How a story about tortilla chips tells a story about climate change

And will we ever have a sustainable tortilla chip?

If your goal is to tell scientific / technical stories that connect with people, give a listen to the podcast episode referenced below. Note how only a handful of statistics are mentioned, with the majority of time spent in storytelling mode, describing the processes, the problems, and potential solutions in a way that the general public can understand.

One thing you know about me is that I have a passion for the art and craft of telling personal stories. You may also know that I'm interested in (and deeply worried about) the effects of climate change. But something you might not know is that I have a thing for tortilla chips. I'm certain it's due to having grown up in Southern California, just a short ride from the Mexican border. And while I do try (with moderate success) to eat a healthy diet, I am of the opinion that tortilla chips constitute their own food group.

When properly made, there’s a distinctive sweetness to the corn that’s brought to life by a sprinkle of salt; a perfect complement to the chip's earthy, nutty, mineral flavors. And when they’re fried to perfection, there's a toastiness that develops along the edge where the corn has caramelized slightly. But I digress, back to the point of this post...

Storytelling and climate change go hand in hand, of course, but I never imagined that the glorious tortilla chip would somehow be the lead character in one such narrative. That came to pass on a recent transatlantic flight as I popped in my headphones and played a recent episode of a favorite podcast: TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate).

Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, I recommend TILclimate quite often as host Laur Hesse Fisher has a way of exploring climate change issues through a storytelling lens. This episode, Farm to table, with a side of fossil fuels, was about how our food system depends on fossil fuels, with tortilla chips in a starring role. We tend to lose sight of the fact that even simple things have a complex story.

"The way we grow and distribute food today is deeply dependent on fossil fuels, yet that dependence can feel invisible. Sustainable food systems researcher Prof. Jennifer Clapp joins the show to walk us through all the ways fossil fuels are used to produce one simple food item: a tortilla chip. Along the way, we’ll explore the hard work being done to eliminate climate pollution from the food we eat."

A tortilla chip’s journey from farm to store involves a number of steps, each of which requires (at this point in time) some type of fossil fuel:

• Farm machines plow the fields, spread fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides

• Harvesting corn utilizes a variety of machines, such as combine harvesters

• After it’s dried, the corn heads off to factories for soaking and simmering

• The masa is shaped, then baked or fried, and finally put into plastic bags

The story of fertilizer is a narrative unto itself, as according to Jennifer, “fertilizer use is probably the biggest use of fossil energy when we’re talking about growing corn” and we often overlook the fact that it wasn’t until the 1950s that synthetic fertilizers became widely adopted. The upside of using fertilizers is that the world can grow more food, but the downside is that the process of making it requires a lot of fossil fuel. (and the overuse of fertilizer is yet another story unto itself)

Is it possible to make tortilla chips without fossil fuels?

Well, that’s not something we’ll achieve in the near future, at least not at scale, but there are a number of steps where technology is being used to move the needle in a positive direction, from electrifying farm and factory machinery to using renewable energy in the drying barns, introducing digital technology that can analyze the soil, and using "slow release" fertilizers.

Now back to you…

Whatever your technical / scientific topic, think about how to move beyond the data, illustrating the processes, problems, and potential solutions in a way that an average person can understand. In this case, the next time you bite into a crispy tortilla chip — or grab any other food item — maybe you’ll pause to think about the journey it’s been on from the field to your table. How can you tell your story so that it resonates with your audience in a more visceral way?

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Note: having helped hundreds of people tell impactful personal stories, I’ve seen firsthand how narratives from the heart can change lives. While this newsletter is offered for free, should you have money burning a hole in your pocket, consider becoming a paid subscriber. That gets you a virtual high-five from me, as well as a discount on my services. Founding members receive a one hour coaching session to develop their story.