ASU researchers exploring how changes in snowpack impact water rights, policy

Mountain snowpack and rainfall are the primary sources of water for the arid western U.S., but earlier melting of mountain snowpack is causing complications. ASU researchers are part of a grant-funded team to address the challenges.

Swimming scallops? That’s surprising! It’s also surprising how often seafood is left out of conversations about sustainability and food.

You’ve heard of “chef-driven cuisine” and “farm-to-table” cuisine, but what about a “farm driven chef”? World-renowned chef Dan Barber is working to be just that.

Regrettably, we seem stuck in the same old farm bill battles. While still incredibly important, there is so little new about the legislation and the overall debate. Call me weary, it’s my 6th or 7th farm bill, depending on whether you count that mini corrections farm bill in 1997. Outside of Washington, the food world is swirling, exploding with new ideas. Inside the Beltway, it’s Groundhog Day.

Recreational fishing is a culturally and economically important practice around the world. In the United States alone, more than 9.5 million anglers take 63 million fishing trips per year, providing food, leisure and connection to nature while creating opportunities for employment in coastal communities. These leisure trips also contribute to costly overfishing.

Kathleen Merrigan is the first executive director of ASU's Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. Merrigan’s expertise and leadership will strengthen ASU’s global impact on research, policy and education in food systems.

DJ Donpasta performs at ASU as part of a multi-day visit focused on the culture, traditions, and social politics of food.

By revealing what is hidden in plain sight, Chris Wharton illuminates a path to health, wealth, happiness and sustainability through values-based behavior change.

Food Systems Transformation Initiative Director Christopher Wharton says “The Minnesota Diet” offers opportunities for backcasting and reflection on our current behaviors when it comes to our food system.

With the aim of finding better solutions to today's food-related challenges, Kelly and Brian Swette have made a major gift to establish the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems in ASU's School of Sustainability, which will offer the nation's first degree on the subject.

In a November 2017 interview with Nil Zacharias on his One Green Planet podcast #EatForThePlanet, Sweet Earth Enlightened Foods CEO Kelly Swette discusses her decision to sell the company to food giant Nestlé, as well as the future of plant-based foods in general.

In studying the long-term effects of our diets on fulfillment, Food Systems Transformation Initiative Director Christopher Wharton expects to find a correlation between happiness and plant-based eating due to its health, environmental and other sustainability benefits.