Author Archives: Billie Grimshaw

HelloFresh, Germany, and the US

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An idea and practice that we encountered during the research for the “Let’s Talk Climate” seminar during this course was the idea of food sustainability in Germany, and in turn energy conservation. More specifically, we were able to focus on the company HelloFresh. This company, now worldwide, was first created in Germany on October 4, 2011, by Jessica Nilsson Schultz, Thomas W. Griesel, and Dominik S. Richter. They have their main headquarters in Berlin; however, they also have locations around the world, including in the US.  

When this idea was first created, the practice was specific to Germany. This is because few other countries were as focused and invested in sustainability. The founders of HelloFresh were aiming to create a food delivery company that would adhere to these cultural norms of caring for the climate through food sustainability and energy conservation. The company was built with a sustainability team that had four main goals. These were to have “science-based decision making, authentic leadership, compassion-driven problem solving, and transparent communication.”  

With the overall delivery service, packaging, and obtaining the food, the company is able to reduce the consumer’s carbon footprint, as well as being carbon neutral. They obtain this by investing in a large amount of carbon offsets, as well as using renewable energy – wind energy — in their factories and other buildings. They are also able to accomplish this by having a reduced supply chain than grocery stores have. This is because they use local sources for the food they ship. In addition, they also minimize shipping materials and waste by limiting the boxes they ship. The food is also portioned into specific serving sizes so there is less wasted by the consumer.  

In the last 12 years, this company has been able to spread German ideas worldwide, specifically to the US. It has been successful in many aspects as the American market has been able to order the food right to their doorstep, meaning they can continue with their schedule without having to worry about going to the grocery store or figuring out what to cook. And they also have been able to embrace the overall sustainability aspect. This is because a large amount of the youth of America has become more concerned about their carbon footprint and protecting the Earth. And with this growing concern, the backbone of the company has been able to successfully adapt to American culture.

A Greener Footprint | HelloFresh

Source:

https://www.hellofresh.com/about/sustainability/reduce-your-carbon-footprint

https://img.hellofresh.com/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/hellofresh_website/us/lp/about/841548616_HFEPOPS_Sustainability-WebAssetUpdate_2022-02_Desktop_Image1.png

Love Song to the Earth and Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth) by Gustav Mahler

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The song “Love Song to the Earth” is a music video as well as an initiative that was started in 2015. The song is performed by a collaboration of artists that were part of this initiative to protect the planet. These artists included Angelique Kidjo, Christina Grimmie, Colbie Caillat, Fergie, Johnny Rzeznik, Jon Bon Jovi, Kelsea Ballerini, etc.  And “The Song of the Earth” is a symphony composed by Gustav Mahler in 1907. It is a two-part performance, containing six songs about different seasons and elements of the Earth and nature.  

Even though these two pieces of music were released years apart, they have backgrounds that are sad, yet similar. The “Love Song to the Earth” was produced as part of the initiative to fight against climate change. The globe has been fighting the intensifying forces of climate change for many years, including more natural disasters, ocean warming, ect. In addition, the “Song of the Earth” also was made from a desperate need for hope. The composer was forced out of his position as Director of the Vienna Court Opera because of antisemitism, his daughter abruptly passed away, and he was diagnosed with a heart condition all within a few months.   

However, both these songs provide hope for a better future using nature as a driving force. The “Love Song to the Earth” brings people of all ages and backgrounds together to fight against climate change to protect the world we all live in. And the “Song of the Earth” elaborates in the lyrics of the beauty of the Earth, even if it has a sad undertone at times. These include “The sweet fragrance of flower has passed; A cold wind bows their stems low.”  

These songs directly related to what we have been learning throughout the semester in the German Environments course. They both describe the beauty of the Earth and the world we all live in. The “Love Song to the Earth” describes different aspects of climate change and climate protection. And the “Song of the Earth” describes the different beautiful aspects of nature, specifically in Germany, such as the “branches of green willows.” In class, we have learned about the different ways Germany is taking part in protecting our world. These include sustainable ways of obtaining food, new methods of energy, and protecting their forests as well as largely appreciating them. 

We can learn a lot from these songs that is different from just reading about protecting the environment. This includes that nature has the power to overcome and heal us in amazing ways and it is important that we fight to protect it. It can sometimes seem as if people are against sustainability and just want to do what is easiest and makes money but these song show differently. 

sources:

http://lovesongtotheearth.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Lied_von_der_Erde