Public Talk by Tristram & Prasenjeet - What Are We Really Doing To Our Planet?

• Around 15% of the carbon released in the environment is due to deforestation and change of land use.
• One-third of the world's food is wasted from plow to plate.
• Irrigation used to grow food that has been thrown could provide domestic water for 9 billion people.

It is time to rethink our impact on the planet and our ways of living, consuming and producing.

Our carbon footprint started right from birth, and has been increasing ever since. The question now is how do we reduce it? Today's linear ‘take, make, dispose’ model relies on large quantities of cheap, easily accessible materials and energy; and is a model that is reaching its physical limits. This is not just a business loss, but one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.

This exclusive session features two National Geographic Explorers who will shed light on what is our actual carbon footprint on the environment, and the adverse impact on wildlife. They will also share some practical ways on how to reduce our carbon footprint.

Tristram Stuart will share some of his achievements in influencing laws, and how he dramatically reduced food waste with innovative technical solutions. Prasenjeet Yadav will share some of his projects that show our impact on wildlife, conservation and sensitive issues, such as climate change and its effects on nature such as the high elevation Himalaya & The Western Ghats.

About Tristram Stuart:

International Award-Winning Author, campaigner and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer Tristram Stuart is a renowned activist waging a worldwide war against food waste. The scale of food waste was largely unexposed and unaddressed until Stuart's book Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal was published, and his grassroots initiatives lifted the topic to priority status worldwide.

In 2009, he launched “Feeding the 5000” in London. This free public feast of food that would otherwise be wasted has been replicated around the world. His "Pig Idea" campaign seeks to change laws that restrict using food waste to feed pigs. He also has successfully campaigned for UK retailers to relax strict cosmetic standards for fruit and vegetables, and his Gleaning Network initiative sends thousands of volunteers into fields to harvest surplus produce that would otherwise rot. The food is then given to UK charities that distribute it to the hungry.

About Prasenjeet Yadav:

National Geographic Explorer and science communicator Prasenjeet Yadav was exposed to nature at a very early age, and much of his childhood was spent exploring the forests near a rural village in central India. Prasenjeet holds a master’s degree in molecular ecology and has pursued research at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India, but realised early in his scientific career that his real passion was in storytelling. Now, he combines his experience in research with his photography skills to popularize ecological and conservation sciences.

His projects have covered sensitive issues such as climate change and its effects in the high elevation Himalaya, The western Ghats, and how windmills impact the surrounding ecosystems, raising questions about how “green” our green energy is. Prasenjeet is a founding member of “Shoot for Science,” an initiative that trains scientists in science communication.

Format: 40 mins presentation for each explorers + 40 mins Q&A