Mobile app Karma tackles food waste with discounted meals

The launch of Karma in Sweden has brought about a new way of fighting food waste . Since 2016, more than 1,500 businesses such as restaurants, bakeries, cafes and hotels as well as the three largest supermarket chains in Sweden have joined the battle to reduce the amount of perfectly edible food that is thrown away daily. The mobile app offers restaurateurs and retailers the opportunity to sell their otherwise wasted products at a fraction of the original price to hungry Swedes and now Londoners, too. What began as a social movement soon became a startup for Karma’s four founders: Elsa Bernadotte, Mattis Larsson, Ludvig Berling and Hjalmar Ståhlberg Nordegren. “We had all graduated from university, the four of us got along really well and so we decided to build something new and exciting together,” explained Ståhlberg Nordegren, the company’s CEO. “We also knew that we wanted to build a consumer facing product that would make an impact.” Related: New study finds food waste will increase to 66 tons per second if left unchecked Coming up with the clever solution to a growing food waste crisis quickly became a win-win situation for all involved. Following its February 2018 launch in London , the company projected approximately £30,000 ($39,000) gains in revenue for each of the 400 businesses that agreed to participate in the program, which is offered at no cost or subscription to the businesses. The surplus meals have been met by grateful hands of families that are struggling, both in London — rated the fifth most expensive city in Europe by Money Inc.  — as well as Sweden, where the publication reports that a meal for two can easily land you with a €262 ($305) bill. The four food  rescuers moved to tackle London, hoping to gain momentum in the capital of a country that has a massive food waste problem. It is estimated that 10 million tons of food are thrown away annually in the U.K. at a cost of £17 billion ($22 billion) to businesses and a priceless expense to the environment . Related: The ugly truth about the imperfect food movement Swedish angel investors noticed the efforts of the company and insisted to help the four founders, who were living very frugally without taking salaries in order to achieve their mission. Ståhlberg Nordegren said, “After living like this for a couple of months, our board of directors forced us to take on a salary of $2,000 per month to make sure we could really focus on the business.” Today, the team has grown to 35 individuals dead-set on resolving the food waste problem in their homelands while slowly branching out into new markets. The company is on track to achieve projected 2018 revenues of €3 million ($3.5 million). What’s in the future for Karma? “We need to scale the business to be able to have the magnitude of impact that we’re aiming for,” Ståhlberg Nordegren said. “Being able to make a profit from solving a problem while creating value for both restaurants and consumers makes this a fantastic opportunity to build a business where you don’t have to choose between cause or profits. All in all we are on a mission to rescue even more food!” + Karma Via Forbes Images via Karma

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Mobile app Karma tackles food waste with discounted meals

The Future (and Past) of the ‘Office of the Future’

Thirty years after the publication of my book on the health effects of office environments, things have changed significantly, though some things haven’t.  

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The Future (and Past) of the ‘Office of the Future’

GOP Won’t Tolerate a Candidate Who Even Acknowledges Existence of Climate Change

Yesterday, Daniel wrote a brief profile on GOP presidential contender John Huntsman. The ex-ambassador to China recently mentioned in a recent TIME interview that *gasp* he sees no reason to disagree with the vast consensus of scientists who say that human activity is causing the planet to warm

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GOP Won’t Tolerate a Candidate Who Even Acknowledges Existence of Climate Change

Conservation International Caught Aiding Extreme Greenwashing (Video)

Conservation International is one of the biggest and best-known environmental organizations in the United States. And they’ve pretty indisputably done some great work in protecting endangered species over the last couple of decades. But, like other high profile enviro groups like the Nature Conservancy, much of their funding comes from major corporations — some of which are among the world’s largest polluters and resource-consumers

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Conservation International Caught Aiding Extreme Greenwashing (Video)

Green Mountain College Tops Sierra Club’s ‘Coolest Schools’ List

Sierra magazine has released its annual list of the "Coolest Schools" in the U.S. — a roster of colleges and universities that the publication scored the highest in combatting climate change and teaching students about sustainability.

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Green Mountain College Tops Sierra Club’s ‘Coolest Schools’ List

Is Landfilling Plastic Bottles Greener than Recycling?

Dumping used plastic bottles in landfills can sometimes be better for the environment than recycling them, a controversial report claims.

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Is Landfilling Plastic Bottles Greener than Recycling?

The Changing Winds for Agricultural Sustainability

An event last week brought together farmers and giant food conglomerates to develop new ways of working together to bring the environment back to the farm.

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The Changing Winds for Agricultural Sustainability

The Wildlife Conservation Society Connects the Dots between Climate Change and Species Decline

Image credit: stevehdc /Flickr The Wildlife Conservation Society has released a new report detailing the effects of climate change on a range of species . The report profiles more than a dozen species and outlines threats that include: “changing land and sea temperatures; shifting rain patterns; exposure to new pathogens and disease; and increased threats of predation.” Publication of the report is meant to coincide with the COP15 currently underway in Copenhagen and with th…

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The Wildlife Conservation Society Connects the Dots between Climate Change and Species Decline

In Transition 1.0: Transition Towns Documentary Available Free (Video)

Image credit: The Transition Network When I posted the trailer for In Transition —the documentary about the Transition Towns movement as a response to peak oil and climate change —commenter CB was less than enamored with the film making style. Maybe now CB can judge the entire movie, as the makers have just released the entire thing for viewing free on YouTube. Click below the fold for parts one and two

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In Transition 1.0: Transition Towns Documentary Available Free (Video)

Mc Sweeney’s San Francisco Panorama Sells Out Immediately

I bought the very last copy of Mc Sweeney’s 33rd issue, San Francisco Panorama , earlier today at 826 Valencia in the Mission.

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Mc Sweeney’s San Francisco Panorama Sells Out Immediately

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