FOOD & THE ENVIRONMENT

If you choose this category to investigate, you could explore the ways in which food production and consumption are related to Global Change issues like climate change and deforestation.   The links below are a starting place to give you some background in the many issues involved.

If you want to learn more details about the food industry and how food and climate change are linked, you may find the following additional video and transcript of an interview with Michael Pollan interesting.  Pollan is a Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley and in this interview discusses what direction the U.S. should pursue in the often-overlooked question of food policy. He is author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.

Bill Moyers' Interview with Michael Pollan

If you want to recommend a consumer choice or product based on the question you pose or criteria that you devise here are some suggestions:

  • Calculate your Ecological Footprint (or use one of many other ecological or carbon footprints you can find on the web) and focus on the FOOD part of the calculator to learn how different food choices enter in to carbon emissions, and/or energy use.  You can also find information about the the carbon or carbon dioxide emissions linked to different food production, transport, and choices by researching on the web (see Food and Carbon Footprint links below).  Then select different food products and rate them according to criteria that you devise, one of which is carbon footprint or CO2 contribution.
     

  • Meal comparison:  By doing some "window shopping" and label-looking  in food stores (or farmer's markets) contrast  the  cost, carbon impact, etc. of  the food on the menu of 2 or 3 different types of "imaginary" Thanksgiving Day meals, e.g.: organic vs. non-organic food choices, local-vs. global-origin food choices, vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian food choices, etc.   Then make you recommendation for the best way to put together a " global change .friendly" dinner menu.
     

  • Store comparison:  Peruse several different types of food stores in town and find out how easy or difficult it is to find food products of a specific type.  You could set up criteria based on brand selection, origin of product, organic, fair trade, cost, freshness, etc. etc. 
      -- You could even map out the store locations and determine the carbon footprint of traveling all over town to different stores to get the best deal!  For an example, see this map that  Dr H produced of all the different stores she shops at!
     

  • Fast food or restaurant comparison:  Survey menus or websites of different restaurants to try to find out where their food comes from and rank them according to criteria you develop about this issue.
     

  • Chocolate or coffee product comparison:  Both chocolate and coffee are products of the tropical rainforests of the world, and hence their production is often intertwined with the issue of deforestation and climate change (see some of the links below).  Other issues surrounding these products are their designation as organic, shade tree, fair trade, and/ or "slave-free."  Compare the price and availability of "big name" brands of these products with brands that are organic, shade-tree, fair trade, etc. Rate the choices according to criteria that are important to you and make a recommendation.
     

  • Other: there are many, many other possibilities of doing a product comparison or a rating involving food products -- feel free to explore and creatively devise your own!    Dr. H will be happy to discuss any ideas that you may have beyond those listed above.

DATA & INFORMATION COLLECTION

Spend some extended time scanning through the LINKS below to see what kind of data and information are available on the web to help you decide what kind of food rating you want to do: 
  SOME LINKS for CONNECTING YOUR FOOD CHOICES & GLOBAL CHANGE 

 

BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITY:  Do a bit of field work and interview one or more people involved in the food / restaurant industry and find out whether climate change, carbon "food-prints" or sustainability are addressed in any way in their business.  Comparing the different eateries in the Student Union would be a neat exercise! 

 

OR . . Interview one or more of the UA students involved in the ASUA "Garden in the Desert" project which creates and helps build community gardens around campus. see: http://uanews.org/node/42387   Full bonus points if you get involved yourself and write about your experience!

Then document and explain what you did in a report, slide or video  about what (if anything) you learned by talking with those working in the industry or trying to promote food sustainability through community gardens.  [NOTE:  this bonus activity may be done with one or more other students in the class.  Each student needs to write up his/her OWN unique message and post it. If you worked with others, be sure you list their name(s).]
                      


  SOME LINKS for CONNECTING YOUR FOOD CHOICES & GLOBAL CHANGE -- There are many other websites addressing this topic -- use these as a starting place!

General:

Chocolate or Coffee

Food & Carbon Footprints

Organic Food & Eating Locally Grown Foods

Climate Change and Food