Craig Hanson

Global Director, Food, Forests, and Water Programs

Bio

Craig Hanson is the Global Director of Food, Forests & Water at World Resources Institute. In this role, he guides programmatic strategy, catalyzes projects, and ensures a focus on results, financial development, and strong staff capacity. Craig has co-developed a number of leading initiatives, including Global Forest Watch, the Global Restoration Initiative, the Forest Legality Alliance, the Food Loss and Waste Protocol, Champions 12.3, and the Better Buying Lab. He is a co-author of the current World Resources Report, Creating a Sustainable Food Future, and lead author on publications such as The Restoration Diagnostic and the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review.

Prior to becoming a program director, Craig managed the Green Power Market Development Group, a coalition of a dozen Fortune 500 companies that helped pioneer corporate energy markets in the United States. This initiative won a U.S. EPA Innovation Award in 2004.

Craig holds a Master’s in Environmental Change & Management from Oxford University. While at Oxford, he also earned a Master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics with an emphasis on environmental economics while on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Blog Posts

2030 Champions Brings Together Business and Government to Cut US Food Waste
by Craig Hanson - November 17, 2016
The USDA and EPA launched 2030 Champions, a coalition of American businesses committed to reduce food loss and waste in their operations by 50 percent by 2030. Early members include Blue Apron, Campbell's Soup, General Mills and more.
WRI Expert Forum: How Should COP22 Move the Needle on Climate Action?
by Paula Caballero, Joe Thwaites, Craig Hanson and Aniruddha Dasgupta - November 03, 2016
Four of WRI's top experts explain what they're watching for as the UN climate negotiations in Marrakech kick into gear.
Signs of a Growing Movement to Reduce Food Loss and Waste
by Craig Hanson - May 23, 2016
Craig Hanson explains why governments, companies and others are combating food loss and waste for the sake of people and the planet.
Tesco and Others Lend a Helping Hand to Fight Food Waste
by Craig Hanson - April 29, 2016
Most grocery stores throw out bumpy, misshapen fruits and vegetables even though they're just as nutritious as their perfectly shaped brethren. Tesco's "Perfectly Imperfect" program sells this produce at lower prices in an effort to curb food waste.
INSIDER: The Restoration Diagnostic Can Help Bring Commitments into Action on the Ground
by Craig Hanson, Kathleen Buckingham and Sarah Weber - February 23, 2016
Since COP21 in Paris this past December, countries around the globe have committed to bring more than 85 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2020. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 28 million hectares have been...
Champions Call to Reduce Global Food Loss and Waste
by Craig Hanson - January 21, 2016
Champions 12.3, a voluntary coalition of executives from government, business, farmer groups and more, aims to help halve global food waste by 2030 while also reducing food loss.
What’s Food Loss and Waste Got to Do with Climate Change? A Lot, Actually.
by Craig Hanson, Brian Lipinski, Johannes Friedrich, Clementine O'Connor and Keith James - December 11, 2015
While it may not be getting much attention at COP21, food loss and waste plays a huge role in the global climate change battle. Research shows that if food loss and waste were its own country, it would be world’s third-largest emitter!
If Croplands Expand, Where Should They Go?
by Craig Hanson - October 02, 2015
New WRI research finds that in order to help secure a sustainable food future, cropland expansion should be limited to lands with "low environmental opportunity costs."
INSIDER: Responding to Questions about Bioenergy
by Craig Hanson - May 28, 2015
WRI responds to a critique of its working paper, Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land. The paper articulates reasons the world should avoid dedicating land to bioenergy production if it is to sustainably feed the global population in 2050.
Win-win: Reducing Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in China’s Power Sector
by William Hua Wen, Craig Hanson and Lijin Zhong - March 12, 2015
WRI evaluated the climate-water implications of more than 20 generation technologies in China, and found several win-win solutions for its power sector to reduce water impacts and emissions.