According to Feeding America, over $200 billion worth of food is wasted every year in America alone, which equates to 72 billion pounds of food. That is a lot of food that goes uneaten. Obviously, since the dawn of man, our society has faced the issue of homelessness and starvation. When there are hundreds of thousands of homeless people in America, and billions of uneaten food thrown out, there is clearly something wrong. That is why Feeding America is looking to stop this unnecessary waste with an application.
Feeding America has developed an application called MealConnect to combat the issue of wasted food in America. In essence, the application is designed to streamline, or even create, a communication between food banks and businesses. The hope is that, in creating this dialogue, businesses and farms will be able to cut down heavily on food waste, and potentially end hunger in the US by 2025. Businesses that could use the platform include grocery stores, butcher shops, farmer’s markets and even large food stores.
The platform uses a specially designed algorithm to match up food banks with food stores or businesses that have food to give away. The beauty of the application is that it is a web-based app, meaning any company, farm or food bank with an Internet connection can access it. It can also be used on mobile devices, making the process even easier.
Through MealConnect, users can get real-time information and statistics on when and where organizations are able to give food away. Feeding America even offers classes on how to use the program to its fullest potential. This is an ingenious way for food banks and food donors to get on the same page and work towards a better future.
So far, MealConnect has helped serve millions around the country. According to the official website, MealConnect has recovered 333 million pounds of food, served 278 million meals and has helped organize 737 thousand pickups.
The project was funded by Google and General Mills in order to give the platform a wider reach across the nation. Hopefully this program will get the reach it requires and find its way into the hands of every food-related business that has an excess of supplies to donate, which they most certainly will.
At the Opes Group, we pride ourselves in not only making long lasting, successful connections, but also in making efficient and organized transactions; so when we see other companies whose sole focus is organizing and connecting people together for the betterment of the world, we are always very excited.
This is just another example of how technology is helping to create a better world.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Jeff Bezos Wants “Short-Term” Philanthropic Ideas
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, is one of the world’s wealthiest people. With a net worth of approximately $84 billion, Jeff Bezos is certainly a man with a lot of money to give. And, although he has given a fair amount of money to charitable causes, he still feels that he could do more. That is why, just recently, he took to social media in an attempt to crowdsource a solution to his philanthropic problem.
Last week, Jeff Bezos published a tweet asking all of his 200,000+ followers for advice and strategies on how to concentrate his philanthropic efforts so that they may have an immediate, or “short-term,” impact. He mentioned that he believes that he has invested in philanthropic endeavors through his multiple companies, Amazon, Blue Origin and The Washington Post, which contribute to society in “their own ways.”
But Bezos, who has been scolded in the past by news outlets for not being as philanthropic as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Warren Buffett, is looking to invest in opportunities that will improve the lives of others instantly. His request for suggestions on Twitter earned more than 40 thousand responses. Suggestions ranged everywhere from donating to libraries to funding wildlife preservation. Bezos’ request was so popular that he was able to gain the attention of celebrities. World-famous singer Madonna had replied to Bezos by asking that they both take a trip to Detroit, her home city, and fund various projects and institutions there in order to improve the hurting city.
I feel that we need to take a step back and truly appreciate what is happening here. We live in a day and age where one of the world’s richest and most hard-to-access people is asking hundreds of thousands of strangers for advice on how to better our world. And through the power of social media, average, everyday citizens can respond to him. This would not have been possible 15 years ago. While many have condemned social media for creating a generation of narcissistic, uninterested and unmotivated teens, we sometimes fail to remember how much good it can bring.
Whether or not Bezos actually takes any of the suggestions and moves forward with them remains to be seen, but the fact that this is even possible is worth more than some of us realize. Instead of complaining about the negatives of the age in which we live, let us practice gratitude (see my earlier post on this topic) and appreciate the advances that come with time.
Last week, Jeff Bezos published a tweet asking all of his 200,000+ followers for advice and strategies on how to concentrate his philanthropic efforts so that they may have an immediate, or “short-term,” impact. He mentioned that he believes that he has invested in philanthropic endeavors through his multiple companies, Amazon, Blue Origin and The Washington Post, which contribute to society in “their own ways.”
But Bezos, who has been scolded in the past by news outlets for not being as philanthropic as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Warren Buffett, is looking to invest in opportunities that will improve the lives of others instantly. His request for suggestions on Twitter earned more than 40 thousand responses. Suggestions ranged everywhere from donating to libraries to funding wildlife preservation. Bezos’ request was so popular that he was able to gain the attention of celebrities. World-famous singer Madonna had replied to Bezos by asking that they both take a trip to Detroit, her home city, and fund various projects and institutions there in order to improve the hurting city.
I feel that we need to take a step back and truly appreciate what is happening here. We live in a day and age where one of the world’s richest and most hard-to-access people is asking hundreds of thousands of strangers for advice on how to better our world. And through the power of social media, average, everyday citizens can respond to him. This would not have been possible 15 years ago. While many have condemned social media for creating a generation of narcissistic, uninterested and unmotivated teens, we sometimes fail to remember how much good it can bring.
Whether or not Bezos actually takes any of the suggestions and moves forward with them remains to be seen, but the fact that this is even possible is worth more than some of us realize. Instead of complaining about the negatives of the age in which we live, let us practice gratitude (see my earlier post on this topic) and appreciate the advances that come with time.
What is Blue Apron?
We all enjoy a great, home-cooked meal, right? It’s better for you and usually tastes far better than anything that a fast food chain could provide. Unfortunately, most of us have incredibly busy schedules that don’t grant us the luxury of enough time to go to the grocery store, find the necessary ingredients, then look up a recipe and prepare the meal. But a new company is looking to change that; and so far, they are a booming success.
Blue Apron, founded in 2012, is a new method of getting a delicious and healthy home cooked meal. In essence, subscribers pay for the type of service they prefer, either a two person plan or a family plan, and Blue Apron will send the supplies for your meals. The plans typically send food for the week, but you can skip weeks or days and tailor your subscription to your liking. A two person plan runs for $59.94 while a family plan costs $71.92; compare that to the average cost of a grocery store run for a two person family ($90) and a four person family ($131).
The company also offers tips on how to properly chop or prepare each ingredient and a recipe with video tutorials. The entire process takes place online, and is incredibly convenient. With Blue Apron’s suggested meals, and your food preferences, not only will you get new and exciting meals to prepare, you will also no longer have to worry about what you will eat for the week.
Blue Apron pushes a heavy focus on healthy eating and cutting out food waste. The company prides itself on cutting out the middleman and delivering fresh farm produce and ingredients straight to its consumers, including non-GMO ingredients, all-natural meat and sustainable seafood.
To many, the company sounds like Netflix for food, and in many ways, it is. It should come as no surprise then that the company, also much like Netflix, has taken off. Since its 2012 debut, Blue Apron has shipped 159 million meals and has a reported revenue of $795 million. And now the company plans on going public. According to a report from Business Insider, the company is expecting to earn $15 to $17 per share in its initial public offering (IPO), which would place the company at a $3 billion valuation.
That same article also discusses why the service has been so successful. Blue Apron offers farm-fresh ingredients at cost-effective pricing. Others who have used the service have lauded it for its ability to simplify the cooking process. A review of the service from MoneySavingMom.com stated that one of Blue Apron’s best features was its ability to cut down on trips to the grocery store and time planning out meals. For those of us who would love a home cooked meal but don’t have the time to acquire the necessary ingredients or look up recipes, Blue Apron is a fantastic alternative. And those who constantly eat out at fast food or expensive restaurant can save money and eat healthier with Blue Apron.
Blue Apron’s flexibility, ease-of-use, wide variety and cost-effective pricing makes it an incredibly enticing service. And with a world that is slowly moving towards on-demand services, it is very possible for Blue Apron to completely disrupt the way that humans obtain and prepare their meals.
Blue Apron, founded in 2012, is a new method of getting a delicious and healthy home cooked meal. In essence, subscribers pay for the type of service they prefer, either a two person plan or a family plan, and Blue Apron will send the supplies for your meals. The plans typically send food for the week, but you can skip weeks or days and tailor your subscription to your liking. A two person plan runs for $59.94 while a family plan costs $71.92; compare that to the average cost of a grocery store run for a two person family ($90) and a four person family ($131).
The company also offers tips on how to properly chop or prepare each ingredient and a recipe with video tutorials. The entire process takes place online, and is incredibly convenient. With Blue Apron’s suggested meals, and your food preferences, not only will you get new and exciting meals to prepare, you will also no longer have to worry about what you will eat for the week.
Blue Apron pushes a heavy focus on healthy eating and cutting out food waste. The company prides itself on cutting out the middleman and delivering fresh farm produce and ingredients straight to its consumers, including non-GMO ingredients, all-natural meat and sustainable seafood.
To many, the company sounds like Netflix for food, and in many ways, it is. It should come as no surprise then that the company, also much like Netflix, has taken off. Since its 2012 debut, Blue Apron has shipped 159 million meals and has a reported revenue of $795 million. And now the company plans on going public. According to a report from Business Insider, the company is expecting to earn $15 to $17 per share in its initial public offering (IPO), which would place the company at a $3 billion valuation.
That same article also discusses why the service has been so successful. Blue Apron offers farm-fresh ingredients at cost-effective pricing. Others who have used the service have lauded it for its ability to simplify the cooking process. A review of the service from MoneySavingMom.com stated that one of Blue Apron’s best features was its ability to cut down on trips to the grocery store and time planning out meals. For those of us who would love a home cooked meal but don’t have the time to acquire the necessary ingredients or look up recipes, Blue Apron is a fantastic alternative. And those who constantly eat out at fast food or expensive restaurant can save money and eat healthier with Blue Apron.
Blue Apron’s flexibility, ease-of-use, wide variety and cost-effective pricing makes it an incredibly enticing service. And with a world that is slowly moving towards on-demand services, it is very possible for Blue Apron to completely disrupt the way that humans obtain and prepare their meals.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
The Impact of Technology on Our Lives
It is 2017. The world is an incredibly different place than what it was 2,017 years ago. In fact, it’s an incredibly different place than it was even 15 years ago. Technology has invaded every waking aspect of our culture. From social media to autonomous cars to artificial intelligence, technology is everywhere; it has even managed to find its way into our businesses, such as the creation of a new fintech industry.
When we were younger, most of us watched a show called The Jetsons. The Hanna-Barbera classic told the everyday adventures of the Jetsons, an average family living in a futuristic world. The show included flying cars, video communication watches and robotic maids. The show debuted in 1962, and for decades, we, as a society, dreamed of having those devices in our reality. And while flying cars are still a way off, several of the other gadgets and gizmos are a reality today.
For example, we now have watches that can not only tell time, but also make phone calls, track our fitness and heart rate, receive and send text messages, play music and even give us directions. And we have robotic maids that clean our houses in the form of Roombas.
However, we now have even more technological advancements than we could have ever dreamed. For example, drone technology has boomed in the last few years. Companies such as Parrot, DJI and Yuneec are all creating remote-controlled flying devices that can be utilized for both practical and personal needs. Drones are being used in construction for land surveying and in Hollywood for quick and cheap aerial shots. Some companies, such as Amazon, are looking into drone delivery services, which would allow same-day delivery for online purchases by drone.
Automated vehicles are another, very real part of our society today. Almost every major vehicle manufacturer in the world is adopting some sort of self-driving vehicle technology and looking to implement it in the near future. Even companies such as Apple and Google that have nothing to do with the automotive industry are looking into self-driving cars. Ride-sharing services, such as Uber, are of course also interested in self-driving cars. We now live in a world where it is very likely that the next car you purchase will have the ability to drive itself.
Robotics have also made vast improvements through the years. Today, we have robots that assist in product manufacturing, help our soldiers avoid direct contact with dangerous situations and assist astronauts in space exploration. But, up until recently, these were all robots that were nothing more than large pieces of machinery. In China, however, scientists have managed to blend reality with the world of robotics by creating the most lifelike robot in human history. At the University of Science and Technology of China, researcher Chen Xiaoping and his colleagues created a truly fascinating creation. Dubbed Jia Jia, the robot is capable of recognizing human speech and responding, realistic eye movement and lip synchronization, and can even show expressions.
Whether or not we need a robot that can perform those actions is up for debate, but it is, without a doubt, a testament to how far we’ve come as a society. Technology is literally changing our world everyday. We are now all interconnected, we can watch content whenever we want, know where someone is at all times, and much, much more. And while not all aspects of technology have been well-received (texting while driving has lead to millions of car accidents), it is impossible to deny that it has changed our lives for the better. And when you consider the fact that roughly $42.5 billion was spent in venture-backed tech companies in 2015, it is pretty safe to say that the technology sector isn’t leaving us anytime soon.
When we were younger, most of us watched a show called The Jetsons. The Hanna-Barbera classic told the everyday adventures of the Jetsons, an average family living in a futuristic world. The show included flying cars, video communication watches and robotic maids. The show debuted in 1962, and for decades, we, as a society, dreamed of having those devices in our reality. And while flying cars are still a way off, several of the other gadgets and gizmos are a reality today.
For example, we now have watches that can not only tell time, but also make phone calls, track our fitness and heart rate, receive and send text messages, play music and even give us directions. And we have robotic maids that clean our houses in the form of Roombas.
However, we now have even more technological advancements than we could have ever dreamed. For example, drone technology has boomed in the last few years. Companies such as Parrot, DJI and Yuneec are all creating remote-controlled flying devices that can be utilized for both practical and personal needs. Drones are being used in construction for land surveying and in Hollywood for quick and cheap aerial shots. Some companies, such as Amazon, are looking into drone delivery services, which would allow same-day delivery for online purchases by drone.
Automated vehicles are another, very real part of our society today. Almost every major vehicle manufacturer in the world is adopting some sort of self-driving vehicle technology and looking to implement it in the near future. Even companies such as Apple and Google that have nothing to do with the automotive industry are looking into self-driving cars. Ride-sharing services, such as Uber, are of course also interested in self-driving cars. We now live in a world where it is very likely that the next car you purchase will have the ability to drive itself.
Robotics have also made vast improvements through the years. Today, we have robots that assist in product manufacturing, help our soldiers avoid direct contact with dangerous situations and assist astronauts in space exploration. But, up until recently, these were all robots that were nothing more than large pieces of machinery. In China, however, scientists have managed to blend reality with the world of robotics by creating the most lifelike robot in human history. At the University of Science and Technology of China, researcher Chen Xiaoping and his colleagues created a truly fascinating creation. Dubbed Jia Jia, the robot is capable of recognizing human speech and responding, realistic eye movement and lip synchronization, and can even show expressions.
Whether or not we need a robot that can perform those actions is up for debate, but it is, without a doubt, a testament to how far we’ve come as a society. Technology is literally changing our world everyday. We are now all interconnected, we can watch content whenever we want, know where someone is at all times, and much, much more. And while not all aspects of technology have been well-received (texting while driving has lead to millions of car accidents), it is impossible to deny that it has changed our lives for the better. And when you consider the fact that roughly $42.5 billion was spent in venture-backed tech companies in 2015, it is pretty safe to say that the technology sector isn’t leaving us anytime soon.
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