This event is presented by Climate One - A special project of the Commonwealth Club The industrialization of food has caused much of the food we eat to taste the same, whether you are nibbling at a

This event is presented by Climate One - A special project of the Commonwealth Club The industrialization of food has caused much of the food we eat to taste the same, whether you are nibbling at a farmer’s market in San Francisco, a Midwestern barbecue or a fast food joint in China. Ninety-five percent of the world’s calories now come from only 30 species, and Simran Sethi says a closer look at America’s cornucopia of grocery store options shows that our foods are primarily made up of only corn, wheat, rice, palm oil and soybeans. Sethi traveled to six continents in search of delicious and endangered tastes and how we can save the foods we love. Jonathan Foley is an expert on the environmental and human health benefits of a diversified food system and the perils of industrial monoculture. In an influential National Geographic article, he outlined a vision for feeding nine billion people. He says the answer doesn’t need to be factory farms versus small organic ones. There’s another way, and researchers at the California Academy of Sciences are busy working on ways to feed the people without destroying their home. Helene York is on the global team at Compass Group, focusing on improving the ethical, environmental, and social aspects of food supply chains for restaurants. Compass Group operates restaurants and catering operations in 50 countries around the world.

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Jonathan Rowson is director of the Social Brain Centre at the Royal Society of Arts, a writer, and a chess grandmaster It has been said that the problem with the word ‘spiritual’ is that it means too much to some people and too little to others.

While some see spirituality as a form of psychological depth, others see philosophical confusion or an unhelpful theological relic. Some see the best of religion, free of uncomfortable doctrine; others see a lack of discipline and a loss of institutional support, community and tradition. Some see the profit motive of capitalism exploiting our restless search for wellbeing, identity and experiences; others see a deep critique of materialism in all its forms.

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"[perfection] is not only unattainable -- it's necessary," argues Jonathan Safran Foer, whose new book "We Are the Weather" illustrates how dietary choices are linked to climate. "We do not...have to

"[perfection] is not only unattainable -- it's necessary," argues Jonathan Safran Foer, whose new book "We Are the Weather" illustrates how dietary choices are linked to climate. "We do not...have to stop flying, stop eating animal products, stop having babies, we just have to do these things with a lot of moderation."

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Andrew Zolli and

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