SUSAN CHALOM: WORLD FAIR MILAN EXPO 2015; FEEDING THE PLANET ENERGY FOR LIFE
Image Above By Susan Chalom
Easily getting there by metro from central Milan, I did a quick overview in about 4 hours. One could easily spend days exploring. 272 acres of Futuristic Pavilions from over 140 countries offering their solutions of how we will be able to feed a future of 9 billion people without destroying our planet.
©Susan Chalom
Examples of urban farming, sustainability and recycled materials throughout as well as creative exhibitions of regional cuisines. The focus on food and agriculture was particularly interesting to me as my first career as a commodities trader brought me all over the world checking out soybean farms, sugar and coffee plantations and potato fields.
I was fortunate enough to take a VIP tour of the American pavilion;a collaboration with the James Beard Foundation and about 60 million in private funding. There is a spectacular vertical farm with lots of green veggies and herbs on one side of the Pavilion.. and one can also get a tasting of American food with the cool fleet of food trucks featuring lobster rolls, Po’boys , burgers as well as a rooftop cocktail bar with beautiful views overlooking the fair.
There are creative videos and discussions addressing the increasing American obesity epidemic as well as the place of GMO's, the increasing challenge of feeding the world and how American Cuisine has emerged as a constantly evolving melting pot.
©Susan Chalom
Even the smallest of countries were impressively represented and it was good to see the collective consciousness and even more fun tasting all the regional foods. As to be expected there was no shortage of 'healthy" Italian Gelato!
