Beginning the Waste Not Journey
By Taylor Lunka
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 6, 2013 – The Waste Not journey has officially begun.
Valery, Amanda, Rob, Waste Not graphic designer Taylor Cox and I piled into our SUV on Thursday, Dec. 5, headed from Tacoma to Portland.
After the three-hour drive Southbound along Interstate 5 to Oregon, the crew settled into our rooms at a local Marriott Residence Inn and got a good night’s rest.
First thing on Friday, we were up early to prepare for our interview with Andrew Shakman, president and CEO of LeanPath, a Portland-based company that created what is believed to be the world’s first food waste tracking system. According to the United Nations, as much as one-third of all food produced globally is wasted.
The LeanPath system, which aims to significantly reduce pre-consumer food waste, can be found in hospitals, universities, and restaurants worldwide.
The tracking systems employ touch-screen technology and are used by organizations to calculate how much food is wasted before and after every dish has reached consumers.
Andrew, who travels the world on his quest, explained the “food waste chain,” which begins at production and continues through packaging and all the way to consumption. Although unintentional, waste occurs at every step along the way, including the farming, packaging, labeling and distribution of food.
Andrew also talked about the misconceptions sometimes associated with composting, which he said is a way to use food waste, but is not the same as “zero waste,” which is only achieved if no waste at all remains.
Andrew also gave us names of other people in the Pacific Northwest to interview and even international contacts with whom we plan to get in touch.
After the interview, which we conducted at our hotel, Rob drove Taylor Cox and me back to Andrew’s office in the outskirts of Portland, where we got some establishing shots of his building, Andrew at his desk and the LeanPath 360 tracking system. We left Andrew’s office, made our way back to downtown Portland, hooked up with Amanda and Val, and grabbed our belongings.
Of course, a trip to Portland wouldn't be complete without visiting one of the city’s best-known landmarks. So, after a quick stop at VooDoo Doughnuts, the famous shop that has been featured on the Food Network, we were on the road, headed back home to Pacific Lutheran University.
We learned a lot on the official Day One of this project, with many more exciting days to come.
By Taylor Lunka
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 6, 2013 – The Waste Not journey has officially begun.
Valery, Amanda, Rob, Waste Not graphic designer Taylor Cox and I piled into our SUV on Thursday, Dec. 5, headed from Tacoma to Portland.
After the three-hour drive Southbound along Interstate 5 to Oregon, the crew settled into our rooms at a local Marriott Residence Inn and got a good night’s rest.
First thing on Friday, we were up early to prepare for our interview with Andrew Shakman, president and CEO of LeanPath, a Portland-based company that created what is believed to be the world’s first food waste tracking system. According to the United Nations, as much as one-third of all food produced globally is wasted.
The LeanPath system, which aims to significantly reduce pre-consumer food waste, can be found in hospitals, universities, and restaurants worldwide.
The tracking systems employ touch-screen technology and are used by organizations to calculate how much food is wasted before and after every dish has reached consumers.
Andrew, who travels the world on his quest, explained the “food waste chain,” which begins at production and continues through packaging and all the way to consumption. Although unintentional, waste occurs at every step along the way, including the farming, packaging, labeling and distribution of food.
Andrew also talked about the misconceptions sometimes associated with composting, which he said is a way to use food waste, but is not the same as “zero waste,” which is only achieved if no waste at all remains.
Andrew also gave us names of other people in the Pacific Northwest to interview and even international contacts with whom we plan to get in touch.
After the interview, which we conducted at our hotel, Rob drove Taylor Cox and me back to Andrew’s office in the outskirts of Portland, where we got some establishing shots of his building, Andrew at his desk and the LeanPath 360 tracking system. We left Andrew’s office, made our way back to downtown Portland, hooked up with Amanda and Val, and grabbed our belongings.
Of course, a trip to Portland wouldn't be complete without visiting one of the city’s best-known landmarks. So, after a quick stop at VooDoo Doughnuts, the famous shop that has been featured on the Food Network, we were on the road, headed back home to Pacific Lutheran University.
We learned a lot on the official Day One of this project, with many more exciting days to come.
