Episode 19: Taking a zero tolerance approach to food waste, with Conor Spacey

When Conor Spacey was working in his first kitchen he was shocked at the amount of perfectly good food being thrown away. He convinced his boss to let him save it, cook it, and use it to feed all of his colleagues. It was a small change that made a big difference to the kitchen’s sustainability and its bottom line. Ever since, Conor has dedicated his career to fighting food waste and creating a fairer food system.

Today, Conor is the Culinary Director of FoodSpace Ireland and a co-founder of the Chef’s Manifesto.

GIY are proud to align our mission, vision and impact with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response to the urgency of the climate crisis, and in line with the UN Decade of Action, our ambition at GIY is to inspire 100 million people around the world to grow some of their own food by 2030.

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Food Matters, Conor joins Mick Kelly of GIY to talk about his 35-year career in the food industry and how zero-waste can be achieved in hospitality, schools, at home, and in the supply chain.

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Episode 23: From Chef to Seed Saver: The Journey of Mitch McCulloch

Episode 11: Fighting for a Fairer Food System, with Pete Russell, Ooooby

Pete Russell was running a 12m dollar-a-year food company when, suddenly, he had a “road to Damascus” moment. Pete realised that he was a part of a broken food system that was loaded against small food producers, and he knew that he wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

Episode 10: The Power of Permaculture, with Perrine Hervé-Gruyer

When we work with, rather than against nature, great things can happen: soil is healthier, biodiversity richer, and crop yields higher. Perrine Hervé-Gruyer learned this first-hand when she and her husband created The Bec Hellouin farm in Normandy, France in 2006. Determined to work in harmony with nature, and with no previous farming experience, they gave up their successful careers to build a market garden based on the principles of permaculture. And the results have been ground-breaking.