Richard Waite

@waiterich.bsky.social

46K followers 2K following 14K posts

Director, Agriculture Initiatives, World Resources Institute. Working with colleagues around the world to create a sustainable food future. DC-based. Own views.

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Environmental science 27%

Biology 22%

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Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · Oct 21

The world is facing a global land squeeze as food, feed, fiber and fuel demand rises. How to manage it? 🧪

- PRODUCE more food and fiber sustainably on existing working lands
- PROTECT remaining natural ecosystems
- REDUCE waste and growth in demand for land-intensive goods
- RESTORE degraded lands

How to Manage the Global Land Squeeze? Produce, Protect, Reduce, Restore

By 2050, an area of land twice the size of India will be converted to agriculture. A four-pillared approach can ensure the world meets growing demand for food and fuel without destroying the environme...

www.wri.org

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 31m

This is the way

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 31m

Ah my bad

Reposted by Richard Waite

Jared Nielsen @jarednielsen.com · 31m

Thanks! They'll look good with the Halloween decorations that are still up from 2024

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 36m

Given everything going on, I am hereby authorizing you to leave your colorful Christmas lights up for the entirety of 2026 with an option to extend into 2027

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 38m

The linked article above is a gift link and includes some of those details!

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 40m

Slightly diminish a band:

They Might Be Kinda Tall

Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 42m

Slightly diminish a band:

Men Who Occasionally Wear Hats

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 1h

Slightly diminish a band:

The Calfsills

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 42m

🙌

Reposted by Richard Waite

Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 42m

Slightly diminish a band:

Men Who Occasionally Wear Hats

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 1h

Slightly diminish a band:

The Calfsills

James “Hoc anno fiat” Harbeck @sesquiotic.bsky.social · 1h

Slightly diminish a band:

Most Things but Not Including the Girl

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 53m

Per the linked article:

According to disclosures buried in a 70-page U.S. Department of Agriculture report published alongside the guidelines, two-thirds of the reviewers had financial or other ties to the beef, dairy or pork industries, including research funding, consulting fees and leadership roles with industry groups like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the National Dairy Council and the National Pork Board.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 3h

Yes that’s right. www.wri.org/insights/6-p...

6 Pressing Questions About Beef and Climate Change, Answered

There are a lot of misconceptions swirling about beef, its environmental impacts, how it's produced and whether to eat it. We examined the latest research to separate myth from fact.

www.wri.org

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 4h

The guidelines do influence a lot of institutions though, and labeling, product formulation etc. But yes individuals are not known for following nutritional guidelines closely.

Reposted by Richard Waite

Dr. Wendy Bohon @drwendyrocks.bsky.social · 5h

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” - Gandalf (Tolkien)

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 5h

Also if you click the link I shared you can find examples of many food providers making measurable and significant progress, serving billions of meals collectively.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 5h

I think it’s too early to say “nearly impossible.” The guidelines just came out this week and guidelines only do so much. The federal government is far from the only actor shaping food environments. I don’t mean to downplay the significance (I did the calculation!) but there’s much work to do.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 5h

Has it actually been doing that though?

Reposted by Richard Waite

Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 5h

Brand new electric Chevy Bolt for $29K with 262 mile range. Factor in close to zero costs for maintenance, and big savings on fuel, and this is a good option. Second-hand prices of electric cars are going to plummet for the shorter range Nissan Leafs
www.thedrive.com/news/the-202...

The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt Edges Out Nissan Leaf To Become Least Expensive EV in US

Team Chevy found a few more miles of range, somehow, to compete with Team Nissan.

www.thedrive.com

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 6h

Some of our best Coolfood members are hospitals, I think because doctors and dietitians and other health care professionals get it.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 6h

Which is why I think where we agree is there is a need to reshape food environments so that healthy and sustainable choices become easier/more desirable and thus more likely. Relying on education and information alone won’t cut it. We are doing that here: www.coolfood.org

Deliciously Sustainable Dining. - Coolfood

Coolfood equips food service organizations with a proven framework to shift diets at scale, cutting food-related emissions.

www.coolfood.org

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 6h

I don’t know - purchasing by taste, price, and convenience (and according to culture too) is pretty rational in its own way. It’s just that climate doesn’t override those aspects. Similarly I’d love to fully electrify my house and car, but don’t have spare thousands of dollars to do so.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 6h

It may surprise you that lamb is more greenhouse gas-intensive than pork (sheep are ruminants who belch methane and also require relatively high land per unit of meat vs pork) and that grass-fed animals often have higher emissions due to lower growth rates and thus higher emissions per unit of meat.

Is There Such a Thing As 'Better' Meat? It’s Complicated

New research finds meat production methods which are better for animals aren't always better for the planet, and vice-versa. How can we balance the trade-offs?

www.wri.org

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 6h

Yes, behavioral science tells us that taste, price, & convenience are far more powerful for influencing food purchasing decisions than health, let alone other things like environment or ethics. Making the more healthy and sustainable choice the more delicious, affordable & convenient choice is impt.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 7h

Impossible bolognese pop tart with a marinara glaze

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 7h

Yep, our diet/climate work has always emphasized you don’t have to go completely vegan or vegetarian, and that just eating more plants and fewer animal-based foods—especially beef and lamb given their outsized environmental impacts—goes a long way and is more doable for more people.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 7h

Impossible Sliders when

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 8h

Gotta say, I’m a big fan of the Impossible Whopper

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 8h

I actually think in addition to the veggie McRib, if Grimace would sell the equivalent of a happy meal sized impossible veggie cheeseburger, small fries, and Arnold Palmer or seltzer, they could open up a lot bigger market (bsky).

Reposted by Richard Waite

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 8h

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 8h

Talking Head

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 9h

Character limits above, but the article noted our calculation here assumes the protein increase *maintains our current ratio of animal to plant protein consumed*. Americans could increase protein intake while reducing environmental impacts IF we shift to a higher share of plant-based foods instead.

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 10h

“If Americans increased their protein intake by just 25%…it would require about 100 million acres of additional ag land each year — an area larger than Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania combined — & increase annual emissions by 100s of millions of tons of CO2e, according to @worldresources.bsky.social.”

Opinion | The New Food Pyramid, Brought to You by Big Meat

www.nytimes.com

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 10h

I think you just improved it tbh

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