UNLEASH 2017 — “Before” Post
Who I am: My name is Edward Odgers. I am a full-time MBA student, studying at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. Prior to enrolling in the full-time MBA program, I worked for 8 years in the Construction Industry as a Project Manager — based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Where I’m from: I am an American citizen — I grew up on the east coast of the United States in a small town in the state of North Carolina. For my undergraduate degree, I majored in Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to moving to Barcelona to pursue an MBA degree, I had been living in Honolulu, Hawaii — which, is where I consider home for now.
Passion relating to the SDGs: I believe it to be fairly obvious, given the context of an increasing global population and decreasing resources, that measures need to be implemented to change the course of the way in which we humans exist on this planet. Some speculate the global population will reach 9 billion inhabitants by 2050. With clear signs of limited (and shrinking) resources, we must change our behaviors if our children and their children are to have an opportunity to live and thrive in a world with stable ecosystems. As such, searching for and creating innovative ways to change the habits of our daily lives and to create more sustainable lifestyles should positively affect hundreds of millions of people. How could anyone ignore the potential for such large-scale societal improvements?
For my more immediate interests, having lived in the Hawaiian Islands, a remote location that imports approximately 90% of its produce from external sources, I have been exposed to some of the imminent dangers and risks associated when a region/area is food dependent on imports. When this concern is coupled with additional concerns of a growing population and limited resources, then the same concern of food dependency that the islands face today will be amplified in the near future. The Hawaiian Islands have not yet implemented innovative methods (be it farming or harvesting) to generate larger volumes of produce within the island chain that will reduce the food dependency on imports. As aforementioned, I believe that if this problem remains unresolved, then it will continue to grow and will be a significant threat to the food security of the population. As such, I am personally interested in contributing innovative solutions to the Hawaiian Islands that will increase the capacity of food independence, and I am hopeful that the UNLEASH experience will be a catalyst that may trigger some ideas that will do so.
What you wish to achieve at UNLEASH: At UNLEASH, I am looking forward to working with motivated individuals who are interested in creating and implementing projects that serve to benefit social causes. I am hopeful that I will be able to connect with like-minded individuals who are genuinely interested in challenging developing innovative solutions that will address issues related to both food scarcity and urban sustainability & development.
More than anything, I’m hopeful that I will have an opportunity to learn from the other talents, speakers and contributors that will be participating in the program. I intend to enter the experience with an open mind, open eyes and a collaborative spirit. Let’s challenge ourselves and each other so that we are able to generate the best possible ideas to present not only to our peers, but also to the investors and experts.
