Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces Cross-Sector Partnership to Reduce Food-Related Carbon Emissions Across NYC

April 18, 2024

Kate Mackenzie, Executive Director, Mayor's Office of Food Policy: Good morning, everyone. It feels so wonderful in here. Yes, it's a bit dreary, but it's our April showers, and it feels so good to see all of you here in this beautiful space. My name is Kate MacKenzie and I'm the executive director of the Mayor's Office of Food Policy. Thank you for joining us at this anniversary. First celebration of the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge.

Before I continue, I need to take a moment to acknowledge Neeti Jain. Neeti, as most of you in this room know, is the wizard of this carbon challenge. I often say whether it's this event, but more so, there's no playbook for this work that we're doing. There's no playbook for who do we recruit, what's the pitch, how do we do it? Neeti single-handedly has gotten us to this day and to all of you being in this room and us celebrating you. Neeti, thank you.

Our food system faces some pretty terrific challenges. A majority of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, and our agricultural systems have many downstream effects on soil, our water, and our air. As we experience the effects of a changing climate, access to fresh food and healthy food will become even more of an issue for cities around the world. Challenges like this require bold solutions. In order to achieve a livable and an equitable climate future, we know we need to reduce the consumption of the most carbon-intensive ingredients and replace them with healthy, whole plant-based foods.

I really also want to acknowledge my partner, Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson, who partners with us as we address climate solutions. When Mayor Adams announced the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge, last April, I think it was to the day, we had no idea how this initiative would take off. Whether we'd be successful in articulating and sharing a vision for a plant-powered food future, but New York City's institutions took this challenge and ran with it. Our signatories have shown such imagination and creativity in their efforts.

From hosting fierce plant-based dining competitions that I'm already scheming for next year's multi-university and college championship judged by celebrity chefs, to building extremely effective choice architecture that helps New Yorkers easily put plants and plant-based proteins on their plates. You'll hear from a few of our signatories today, but this represents only a snapshot of our incredible efforts from all 12 signatories who have made the ambitious commitment to reduce their food carbon footprint by a minimum of 25 percent by 2030.

Their leadership allows New York City to stand tall and be a global leader in the food space. We are so, so grateful and proud to partner with them, with you, in building a better food system for New York City. With that, I'd like to introduce our inaugural signatory. The first institution in New York City to take the leap in signing on to this new initiative, Columbia University.

The Columbia team has shown true vision in the implementation of their challenge. Just last month, Columbia Dining hosted their famous annual Battle of the Dining Halls. Featuring an all-plant-based menu with some of the most inventive and tasty dishes most students have ever eaten. Please join me in welcoming Scott Wright, Vice President of Campus Services.

Scott Wright, Vice President for Campus Services, Columbia University: Good morning. Thank you, Kate. Columbia University is proud to be the first signatory of the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge. Columbia University and the City of New York are inextricably bound in addressing our climate crisis. It's our imperative and privilege to partner with the city to address the challenges our community faces now and in the future due to changing climate. Since 2007, Columbia has reported Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as part of the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, New York City Carbon Challenge.

Columbia faculty and researchers have been leading partners in the New York City Panel on Climate Change since 2009. The International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia Climate School has been working with the New York City Bureau of Water Supply since July 2022. Our scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in the Climate School, support New York City teacher professional development with hands-on field-based STEM experiences. All of which made us in the food business very jealous. We said, "What can we do about food?"

As part of our Plan 2030, which is our pathway to Net Zero by 2050, we joined the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge. In 2023, 13 percent of dining food purchases were beef, and those beef purchases created 72 percent of our food-based carbon. Since we started the challenge just in the first quarter of this year, we have reduced the amount of beef we've served by 30 percent, which had a net result of reducing carbon by just under 21 percent. The cool part of it is, we didn't tell anybody we were doing this. This was just menu changes that went in and said, instead of the meat-based things we used to do, we added more variety to create this.

The plant-based menus are now a regular feature for us. Mushroom and lentil bolognese, portobello mushroom and roasted butternut squash quesadillas with vegan cheese, and chickpea tagine with apricot and dates. I did check on the pronunciation on the way down, but anyway, I just wanted to take a second to thank the Columbia team, Vicki Dunn, Chef Mike and Columbia Dining, Professor Jenna Lawrence, who has been working with our students on capstones in making this happen, the sustainable development and undergraduate capstone team that first told us we need to do this and from Jess Prata, Samreen, and the rest of the Columbia team, some of who are in the back who lead the sustainability effort. We're very proud to stand here with New York City and to commit to the Plant Powered Challenge. Thank you.

MacKenzie: Thanks so much, Scott. I really appreciate your remarks there. Where Columbia and our two other campus signatories, Fordham University and Rockefeller University, are leading in the higher education sector, the team at Morrison Healthcare is leading this effort in the healthcare sector, providing nutritious plant-forward food for the Mount Sinai system in New York City. I'd like to introduce Howard Weinstein, Senior Vice President, and Lisa Roberson, National Director of Wellness and Sustainability from Morrison Healthcare.

Lisa Roberson, National Director of Wellness and Sustainability, Morrison Healthcare: Thank you, Kate. We are so excited to be here representing our team that manages the food service operations at Mount Sinai Health System. It's an honor to be a part of the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge with Mayor Adams, and of course, the Office of Food Policy has been fantastic. Every day at Morrison Healthcare, we see firsthand the impact that good food has, especially plant-forward menus, on impacting a patient's health. It feels really good to know that when we're making the healthier choices for, promoting healthier choices for the community, that we're also promoting healthier choices for the planet.

That's incredible, but the best part is how delicious and nutritious it can actually be. I think our chefs had a lot of creative fun designing menus, and when our hospital visitors and patients come in, they have a really fun time too. You can see the food is absolutely stunning. I want to tell you my favorite part of the menus that we serve. It's our mushroom menu called All Caps. In All Caps, the best salad is It's Pretty Fly for a Fungi-Crispy Oyster Mushroom Salad. Delicious. Howard, how about you? What's your favorite?

Howard Weinstein, Senior Vice President, Morrison Healthcare: Actually, my favorite is one of our most popular menu items, it's called a Cauli Club. It's a buffalo cauliflower sandwich, and it's absolutely amazing.

Roberson: Yes, super yummy. This is in hospitals, y'all. Little Kentucky there. For us, a plant-based approach is not just a fad. Re-engineering our menus and sourcing ingredients carefully so that they promote healthier people and a healthier planet is the foundation of our mission.

Weinstein: That's right, Lisa. We serve more than 10 million meals annually at the Mount Sinai Health System alone, and we understand the impact of the initiative at hand. As part of our challenge, we're really excited to not just talk the talk but to generate results that will show the positive impact that healthcare could have on sustainability. I'm really excited about our executive chefs. They're super talented. They're preparing amazing food each and every day, and they're driving caregiver engagement and the patient experience, and it's sustainable too. Thank you to Mayor Adams and his team for inviting us, and thanks to our partner, Mount Sinai Health. Without you, we couldn't make this possible. We're looking forward to what the future holds and the progress to be made. Thank you.

Roberson: Thank you.

MacKenzie: Fantastic. Now I'd like to introduce Jennifer Bernstein, CEO, and the William C. Steere Senior President of the New York Botanical Garden. As an institution that's dedicated to the power of plants, New York Botanical Garden is setting the standard for climate action among New York City's cultural institutions. I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to also acknowledge Roy Steiner and the Rockefeller Foundation, also a signatory partner who is joining with New York Botanical Garden next week on a food event. Thank you, Roy and Rockefeller as well. Jennifer, welcome.

Jennifer Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer and The William C. Steere Sr. President, New York Botanical Garden: Thank you so much, Kate and everyone from the Mayor's Office on Food Policy. We're so thrilled to be part of this effort at the New York Botanical Garden. We are proud to be an institution rooted in the Bronx, where, for more than 130 years, we've invited people of all ages to learn about the environment and to explore our beautiful 250-acre site. We're also a globally significant plant research institution with expert scientists working across the city, the nation, and the globe to document the plants and fungi of the world and to find actionable nature-based solutions to our planet's dual climate and biodiversity crisis.

At NYBG, we're plant people, and we know that plants will offer the solutions to many of today's most pressing environmental problems. That's why we're training the next generation of plant scientists, gardeners, landscape designers, and budding environmental stewards to ensure a green future for all New Yorkers. We teach tens of thousands of children each year about the importance of food through our Edible Academy, where they learn about growing vegetables and the importance of healthful eating. The New York Botanical Garden's long standing partnership with the City of New York, we think, is an ideal engine for initiatives like the mayor's Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge.

In the next few years, NYBG is putting all of our procurement and menu options under the microscope, and we know that we can meet the goals of this initiative. Food has always connected people with each other and with the natural world, and so it's fitting that we look to our food systems as a mechanism for addressing the climate crisis. At the garden, we're already lowering our carbon footprint through all sorts of different sustainable food practices, including, of course, more plant-based menu options. We thank the peer institutions who are here today, for accepting this challenge, and we thank Mayor Adams for his leadership and recognition of the powerful role that plants will play in helping us to address our environmental problems.

MacKenzie: Thank you, Jennifer. Sandeep Patel is the Chief Financial Officer of PopSockets and a board member of Greener by Default. Greener by Default's partnership has been at the heart of this initiative as they work with our signatories to measure their carbon emissions and implement creative menu engineering backed by the best behavioral science. Please welcome Sandeep.

Sandeep Patel, Chief Financial Officer, PopSockets: I'm thrilled to be here. It's super exciting to hear about all the great progress being made in a short amount of time, and I'm very honored to be a member of the board of Greener by Default, one of the most innovative nonprofits that I've had the pleasure of interacting with. The founders of Greener by Default, unfortunately, could not be here today so they asked me to just read a brief statement, and then I'll just end with some of my own comments. Greener by Default is an innovative nonprofit that consults with institutions to apply behavioral science to food policy, nudging diners towards healthy and sustainable plant-based food while preserving freedom of choice.

We were honored to partner with Mayor Eric Adams' office, Sodexo, and New York City Health and Hospitals to help implement the plant-based default program for hospital patient meals. This program cut the carbon footprint of food service by a third while maintaining diner satisfaction. We're excited to continue the partnership and build off the success of the program by empowering other New York City institutions to follow in the footsteps of New York City health and hospitals by serving plant-forward menus that are healthy, inclusive, sustainable, and delicious.

Greener by Default is also honored to be a partner of the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge, supporting signatories and creating plant-forward menus that are delicious and appealing to all diners. Now I'll just say a few words as the CFO of PopSockets, you may know what this is. I joined the company largely because I was previously at Califia Farms as a CFO of a plant-based milk company because the founder told me that he created the company really by accident, but his mission in life was to end factory farming because the food system is the biggest contributor to climate change.

A lot of the answers to the world are in changing the food system. I was very shocked to hear that from the founder of this company, but I was even more impressed to hear some of the practices. The default at our company is all the snacks and any food served on premises is vegan, and that decision was made in 2019. We don't reimburse people for buying animal products outside on corporate meals. Now, we also recognize that we're a company that's relatively unique, and a privately held company and its ability to do this. We also are very cognizant that if you look at the science, the number one and number two things the world can do to reduce carbon change is to facilitate a migration to plant-rich diets, and every little bit counts.

One meal a week makes a huge difference. 7 meals a week make an even bigger difference, and obviously, 21 would make it great, but you don't need to get to 21. You can start small. Secondly, reducing food waste. Food waste interpreted broadly as taking food that would go to feed animals, to feed humans directly, or upselling food, or simply rescuing food from farms. We as a company are taking initiatives to partner with other organizations on all of these fronts. What we dream of is a world where we're not the only company thinking like this, and Columbia is not the only, and Rockefeller and the other universities here in New York that are signatories, are not the only ones thinking this way, and when I go to the next summit on climate change, there's as much discussion about what can be done simply by offering great, delicious food, as there is about electric vehicles and fossil fuels. Again, thank you, and an honor to be here.

MacKenzie: Thank you, Sandeep. Sandeep has also generously shared with us a collection of PopSockets with a design that is perfect for New York City's vision of a plant-forward future for you to take home today. I want to turn to our final signatory of the day, Thomas Preti Events to Savor, who is hosting us at this really exquisite venue today and providing such delicious plant-based bites for us to enjoy. As you'll see from the menu, the Thomas Preti team takes such an intentional approach to crafting plates that are as delicious as they are sustainable. Please welcome Tommy Preti Jr., Vice President of Sales and Operations at Thomas Preti Events To Savor.

Tommy Preti, Jr., Vice President, Sales and Operations, Thomas Preti Events to Savor: Good morning. On behalf of Thomas Preti Events To Savor, I'd like to thank Mayor Adams, Executive Director Kate MacKenzie, Neeti Jain, and everyone from the Mayor's Office of Food Policy for spearheading the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge. As an inaugural signatory, I'm proud to share that my company, Thomas Preti Events to Savor, has committed to cut the carbon footprint of our catering by 25 percent by 2030. To make the progress we need on climate change, it's going to take action from courageous businesses willing to lead the way and show, by example, that a more sustainable path is possible.

The Plant Powered Carbon Challenge creates a platform for New York's food industry where that progress can play out. At Thomas Preti, we're already seeing that going green isn't a trade-off. On top of being better for our environment, our commitment to sustainable catering is proving to be better for our business and for our people. We can see this in the enthusiastic demand from our clients as we continue expanding the carbon-friendly plant-based menus that we offer, some of which you'll get to taste in just a few minutes. We see this progress in our culinary and service teams who, like so many of us, are so eager to get involved, however they can, to confront our climate crisis.

Now, the carbon cuts we're achieving together are yet another reason they can be proud that they work at Thomas Preti Events to Savor. As a caterer, we're in the hospitality business, so our number one goal is to create remarkable dining experiences, inclusive of all guests of all dietary needs. My father, Thomas Preti, jokes that his worst nightmare is one of our guests grabbing a slice of pizza on their way home because there wasn't anything for them on our menu. The Plant Powered Carbon Challenge aligns perfectly with that spirit, encouraging us to step up and be accountable for the global impacts our organizations have without compromising on what we exist to do, serving up creative, delicious food for our guests to enjoy.

That's a win-win. At Thomas Preti, our green team, who's all here this morning, always reminds us to stay focused on the low-hanging fruit. By that we mean maybe we can't solve climate change by 5:00 p.m. today. Maybe today that fruit is just too high up on the tree, but what can we do today that's within our reach to keep moving forward? Today, the Plant Powered Carbon Challenge is our fruit, and we're so grateful to join up with these incredible partners and the city of New York to show that making an impact is within all of our reach. Thank you.

MacKenzie: Thank you, Tommy. From Day 1 of this administration, the path for food policy in this city has never been clearer. The ability for this city to lead, not just on ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to healthy, affordable, culturally inclusive foods, but to make sure that we are addressing our climate crisis through food as well. Mayor Adams has made that possible, and I'm more than honored to be able to introduce to you Mayor Eric Adams.

In just a moment. Perfect. Ladies and gentlemen, the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much, and just thank all of you. Where's Rachel?

MacKenzie: She's not here today.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Rachel, since my days of Brooklyn borough president, I was extremely fortunate for having her join my team. Things line up in your life in a mysterious way. I was going through a series of health crises. The doctors told me that I was basically going to lose my sight in a year, lose some fingers and toes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, I had an ulcer. I had the American package, all the things that dealt with food, and sitting there, had a series of medicine they wanted to give me.

I went into the doctor's office with no pills. When I left that day, I felt like Duane Reade. They gave me so many pills that I had to take. Rachel just said, "Look at your diet. Dr. Esselstyn in Cleveland, Ohio, told me that it's your food, Eric, if you change your diet." I did that. I went whole food, plant-based. Three weeks later, my sight cleared up. My nerve damage went away in my fingers and toes. The ulcer went away. My blood pressure normalized and stabilized. The numbers just went in a different direction. I just dug into this and realized that it was, people told me it was because of my heritage, and my background, and my DNA.

I say over and over again, it was never my DNA, it was my dinner. It was what I was eating. What you're doing today, for those of you who are environmentalists, we have two mothers. One gave birth to us and the other sustains us. We cannot be abusive to neither one. When we as corporations and entities do a full acknowledgment of what the food is doing to our environment and how it's hurting Mother Earth and how it's hurting our mother that gave birth to us, it takes a bold step to realize that the overuse of animal products is impacting our environment.

We cannot keep our heads in the sand and act like, what it is costing us with animal feed, what we're growing in our rainforest, what we're doing throughout our communities with gas and emissions from animals, it is impacting us. I just want to thank the corporations and companies who are stepping up and saying, "We can do better," because we can do better. To those who have been talking about this for generations, I just thank you. I'm hoping you hear the bugles because the cavalry is coming. We're going to join you, and we're going to lead the way.

This is the greatest city on the globe, and so we have to do great things. We cannot lead from the rear, we must lead from the front. Kate and her team, we've been going into our schools speaking with whoever and whomever will listen to us about how we can move in the right direction. We know about fossil fuels that's coming from burning to heat our buildings. We know about emissions from cars. We know about all of those things, but everyone is not comfortable when we sit down at restaurants and look at our plate and how are we contributing to the destruction of our environment and the destruction of our bodies based on what we are consuming every day.

This is a huge initiative, and we're going to continue to be bold, to be honest, to be compassionate, but give the right information so people can make the right decisions. As we hug our mommies, let's hug the Mother Earth that sustains us. Thank you, and congratulations for today.

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