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Climate Action Chef at Iceland Summit
Forage and cook at Iceland's northern most tip for the Future Food Institute and United Nations climate action warriors?
YES!!
I reason that if we're all underwater, everything else we love and advocate for it, well, sunk too, right?
In the summer of 2019, I rocked snow boots into JFK airport in 90 degree weather to get on a plane to a place that will surely stay with me forever, and let's just say, it was a VIBE.
Iceland was epic in the non exaggerated use of the word. Literally, epic and equally grand in its challenges. My favourite.
There wasn't a single extra resource to draw from, things simply aren't available. I had to LEARN fast and it was the best. I was forced farther outside of my comfort zones in this unforgiving landscape than I can remember and am incredibly grateful for the experience and those who were with me.
We talked fish farms, whales, melting glaciers.
It's all really really real and epic and confusing, and yet in reflection - very grounding.
Besides some algae that tastes like black truffle, the things I packed home in my bag are this:
ONE. We follow far too many unsustainable patterns in the creation of food (yes, yes we know already), but it's absolutely my/our responsibility to deeply consider every choice while keeping each other accountable to doing the very best we can in service to this planet and it's people
If you had told us we'd be sitting on the steps of the Opera House (I like to say Oprah, what?) discussing financial models and Rap 3 years ago when we met, I'd like to think we'd have pushed back a little, but probably not.
We knew we were stuck with each other.
Discussions about REAL friendship have been at the forefront of my first week here, led by decades old friends and some relatively new ones, too.
It's beautiful to discuss both in theory and practice.
What does it mean and how do you find it? Well, in my experience, it finds you. But, you have to be paying attention outside of your own ego and "job description for best friend" you'v created in your mind.
An electricity happens when you meet someone that carries the same intention and morality and it manifests in all kinds of ways.
Once you've established that you're the two funniest and wittiest humans you've ever met, you commit without what I'm calling "Required Reciprocity". Would you take every opportunity to raise this person up without any need to keep score? Do you keep score? If yes then good news, you're human. We're taught to AND it's part of our make up. The best news is it's fairly easy to unlearn.
See, when you give yourself, your network, your resource and some else succeeds, it's a huge emotional rush because intrinsically, we're FOR each other. The coolest side effect is that is brings you everything you need. Some call it Karma, others call it the Universe at work. I'm just gonna call it FACTS.
Pay attention, your life gets better in every single facet with your people, your team, your best damn friends, pushing FOR you and you FOR them.
I was very honoured to be the City of Sydney's Entrepreneur in Residence in the fall of 2018 and again in the winter of 2019 to do a ton of work with organizations and humans grinding to make the world a better place.
From Design Thinking Masterclasses, Success & Significance in Business, and The Importance of Community in Conversation, over my time in Sydney I mentored the mentors with keynotes, cooking and shared space.
On my last day of my first run in Sydney, there were no mics, no stages, no white boards or post its, just me, 3 knives and Australia's best food and people
The only way to say thank you for the heroic effort in looking after me over 35+ engagements in 2 weeks was the way I express deep appreciation and love. Food. Fuck do I love cooking for good people the most.
Whole freshwater trout, rolled lamb shoulder, pork belly, every vegetable under the outback sun and some squash blossoms stuffed with a macerated fig and mint mix were on the menu amongst others.
Back in the City of Sydney Australia on my 2nd instalment as Entrepreneur in Residence and sharing always the best of times with the super homie @actualmontaigne.
This is how we feel about Good Music, Good Humans and Going For Broke in Love.She shared a letter from John Steinbeck to his teenage son about love circa 1954 ish', this excerpt needed to be shared further, it's too good:
First—if you are in love—that’s a good thing—that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.
Second—There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you—of kindness and consideration and respect—not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.
Facts.
Also, Heart Shaped Box.
It's good to be back in Australia. Real good. And I look to answer some hard hitting questions:
Why haven't kangaroos been domesticated for transportation like Empire Strikes Back Tauntauns?
Why is it always a G'day?
Is the love for Vegemite a national hoax?
Can a dingo really eat my baby?
What's wrong with tall Poppies? Can't we just let them live their best life?
After we get through the big problems we're going to dive back into homelessness, equity, food apartheid, technology as a tool for social justice, building real communities in an isolated age, and unconventional solutions.
Thank you for having me Sydney. I left with this thought:
Speak your Truth to power, work your guts out to manifest it, give it back in spades, rest easy
Proof @senatorbriggs, family time on arrival. Also, we submit our mixtape cover for your approval
