environmental gain,
Of shifting to a plant-forward mindset,
And the world’s inefficient farm, in disdain.

Claire Pearson, of Belu, did speak,
Of sustainable water, so clear,
And Kenneth Ka Ho Law, of VMO,
Of local organic produce, so dear.

 

With networking and ideas shared,
And name cards exchanged with glee,
We bid farewell to this meetup,
With gratitude to our sponsors and host, The Grand Hyatt, for hosting our event with delicious refreshments.