Pulling a corn-based fork out of his pocked, Elliot turned to me during dinner and asked what I thought about Muhammad Yunus' edible containers idea. He bit one of the points and I joked about how the first time I ate with compostable utensils I did try to nab a nibble from them. When Yunus told a similar story during the lecture, the collective laugh in the Campus Y confirmed that many of us have attempted the same thing. At the time, I felt sheepish for trying (and failing), but he spoke about it so frankly, so reasonably, that suddenly the expectation didn't seem foolish. I spent a good part of the night picturing soup softening the sides of an ice cream cone, or ranking the potential of different foods that were just stiff and impermiable enough to hold liquid without breaking your teeth after the meal (tortilla shells vs. hardened sugar?).
It amazed me how Yunus' suggestion to simply make edible containers poses such a challenge. In the face of cheap, disposable, insulating Styrofoam (mortal enemy of recyclers) and similar products, it seems overwhelmingly difficult to try and realize his vision. Part of me insists that the pace of scientific discovery is such that the answer is within our reach, but a lingering pessimism also makes me think that there is no way it'll happen in my lifetime. What would be the shelf life of an inexpensive bowl that you can eat? Would its production end up being more environmentally unfriendly? Will we ever get off of our plastic/petroleum addiction?
Doubt aside, I really admired the way Yunus spoke about what it meant to be a thoroughly socially-minded business. One of his funnier points was to do the exact opposite of what big banks do, but I also like how he emphasized the importance of constantly improving towards a sustainable goal – no matter how improbable it seems. His anecdotes shed light on how success in the non-profit sector involves a balance of self-criticism and optimism. The lecture really got me thinking about the aspects of my work which could (and should) change.
Here’s to nutritious packaging.
2 comments:
Thanks for the post Diana!
I think that there are good odds on these products being available way before our time is passed. I'm an eternal optimist though, so we'll see.
Yunus' suggestion to apply the opposite logic of whatever the status quo is doing is particularly inspiring. I hope that when I'm out in the social enterprise world I'll be able to pick up on those as easily as he made it seem.
It's truly funny how the right thing seems terribly obvious once a brilliant and humble man jokingly points it out.
See you in class soon.
Great post Diana...
I love the so-called "Ecotainers" and plastics made from compostable materials (usually corn, unless I'm mistaken). I was really excited when I saw Ecotainers at the consulting firm I'll be interning at this summer.
Last summer, I was in India, where a great deal of packaging is made from disposable materials. There is no central trash disposal system, so whatever trash you create you throw onto your own curb...a much greater incentive to create biodegradable packaging and waste much less. Some good examples that come to mind are the gallons of chai tea I consumed in tiny clay pots, which could then be just tossed on the ground and returned from whence they came. I also had quite a few paani (I can't remember the exact name, but that's close), which are composed of a minty, nutty taste explosion wrapped up in banana leaves - organic Listerene.
I found Yunus' lecture so inspiring, but more than that his PRESENCE was so humble and wise. As a business student, I hope that Kenan-Flagler takes his notion of "social businesses" seriously. Think of the powerful change that could be created around that idea! I need to bug someone in the administration about that....
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