TED Community » Susan Gregory

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Food! It's not just about eating food, it's about knowing where it comes from, how it's made, its nutritional values and how we can all eat better, very easily.

An idea worth spreading

Computers are ruining social skills and reducing efficiency. Low tech offices have become more efficient than their hi tech counterparts. In addition, they maintain happier workers who talk to each other and get things done much faster. Think about it...!

Talk to me about

All things food,

People don't know that I'm good at

I'm really good at looking at organisations and identifying ways to improve their business. I'm also good at cake decorating (yes really!), trekking up mountains and tennis.

Comments

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• A comment on Conversation: How would designs in natural resource consumption change by adapting Rogier's LED strategy of lighting necessity while preserving darkness?

  Mar 23 2011: I agree with Debra. if every office block and every home worldwide had movement sensitive lights, we would save an enormous amount of energy during non-working hours. Short and simple but very effective. Why isn't it already a pre-requisite - particularly for offices and new homes?

• A reply on Conversation: What's the overlooked gem, the book I haven't read that I must?

  Feb 17 2011: I'll second 'The Goal' by Eliyahu Goldratt. I read this as an undergrad doing a placement at a big tyre company. Suddenly everything made sense and it's such a simple and interesting read.

• A comment on Conversation: What's the overlooked gem, the book I haven't read that I must?

  Feb 17 2011: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
  Possibly a little bit too 'light' for this forum but a definite must read
• +6

  A comment on Talk: Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

  Jun 15 2010: For many years, I've done 'the right thing' and followed a safe education and career path. I've been pretty successful but never felt inspired by what I did.
  I chucked it all in at the end of last year to follow my passion for good food - something that I've wanted to do since I was 16. A lot of people thought I was very foolish (and hungry!)
  It's a long journey but I'm trusting that the dots are going to join up. It's good to hear from someone like Steve Jobs that passion counts just as much, or even more, than exams.

• A comment on Talk: Richard Sears: Planning for the end of oil

  May 27 2010: On the one hand I like the idea of evolving oil into something that never runs out and is clean and efficient. On the other hand, I'm conscious that being ex-Shell, Mr Sears, who clearly knows his stuff, is highly likely to have a vested interest in the future of oil or oil derivatives.
  
  The most powerful energy source in the world is the sun and there are parts of the world that have 365 days worth each year that all go to waste. Why are we so slow in finding ways to harness and transport this 'free' energy?
  
  I was once told by an 'oily' that progress is slowed by the fact that solar energy won't be so profitable for the big corporations and the stock market might implode as profits and share prices drop. Who's the caveman now? !

• A reply on Talk: Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

  Feb 16 2010: How do you make people eat more 'real' food? Here's some ideas:
  1) Force supermarkets to reduce their [inflated] profit margins on fruit and vegetables and increase the tax on processed foods
  2) Educate people on how to make meals for less; rice/potatoes/barley etc are all cheap staples which can bulk up meals
  3) Buy one less pair of branded trainers (or electrical goods) per year. Our food spend has decreased from 33% of our disposable income to just 15% in the last 50 years. Let's get it back to 20%
  My concern is that this is a cigarette issue i.e. people know it's bad for them but they still smoke. Hopefully, by targeting children (to influence their families), we can make things better.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities

  Nov 2 2009: UK consumers have reduced their spend on food from 20% of their disposable income to just 11% over the past 20 years. They choose to spend more on things like trainers, electricals and cars. They have been trained by supermarkets to spend the least possible on food and will fill their baskets with buy one get one free offers on ready meals with little thought on the impact of their actions on the future.
  As long as it's cheaper to source green beans from Kenya than from the farm down the road, supermarkets [and consumers] will not change their ways.
  If we could all get 3 people to understand that it's cheaper and tastier to cook with raw materials rather than prepacked foods and encourage them to consume local, seasonal produce, we might start to see change happen