Saving the Planet With Your Food Choices | Michael Twining | TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker's personal views and understanding of climate impacts of GMOs, regenerative agriculture, and glyphosate herbicide. Experts working in the field have expressed concerns about potential environmental impacts of these technologies, which warrants further scientific investigation. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: storage.ted.com...
Michael Twining is a seasoned agriculture expert with over 50 years of experience. He’s dedicated his life to food production and works with growers farming over 500,000 acres of agricultural production in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. He is passionate about the potential for agriculture to combat climate change. In his upcoming talk, he’ll delve into how existing technology in the industry can meaningfully reduce climate change, despite misconceptions perpetuated by the food industry. By understanding these misconceptions, he aims to empower consumers to make informed, “Climate Smart” food choices that contribute to saving our planet. Michael Twinning is a seasoned agriculture expert with over 50 years of experience. He's dedicated his life to food production and works with growers farming over 500,000 acres of agricultural production in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. He is passionate about the potential for agriculture to combat climate change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@1martinarose1]

Really interesting! We have to do whatever we can.

[@ironmercMike]

excellent talk.

[@iamluckybob]

This is so cool! I've never heard of anything like it but I'm ready to support it whole heartedly lol

[@DragonPotPie]

This is such a great idea, so we can actually undo some of the damage we've caused!

[@TransitSpoof]

Really loved the emphasis on consumers being able to drive the success of this. People power ftw!

[@valeriehlavigne]

The concepts presented here align with a lot of current research on climate-smart agriculture! We have to continue promoting and funding these technologies to tackle climate change effectively.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Couldn't agree more!

[@nathanclendle]

Would be pretty amazing to see this come into effect on a large scale!

[@BruceWayne-nm5cr]

This is an amazing development... agriculture seems like such a huge contributor to the climate crisis so using it to help instead of hinder is just amazing. Now if only we could get the oceans to regrow the polar ice caps we'll be set!

[@guidolazzaro1396]

I love this idea... I feel like conscious people have to choose between prioritizing their health or the planet but this way both are served

[@jan-landry]

I’m all about reducing my carbon footprint, so I love the idea of using farming practices to reverse climate change.

[@mariannemortimer7724]

This is amazing and really speaks to how everyone can get involved with creating solutions for climate change!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Everyone really can get involved! Not only can we actively ignore marketing that works against the responsible use of technology in food production, but I'd encourage you to also reach out to your elected officials and tell them to support science-based regulation that creates structure around meaningful Climate-Smart food.

[@SpiritStride]

This is such an amazing solution! More people need to be innovating in this way ✨

[@rahataleem6544]

All of our choices can help save the planet but this is a big one

[@lucastanard]

He's so right about the beliefs we have about food. It's been sold to us as organic is better and everyone eats up the fear on genetically modified food.

[@michaeltwining2123]

You said it well! By using technology responsibly in producing our food, we can not only grow wholesome and affordable food but also make a global positive impact on Climate change.

[@bobbywie]

This is awesome! I thought the only options for sustainable eating were things like going vego or vegan, this would appeal to way more people

[@TomBradyIsthegoat28-3-n6q]

One of the greatest Ted talks I’ve ever seen

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks so much for your kind words! That means a lot.

[@sheilalindsay]

Thank you, I think I'll be asking a lot more questions about where my food comes from now and how it's grown!

[@michaeltwining2123]

I'm glad you are thinking differently about your food purchases! Food grown with technology-enabled, regenerative practices is good for you and the environment!

[@thoseDelawareboys]

Great talk Mike. Excellent delivery covering tough, but extremely relevant, topics on a national level. I appreciate hearing from people with an agricultural background talk about modern food production.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks Phillip! You are one of the people who truly are sustainable ag experts and make a difference every day by helping farmers increase food production in sustainable and climate friendly ways!

[@someonednamessomeone]

His background in farming adds a lot of credibility to his arguments. It's refreshing to hear from someone who's actually worked in the fields and seen these issues firsthand.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you found the talk refreshing. Real and pragmatic solutions to Climate change are ready to be implemented if we can provide the right incentives. Those will only become a reality, however, if consumers like yourself are open and supportive-thank you! Your voice and choices can make a real and meaningful difference!

[@luna-marco]

I love how he encourages us to think critically about food labeling and marketing. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking certain labels automatically mean "better" or "healthier".

[@michaeltwining2123]

We can have healthy food AND a healthy planet, helped to be healthy by growing that food😊! Thanks for commenting and questioning popular food labels!

[@lizzaleleflame9967]

Love this kind of thinking! Updating practices with the tech we have available just seems like a no-brainer, especially if it goes towards helping climate change!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks for your comment and you are really on point with your thinking! Using technology in food production that allows us to produce safe, affordable and nutritious food while simultaneously making progress to reverse climate change is possible today and is very exciting. Everyone wins!

[@busterbeansishere]

This is such a cool idea! Hope to see it take it off

[@kylefereth]

This has definitely impacted the way I am going to shop for groceries in the future. This man did a great job portraying the problem of climate change and CO2 emissions in agriculture and everyday foods. This man has also helped me understand why I should make better decisions when I go to the grocery store.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks for watching and for your thoughtful comment! Climate Change affects and will affect us all, and aligning our food purchases to incentivize the combination of technology and regenerative farming practices is a simple and powerful thing all of us can do!

[@GrayWirth-y4c]

Very insightful thoughts on how our food purchases can help improve the climate!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Gray, glad you found the talk insightful!

[@DreamFestForMe]

damn this is so much better than just cutting down on emissions alone

[@amayaroonie2166]

Wow this is kind of incredible? I image it would be incredibly effective on a large scale

[@michaeltwining2123]

Globally there is literally NO OTHER TECHNOLOGY that we can scale in the next decade that would even come close to the impact Climate Smart Food production could have. The Food and Ag Organization of the United Nations put just Corn production at around 600,000,000 acres world wide! And that's just corn... Around the globe other large acre crops like wheat, rice, canola and soybeans could put hundreds of millions of more acres to work as well. Imagine the impact of that much ground absorbing excess carbon. It can be done!

[@wealthmakernow]

Gotta say the beginning when he's weeding the field with his uncle takes me back to my own early days. I've no desire to go back to living on a farm, but it was a wonderful childhood.

[@oo_eddie_oo4204]

Who ever came up with this idea is a freakin genius

[@TenderWolfAdvertising]

It's a great idea but I think there needs to be a shift in mindset for people to come together on making it the popular form of agriculture

[@chewysbacka]

I struggle a lot with healthier eating but this is a nice motivator!

[@UniqueSpeakingStyle]

Such a fantastic talk! And such important information to understand!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Tanja you are so kind and openminded!

[@ericbluman]

This is a really important topic, lucidly and thoughtfully covered by Mike Twining. Kudos to Mike for being on the vanguard of those within the agricultural community that are prioritizing climate change issues.

[@KozomoBlur]

appreciate the focus on food, but we also need to talk about the overall health of our food system. What about the nutritional value of crops grown with these technologies? How will that be affected?

[@michaeltwining2123]

There have been lots of studies to determine if we are increasing or decreasing the nutrient density of food using different farming systems. The bottom line is that, in general, there aren't a lot of differences. The big difference in food "quality" is whether it is ultra-processed or unprocessed food. Ultra-processed foods tend to be created for hyper palatability so we want to buy and eat more. To accomplish this, extra sugars, salts, preservatives, etc, are added. The human metabolism hasn't evolved to handle diets based on this very well, so, over time, people who eat those types of food often struggle with unwanted weight gain and poor metabolic health. In addition (again, in general), the climate footprint of Ulra-Processed Foods is worse because of the extra handling, processing, packaging, and transportation involved.

[@mateoolsert]

Glad to hear that we could potentially reverse some of the damage we've done!

[@jus-t-s]

What a refreshing take on the role of technology in sustainability!

[@michaeltwining2123]

It is really exciting what can be done when we think about what can be done by combining technology and nature in friendly and compatible ways!!

[@GreggHarman-g9h]

Great topic and great message! Thanks Mike for sharing a great message to the World for Agriculture!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks, Gregg. Professionals like yourself are leading the way in developing some of the most exciting and sustainable plant nutrition technologies available today. Thanks for all you are doing for sustainable and climate-friendly food production.

[@judeblyth3606]

great talk Michael, thank you!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thank you for the comment!

[@KimMcConnell-x2g]

GREAT TEDTalk. Wonderful message. Thanks for sharing.

[@wendyrocha8331]

We should be looking at how these technologies fit into smaller-scale community-based farming too.

[@BryanKrehnbrink]

Love this TedX talk and the information it gave for me to think differently at the grocery store. He is right about needing to challenge existing ways and have forward thinking actions.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Bryan, I'm glad you're thinking differently at the grocery store! Our current food labels need to do a better job of helping us understand if the food we are buying is helping or hurting the climate. Savvy consumers like you can help by simply avoiding labels that are designed to scare you and don't convey helpful information. Thanks for the comment!!

[@chesbronz]

Grand Slam Well Done MIKE!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks, so glad it resonated with you!

[@JeffCecil-b8n]

Great message to help support a different conversation from someone who really understands the topic. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Mike.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Jeff, thanks so much for the comment and kind words!

[@schellecandar]

This is why it's so important to know exactly what we're buying!! In terms of where it comes from and how it's made because it really is the kind of thing where the consumer has the power!

[@jeremythornton9701]

Thank you, Mike. I appreciate learning from you - a true leader in agriculture!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks, Jeremy! Professionals like yourself help us be better stewards of the land and grow safe, nutritious food.

[@evielangtree8743]

Glad to hear that there is hope to potentially reverse some of the damage we've done!

[@pierremartinetto]

Smart talk, thank you Michael. We need more thinking like this to save our planet

[@pennjteller]

this guy's perspective on agriculture is eye-opening! never thought about how farming could actually help combat climate change. It's cool to see how tech and nature can work together to solve big problems.

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks for chiming in and glad this was eye-opening! It truly is amazing what modern agriculture is capable of and could do to help fight climate change if we are able to advance good policies and support the responsible use of technology in regenerative agriculture systems.

[@imadampierce]

I love how the talk connects complex issues like genetic modification and herbicide use to everyday things like pizza and wings. It makes the topic much more relatable and easier to understand.

[@michaeltwining2123]

So glad this was understandable for you! We can make tremendous progress by embedding climate-friendly and regenerative technology in our food production because most of us won't have to change what we eat. We can enjoy our favorite foods knowing we are doing something good for the environment! Thanks for the comment!

[@pengzhou6952]

It was good to hear a discussion on food that wasn't centred around organic vs traditional - I know he touched on that but the analogy about whose sitting in first class on a crashing plane sums up how I feel about all this too

[@wiltjackson]

Here's hoping that this could actually work!

[@KarenWhitt-n9j]

Great job Mike!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Thanks Karen!

[@kendalllrose]

I appreciated what he said about how we can tip the scales based on our choices but I'm still a little confused about which food to be buying?

[@sashapetrovic1678]

In my experience, people are all for something until it affects them personally. Like oh sure I'm happy to do whatever to help the environment but if that can potentially impact on my health or enjoyment that's where I draw the line.

[@thirstyduck]

Glad I listened all the way through lol I was about to say surely that carbon just comes out the ground when the field gets tilled. Glad there's already a solution for that!

[@samanthacampbell3765]

Good points and informative about tilling practices. I don't agree that Glyphosate should be accepted as a practice - too hard to enforce the best ways to use it (sparingly). Soil health is so important, so thank you to Mike for spreading the word.

[@michaeltwining2123]

I'm so glad you found the talk informative! I certainly understand your concern about Glyphosate. I just want to share that I work directly with growers and professional licensed applicators who consistently and carefully follow all labeled requirements and use it sparingly. It is not inexpensive, and growers operate on very tight profit margins, so they try really hard to use only what they have to. I encourage you to think about Glyphosate as many of us think about things like Tylenol - use it when you need it and according to label directions. You and the environment will be safe and experience some great benefits. That said, I'm all about incremental improvements, and helping move towards generally more climate-friendly food production is our biggest goal. Thank you for being open to hearing about and supporting soil health in general!

[@lestnewman]

This is cool. I wonder how much power consumers actually have over an industry like farming, like if we demand for all farms to start using this technology would we see it happen?

[@michaeltwining2123]

You would be surprised how much consumers can influence not only how food is produced but how the government creates incentives and regulations around it. The "Non-GMO" label is purely marketing targeted to prey on misinformed fear. Many food companies and restaurants are literally resistant to purchasing food crops that are raised using this technology because of the perceived negative consumer reaction. This technology alone has the power to make a significant difference as our planet warms to not only help continue to grow food in vulnerable areas but to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere so we can start to reverse what is occuring. However, when we send the market signals that we don't want this tech, it prevents commercialization and adoption. Thanks for your comment!

[@marishka5737]

I feel like this talk will have me looking at my grocery stores produce section in a whole new light...

[@michaeltwining2123]

Great! A lot of money is being made with labels and misinformation that scares consumers. In addition, very few of our most current food labels give us information about the impact of the food we eat on the climate. Thanks for watching my talk!

[@reynaque]

I'm intrigued by the concept of regenerative agriculture. It seems like a smart compromise between organic and conventional farming methods. Wonder if any local farms near me are practicing this?

[@michaeltwining2123]

Regenerative ag is an exciting and relatively new concept in mainstream agriculture. You describe it well as a "smart compromise." Given the rate of acceleration of Climate Change we need to look for opportunities like Regen Ag to make real and meaningful progress on improving the environment. Unfortunately, a "list" of growers doing it doesn't yet exist. Most farmers who sell directly to the public are very open to talking about their operations and how they farm, and I'd encourage you to stop at a local farm stand and start a conversation with the farmer. You can learn a lot about how they and other local farmers farm. Thanks for watching the talk and thinking about smart compromises!

[@jabajaba7488]

"Roop thought he had to fart, but he really had to poop" hahahaha

[@johnathanbrayton]

really good talk! 👏

[@sudden-impact]

Gotta admit, I was skeptical about glyphosate at first, but the explanation about how it can help reduce tillage and keep carbon in the soil makes sense. Still, I'd like to see more long-term studies on its environmental impact.

[@lifeisshortliveit]

he lost me a bit with some of the more technical stuff but I love the overall message! We need to start thinking outside the box if we're going to save this planet.

[@keylakreations4159]

You'd think farmers would already be educated in how to look after the land holistically but maybe learning about tech advancements is the missing piece they need to tie it all together

[@christopherccooper]

This sounds like such a great solution!

[@michaeltwining2123]

Hi, I'm Mike Twining. Thanks for watching my TEDx talk! I hope my ideas spark curiosity and conversation beyond the standard sound bites we all hear about how our food is raised. I did this talk for my children and their generation. We have an incredible opportunity to combine existing technologies with regenerative farming practices TODAY on a GLOBAL SCALE to begin to reverse climate change, buying us valuable time in the race against global warming. TED put a disclaimer on my talk, and I understand that the concepts I present differ from current norms. I hope I've sparked your interest!

[@duckydoda]

The idea of eating our way to a cleaner planet is pretty cool. It's empowering to know that our food choices can make a real difference in fighting climate change.

[@michaeltwining2123]

I hope you dig in on Climate-Smart Food! I hope we can advance to a meaningful Climate-Smart food label in the near future. In the meantime, I appreciate your comment and your doing what you can to avoid food labels that disincentivize safe, modern food production technology!

[@magnusseverson]

I think the climate crisis is like a battle that needs to be fought on many fronts.... this is great progress if it takes off in a major way but hopefully it doesn't make people complacent like "oh well we're doing this thing so we don't have to do anything else!"

[@forestchancey]

I'm curious about the potential downsides of these climate-smart agriculture methods… they sound promising but I bet there are risks and challenges to implementing them on a large scale

[@burkesimms]

It isn't even a thought for us when we're at the supermarket buying fruit and veg.

[@kirstenviesitle]

Interesting video, however, I'm still concerned about the health implications of GMOs and glyphosate.

[@orlageary5104]

Great vid on how these 3 poorly understood technologies can drastically improve our carbon dioxide problem.

[@aaronereid]

Never realized how much carbon gets released when soil is tilled. Makes me wonder about the carbon footprint of my backyard garden. Might need to rethink my approach!

[@mehdidouinine]

I feel like there's a lot of fear mongering over our food choices, lots of people think that everything is poison and that concern is taking priority over everything else

[@yuvallove]

This sounds so complex. Surely the way to save the planet is to stop fracking and mining and all the other things that are affecting the planet on a huge scale

[@why-why-why-why1]

I'm all for supporting climate-smart agriculture, but let's not forget the importance of local and sustainable food systems.

[@Notthefootykevinrooney]

Sad state of things when everything we do has to be with saving the planet in mind

[@calebdonnar]

I wonder if it would be possible for these technologies to fit into smaller-scale, community-based farming too?

[@michaeltwining2123]

They absolutely are. In fact, that adds to the climate benefit with lower transportation impacts.

[@aliyahrhodes]

It can be really expensive to eat healthily for people in certain areas, would this help with that at all?

[@acciaisardino3470]

I've always tried to make food choices based on what benefits the planet... like if you're in the US and you're eating ethically raised beef from Australia then the impact of shipping that beef halfway across the world kind of negates any ethical positives right? So I've always just chosen whatever is locally sourced

[@michaeltwining2123]

Smart!

[@rebeccadcarl]

Gene-edited crops is so crazy to me. We live in the future.

[@michaeltwining2123]

It is an exciting time! We can do incredible things with careful use of this tech. Thanks for commenting.

[@ListHeist]

In my country part of the problem is agriculture being a neglected industry, such a disappointment.

[@alisonjanicewhite]

When he says that if the Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Rice farmlands put the Suk Institute trait in it would put over 300 million acres to work removing excess carbon. Does he mean, these farmers need convincing? or the tech isn't fully developed yet?

[@michaeltwining2123]

It’s some of both. The trait the Salk Institute has developed is still in the very early stages of commercialization so it’s not yet available for farmers to plant. Once it becomes available (hopefully in at least one crop) in the next couple of years, farmers will evaluate it as a potential option to plant. Having incentives for them to grow it will be really important to scale adoption. If countries ban GMOs this will really make it difficult for farmers to choose this climate friendly option.

[@stealtheddefender]

This talk has me questioning some of my long-held beliefs about organic food. I always thought it was the best choice for the environment, but now I'm not so sure...

[@michaeltwining2123]

This is a common misconception. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) created the organic program as a "marketing" program. Don't get me wrong, there are some great organic producers out there, and the most progressive conventional growers today are incorporating many practices championed by organic growers, like cover crops and well-planned crop rotations. However, the fact that organic food takes more land to produce the same amount of food and involves a lot of tillage that interferes with carbon storage, the reality is that organic food, more often than not, is LESS climate-friendly than technology-empowered regenerative agriculture. I'd encourage you to focus on purchasing as much locally grown (less transportation costs) food and whole foods grown in the USA using conventional (modern) production methods. They are both a healthy choice for you and for the environment! Thanks for watching my talk, and please share it as you feel comfortable!

[@audreylstamford]

I can't believe some of these comments. Why wouldn't you want all your actions to be deliberate and geared towards making the most positive of an impact?

[@iambabypink]

The idea of using genetic modification to help plants absorb more CO2 is mind-blowing. It's like giving nature a boost to help fight climate change. Science is so awesome!

[@michaeltwining2123]

It is amazing that the same technology we use to make insulin (GMO) to save lives can be used to save our planet!! If you want to read more about the Harnessing Plants Initiative, just search for Salk Institute Harnessing Plants Initiative. They do a great job of explaining how it works. Thanks for watching my talk!

[@IAmTheRealRoblox]

As someone who's always been anti-gmo, this is making me question everything. Maybe I've been too quick to judge? I'm gonna have to do some serious research now.

[@michaeltwining2123]

I'd encourage you to pick up the book "Peeling Back the Labels" by Dr. Josh Miller. It's a quick read, but very well documented look at the origin story of many of our current food labels like Non-GMO and the science behind them. Keep asking questions! We have a planet to save.

[@sorinareina]

kinda mad that we're not hearing more about this stuff in the news. why are we arguing about plastic straws when we could be revolutionizing agriculture?

[@michaeltwining2123]

I couldn't agree more! Thanks for commenting and contributing to the discussion. Ag can scale globally to make significant positive changes; we just need to get this on the policymakers' radars! To put it in perspective, there are over 600,000,000 acres (yes, that's 600 million) of corn grown globally. If all those acres reduced emissions and sequestered excess carbon, it would be incredible what we could do! Thanks again!

[@thegutcheck]

This is really interesting but I'm still concerned about potential health hazards from GMO's and glyphosate. I guess that's always been the choice though, health or climate

[@notthatoneorthoseones]

Is it really trapped under there though?? What if there's an earthquake or a fire?

[@michaeltwining2123]

Great question. Disaster events like fire can certainly release a lot of carbon, but in Regenerative Agriculture production fire (and earthquakes in most areas) are an extremely unlikely event and would not affect the ability of these acres to store carbon. The modern technologies mentioned in this talk enable farmers to avoid using non-climate friendly practices like slash and burn and also increase the productivity of soils over time so there is less pressure to put uncleared land into production (think Amazon rainforest).

[@sonny-johnson]

I don’t know, seems like these solutions are just a way for big corporations to sell more products. Not super convinced it'll help solve the climate crisis

[@michaeltwining2123]

Motivations are always important in any climate system. The goal of climate-smart agriculture is to create incentives for the food system, starting with farmers, to work in ways that are more friendly to the environment. As a consumer, I'd encourage you to think about how you can influence the "system" with your purchasing dollars to help the planet. ALL companies have to make money. A Win-Win for the environment, our food system, and consumers is when we allow them to adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture in a way that is more profitable for them than less climate-friendly systems. The good news is that this is VERY possible!

[@iamtherealdeal]

He says how glyphosate is a scary word, and then says it's the key avoiding tillage without any comment about it being safe.

[@jessicamahmed]

He makes it sound like technologies are the perfect solution, but history shows that there are always trade offs....

[@michaeltwining2123]

Jessica, that's a good point, and thanks for your comment. To be clear, I don't think technology alone is the solution. In fact, by themselves, it can actually create unintended negative consequences. It is when it is combined in a synergistic way with Regenerative Agricultural practices that we make progress. The bottom line is that there are no easy solutions to Climate Change. Still, we can make significant positive incremental gains on a global scale with food production that uses both "natural" and "technological" tools in a complimentary fashion. When technology is positioned in a way that people become scared of it, we all lose. Thanks for watching and engaging in the conversation!

[@t-bonebranson]

Pretty sad state of affairs when it's up to the public to save the planet, food choices or otherwise

[@Iamshawnawashington]

People are such hypocrites, they'll be all like "you shouldn't eat GMO etc" and then smash some Maccas on the way home after the Xmas party...

[@michaeltwining2123]

This is a great observation and definitely the perspective to have. The minor differences in food safety and quality between conventionally and organically grown food are trivial when you compare them to the adverse health AND environmental impacts of highly processed food. Investing in technology-enabled regenerative agriculture can not only make healthy food more available and AFFORDABLE, it can literally save the planet!

[@oguzkaanuremis]

This is a cool idea but I think just the term "GMO's" scares people away

[@lorrainegracelacson]

He kinda made these ideas sound like the perfect solution, but surely there are always trade offs?

[@valeriedijkstra]

Okay but wouldn't all that excess carbon that's being sucked up affect the food?

[@madisongrace9146]

How much carbon dioxide needs removing? What percentage of take up would we need from farmers to turn things around?

[@carljanicek]

This just adds to my confusion... like yeah it's a great cause but I really thought all the GMO stuff was really bad for us?

[@GWTOJENA]

Me yaha free fire pannel keliye ayan hun 😅😅😅😂😂