Spotlight on Human and Planetary Health: Transforming Food Systems for a Sustainable Future

Join us for a conversation hosted by Chris Field, Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, with Pat Brown, Founder of Impossible Foods. 

Co-Sponsored by the Woods Institute Human and Planetary Health Inititative, The Center on Food Security and the Environment and the Stanford Sustainable Societies Lab??????

Agriculture is one of the leading drivers of climate change. Meat production in particular is a major contributor, responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to climate impacts, meat production requires vast amounts of water, and contributes to deforestation as land is cleared for cattle grazing. Over 75% of agricultural land is dedicated solely to raising and feeding livestock, which amounts for about a quarter of the entire planet’s land surface. Additionally, diets that rely heavily on meat can result in myriad health issues—from increased risk of heart disease and cancer risk to obesity and diabetes. 

In an attempt to combat climate change and the collapse of ecosystems, Pat Brown founded Impossible Foods — a company that spearheaded the production of plant-based meat. Plant-based meat products have 50% lower environmental impacts compared to animal protein, and bring added health benefits too. Please join us as Chris Field interviews Pat Brown about his journey and vision for a more sustainable future. 

Speaker Bio: 

In addition to founding Impossible Foods, Pat Brown is an emeritus professor of biochemistry in the Stanford School of Medicine. Pat received his BA, MD, and PhD at the University of Chicago. After his pediatrics residency, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship where he identified the mechanism by which HIV and other retroviruses incorporate their genes into the genomes of the cells they infect. As an HHMI investigator at Stanford, Pat and his colleagues invented the DNA microarray—a technology that enabled researchers to read the activity of all the genes in a genome. He also co-founded the Public Library of Science (the first nonprofit open-access publisher of scientific and medical research), is a member of the US National Academies of Sciences and Medicine, and received the National Academy of Sciences award in Molecular Biology and the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor. He has published more than 250 scientific articles.

Space for this event is limited; Stanford affiliates will be given priority. 

For more information, please email Allison Phillips, Human and Planetary Health Initiative Managing Director: ap10@stanford.edu