Interview with Mr. Arnott Duncan, owner of Duncan Family Farms, Inc.

Arnott Duncan is the owner of Duncan Family Farms. Farming runs in Arnott’s veins. He is a third generation farmer who has developed a deep connect to his local economy. However, interacting with Arizona food systems is not his only goal. Arnott also is actively engaged with educating the community about local produce. His farm provided U-Pick opportunities to the local community to provide people with in engaging experience toward food. The many years Arnott spent in the food industry has taught him that food, family, and community change the way we think but what we choose to do with that makes the difference in how we shape the world.

Businesses, as with other sectors in society, are not yet taking sufficient action towards achieving sustainability. The United Nations recently agreed upon a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which if properly harnessed, provide a framework (so far lacking) for businesses to meaningfully drive transformations to sustainability. This paper proposes to operationalize the SDGs for businesses through a progressive framework for action with three discrete levels: communication, tactical, and strategic. Within the tactical and strategic levels, several innovative approaches are discussed and illustrated. The challenges of design and measurement as well as opportunities for accountability and the social side of Sustainability, together call for transdisciplinary, collective action. This paper demonstrates feasible pathways and approaches for businesses to take corporate social responsibility to the next level and utilize the SDG framework informed by sustainability science to support transformations towards the achievement of sustainability.

Joan McGregor is a professor of philosophy in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at ASU as well as an adjunct professor in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Approaching the issue of food sustainability through ethics, Joan offers a unique perspective on the idea of food systems. She believes by looking at the ethics of food systems people move beyond seeing sustainability as a scientific problem and address the problem as a manageable part of their everyday lives. In the development of Dinner 2040 with her team Joan sought to make the food systems about the people directly affected by the food crisis. Though she believes there is no overnight solution, she does believe that the forum that Dinner 2040 provides begins the process of thinking about local solutions.

Cindy Gentry is the Food Systems coordinator at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Growing up in a working class family, Cindy became aware of the food access crisis in the U.S. at a young age. Since then she has been involved in several social justice organizations to combat this issue including the Food Bank Association and the Community Food Security Coalition. She was also one of the first activists working to bring farmers’ markets to Maricopa County. Cindy’s work has focused on bringing an accessible local food economy to those in need. She continues to focus on the education of the public and programs to help the less fortunate have access to fresh local food.

Interview with J.D. Hill, co-founder of Recycled City

J.D. Hill is the co-founder of Recycled City LLC a business devoted to building a revolving relationship within the local food economy by limiting food waste. His business provides materials to create compost out of waste materials for residential customers and business. J.D.’s goals with his business are to inspire the community to participate in their local food economy, promote activism, focus on building farm land, and encourage a green economy in the Valley area. He is an ASU grad with degrees from the School of Sustainability and the W.P. Carey School of Business. This knowledge has shaped his view toward the ability of green businesses to flourish in the Phoenix area.

Interview with Natalie Morris, Adjunct Faculty - Sustainable Food Systems Program, Mesa Community College


Natalie Morris is an instructor at Mesa Community College School of Sustainability and a promoter of Local First Arizona. She uses her deep love of food that she developed at a young age to develop a career around food systems. Experiences both in culinary school and her travels abroad helped Natalie to develop a passion for local food systems and education. One of her biggest projects to achieve this goal was Truck Farm Arizona, a mobile farm focused on the experience, education, and message of hope to under privileged youth. This project helped to show the next generation the importance and possibilities of growing local produce. Natalie also took her positive attitude to help Good Food Finder, now merging with Local First Arizona, to help connect the community, farmers, and local businesses to create a local food economy that promotes sustainability. Natalie’s focus goes beyond the classroom as she seeks to educate her community, focus on sustainability on a day to day level, and actively seek to grow Arizona’s local food systems.