Newsweek - USA (2019-08-09)

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38 NEWSWEEK.COM AUGUST 09, 2019

MOONSHOTS

in celebration of the 50th anniversary of nasa

astronauts landing on the moon, Newsweek is spotlighting

pioneers in science and technology, highlighting their very own

“moonshots” and how they hope to change the world.

James Rogers is the founder and CEO of Apeel Sciences, a

start-up fighting world hunger by producing an edible fruit

coating made from natural plant materials. Roughly one-third of

food produced in the world is wasted every year. Apeel’s coating

allows produce to last twice as long, promoting sustainable grow-

ing practices and better quality food and reducing food waste.

What is your moonshot?

We’re trying to build a world that works with nature, not against

nature. Rather than creating new chemicals that the world has

never seen before, and winding up with [new] problems, we are

looking into the natural world and identifying materials that

nature has been using for billions of years.

What is the big problem you’re trying to solve?

The most resource intensive activity on this planet is feeding peo-

ple. We waste an incredible amount of food; to grow it, we use 70

percent of our fresh water, about a quarter of our greenhouse gas

emissions and about five billion pounds

of pesticides annually. Yet, somewhere

between a third and a half of what we

grow ends up in a landfill. By throwing

away less, we’ll be able to feed the popula-

tion in 2050 without growing more food.

BY

MAYA PAGE &

LAUREN BARRETT

A Forever

Strawberry

James Rogers is creating a natural fruit

coating that will double the shelf life of

fruits and vegetables, helping alleviate

problems of food waste and world hunger