BrightFarms -- a produce supply chain revolution: Paul Lightfoot at TEDxManhattan

www.tedxmanhattan.org/2012talks
Paul Lightfoot is the Chief Executive Officer of BrightFarms, which designs, finances, builds and operates greenhouse farms at grocery retailers, eliminating time, distance and costs from their produce supply chain. With the elimination of shipping, and the drastic reduction of fuel consumption, carbon emissions and water use, BrightFarms enables grocery retailers to change their produce supply chain in a way that improves the planet and their profits. For nearly ten years, Paul was the CEO of an enterprise software company that improved the supply chains of major retailer and their suppliers. Previously, Paul was the founder and CEO of Foodline, a venture-backed software company that provided customer and reservations information technology to restaurants. Before that, Paul was a transactional attorney at the Wall Street law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Paul was recognized by Chain Store Age magazine as a "Rising Star in Retail" in their annual 40 Under 40 awards.
More information at www.tedxmanhattan.org
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[@unjessing]

I can't like this enough! Awesome!

[@BGShah]

Very insightful!

[@timeenough4health]

I agree.. BRILLIANT!

[@JigarShahCWR]

Fantastic Presentation

[@christianfeuer1]

Paul, great presentation on a great subject. I will travel to PA when the greenhouse is open. When will that be?

[@laplapmax]

It sounds perfectly green and good for the environment. In fact, it's complicated to do such evolution since there are few food producing companies that manipulate the whole food market. If you were convincing us to support breaking down the food chain process it will not lead to cost cut of the food because they are not large to enough to save in growing food near us. in stead, if you were saying that will grow more organic foods that might works for people are desperately wanting healthy food

[@ColbyZen]

"More than half the 'cost' of this lettuce" - pretty impressive!

[@JohnMetal91]

@billlakey1 I don't see the greenhouses as too energy demanding. For example, heating the greenhouses can be easily done by reusing the large amount of waste heat produced by the building's AC system. Water can be obtained by rainwater harvesting and for lighting only the sun is required, solar panels can take care of other functions. The only fuel costs would be a few generators and backup systems.

[@sierracuban]

This is mentioned in many futuristic books, including THE LONG EMERGENCY, by James Howard Kunstler......The future is here.....Sierra Cuban, Miami, Florida

[@michaelvangundy226]

When the consumer is willing to pay three times more for their produce, then fresh local grown will become available. The local grower cannot compete with a large farm with the mechanized ability to eliminate hand labor. I met a farmer who grows baby carrots. Lots of equipment and no help. There is no way possible that I can compete with that. Tell your local grocery store manager that you would be willing to pay more for produce that doesn't look like it comes off of a production line. A few bug bites is good, it means the bugs like it too. If you will pay for it, a local grower would be proud to grow it. But if you expect the grower to work hard all week and sell his harvest for $50, he won't be doing it long.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

Agreed. Link to this the reality that the "inexpensive" produce is only artificially cheap. We pay the true cost in externalities like ocean dead zones, pesticide runoff, fractured communities and higher health care costs. Bring these into the life cycle cost analysis, and now how do the costs stack up?

[@daxasd3270]

@@HyaenaHierarchy customers decide on cashflow price, not in externalities

[@BryanKale777]

Cool

[@CrushProofStudio]

This is cool, however a more sustainable model would be Aquaponics. Hydroponics is cutting the corner. You still have to supplement nitrogen, this is why Hydroponics can never be organic. I am sure that they will also have to use some sort of pest control that requires chemicals.

[@BillLakey]

The industrial food complex is horrific, however Greenhouses are not Sustainable! the fuel needed to heat and light them are too energy demanding and expensive! there are local co-ops and locally focused distributors. eat seasonally and help your farmers find those distributors or create a co-op themselves

[@bitchimballing]

im watching this at school and i dont understand this shit

[@r.strenk54]

+jared breaker I guarantee you the speaker doesn't understand, either. Watch him closely. He is a classic con artist: all confidence, no details (at least no accurate ones). His company is underwater, and he's taking his clients down with him. He is a bad, bad man to have as a spokesperson for a good industry

[@r.strenk54]

This guy is a total joke in the food industry!! He is a con artist, through and through. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw one of his greenhouses.

[@toylar799]

facts

[@jurgkeller6699]

Kriegsfilm

[@konkise]

LMFAO

[@r.strenk54]

+佚名佚名 Agreed. Paul Lightfoot IS A CON ARTIST. His company is A TOTAL CON JOB, nothing like what they present themselves. If you are preparing to do business with him or his company, DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS OR WHAT IT SAYS ON HIS WEBSITE. VERIFY, VERIFY, VERIFY EVERYTHING HE TELLS YOU. For your own sake.

[@groupraitodigital9784]

This guy is a huge BS. Good luck using greenhouse to grow rice :))).