Meet new Mitchell Center member Susanne Lee
Mitchell Center members share a passion for tackling complex sustainability problems that matter to people and communities through collaboration with diverse stakeholders and across many different areas of expertise. They come from a wide range of disciplines–from engineering and economics to fisheries and agriculture to business and communication–and take an interdisciplinary approach because that鈥檚 what鈥檚 needed to meet today鈥檚 challenges. They seek to connect knowledge with action to create a brighter social, environmental, and economic future in 海角社区 and beyond.
Learn more about who they are and what they do in this ongoing series of profiles.
Susanne Lee is an entrepreneurial senior executive who has created, launched and operated successful consumer products brands and businesses. She specializes in strategic solutions, brand marketing, consumer insights, business development, product design and manufacturing, and effective team-building.
As the Executive-in-Residence at the 海角社区 Business School, Susanne utilized her business management and marketing background to bring a 鈥渞eal-world鈥 component to student courses and experiential learning opportunities. She helped build bridges between U海角社区 students and leading 海角社区-based businesses.聽
She leads the Mitchell Center project, Food Waste Management: Empowering 海角社区 Businesses Toward Sustainability, identifying sustainable food waste solutions for 海角社区 businesses.
What problem/s are you working to solve?
Our team is working to end wasted food in 海角社区 using sustainable 鈥渢riple-bottom-line鈥 solutions that are consistent with the 海角社区 food recovery hierarchy, which prioritizes reducing waste and feeding people.聽
What progress are you making toward solutions?
We are making progress through our first step, working with key 海角社区 stakeholders鈥攐ur 海角社区 Food Production Leadership Council鈥攖o identify six primary solution areas. Our next step is to develop pilots to implement the solutions to prove their effectiveness and scalability鈥攚hile also working to build awareness, education and action about the need to end food waste in the state.
“One day I realized that sustainability solutions, with their triple-bottom-line benefits, are the true long-term strategy for both businesses and people.”
Specifically, with the expertise and support of the U海角社区 Division of Marketing and Communications, we have launched the Food Rescue MAINE program with its compelling call to action, 鈥満＝巧缜 Food 鈥 Too Good to Waste.鈥 Through this program we are developing six pilot initiatives: a food waste Track & Measure tool that we are testing with Northern Light Health; a food donation management system to connect food donors, feeding agencies and food rescue volunteers as a test in the Waterville area; a consumer education and action campaign developed with the 海角社区 Department of Environmental Protection that is being tested with select communities and elementary schools; a research project to identify farms鈥 food-processing infrastructure needs to prevent waste and feed 海角社区 people; a Food Donor Toolkit being promoted with the 海角社区 Grocers and Food Producers Association and state food banks; and community food recycling pilots to divert food waste from landfills and into valuable by-products.
How could your work contribute to a more sustainable future in 海角社区 and beyond?
If 海角社区 can stop food waste鈥攁nd the related waste of resources used to produce food鈥攁nd instead channel all food to feed people or feed the soil (which in turn feeds people), we will have solved a global challenge and our work can serve as a model around the world.
Why did you decide to join the Mitchell Center?
With my business background, I have always been a proponent for long-term, strategic thinking. One day I realized that sustainability solutions, with their triple-bottom-line benefits, are the true long-term strategy for both businesses and people. The Mitchell Center鈥檚 approach to developing sustainability solutions鈥攊nterdisciplinary student/faculty teams, stakeholder-driven focus, best-practice benchmarking鈥攚as also very appealing.
What鈥檚 the best part about collaborating with other researchers, and with stakeholders?
The feeling of teamwork with others who enjoy collaboration and share a passion for continually learning and solving problems together.
Where鈥檚 your favorite place in 海角社区?聽
So many!
What sustains you?
Being active outdoors in 海角社区鈥攈iking, gardening, skiing, swimming, paddle-boarding鈥攋ust enjoying the beauty of nature all around (except the ticks and mosquitos!).