It's true that many environmental issues aren't immediately noticeable as we go about out daily lives. However this week our discussion turns to something that consumes our attention two, three, or more times a day - the food we eat. Food and the environment are inextricably connected, and we will be answering two important questions pertaining to our thoughts on this connection:
1. What, exactly, goes through our heads when we make food choices at a market or restaurant? Do we have environmental considerations in mind when we are deciding what we are going to eat? Or do we think about other stuff?
2. We will take a few moments to consider everything we've eaten in the last day or two. Of the food or beverage items we've consumed, which, in our estimation, has had the greatest environmental impact? Why?
This is a fascinating topic and one that guarantees there will be a wide variety of opinions, answers, and lifestyle choices. Like always, click "comments" to see the discussion!
Quote of the week:
"Your descendants shall gather your fruits."
- Virgil
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1) When I go food shopping each week I generally have a list that I mainly stick to but adjust depending on sale prices of items both on and off my list. I shop both at generic SuperFresh and occasionally at a Wholefoods or farmers market. The reasons I choose these places are wholly on account of their location and not their goods. I don't have a car and have to carry the food at least a mile, those stores are closest to me. I work full time in the summer and part time during the school year to be able to feed and shelter myself and I like to think I'm pretty responsible with that money. Organic and local produce is on my mind when I shop but in the end to tomato that costs the least is probably the tomato I'm taking home. I'm a vegetarian and 80% of the food I buy is from the periphery aisles of the store-the produce and refrigerated stuff. These foods have to travel to the store in a refrigerated vehicle regardless of their origin. I just went and checked my food labels, here are the results:
ReplyDeleteCarrots-NJ
Eggs-MD
Spinach-NJ
Strawberries-CA
Apples-NY
California is a bit of a stretch but the other commutes weren't bad. Certainly not the best and when I think of my mom and dad and how very little impact their food has I feel a little guilty. But the way in which our food system is set up I have little alternative, I don't have enough money to buy organic and locally grown foods or even better I don't have the time or resources to grow my own stuff. I have confidence that some day I will but I'm not there yet.
2)Not sure about this. Perhaps the tuna fish sandwich from subway I had on monday? No idea how the fish was caught, the wheat for the bread had to be produced as well as all the vegetables on the sandwich. Then there is the paper and plastic wrappings. But then again maybe those strawberries from California in my fridge wreak more havoc. No one informs the consumer of these facts so it's hard to determine.
When I’m making food choices at a grocery store or restaurant there are only three things I consider: nutrition, money, and convenience/time. When I try to plan which meals I’m going to make or order I try to have somewhat of a nutritional balance among carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, protein, etc. Also, money is a big consideration for myself and most consumers, especially poor college students. Do I particularly DISLIKE or am I particularly against organic food? Of course not. But, as a very price conscious consumer going to school full time working as an unpaid intern, I simply do not have the money to buy organic food. If it were to be the same (or very close to the same) price as non-organic food, then I would certainly purchase organic food. In addition, the amount of time food takes to prepare is a huge factor in my food decisions. As our lives become more and more busy and we have more and more on our plates (pun intended!), our time become more and more valuable. I have a hard enough time trying to schedule in three, even two, meals a day into my life, let alone trying to find 2-3 hours to prepare food for myself. Honestly, until I took this class I didn’t even take the environment into consideration regarding the actual food that I eat. I never thought about the energy and resources that go into raising the livestock or anything. I do, however, consider the environment when it comes to the packaging of the food I eat. If I’m buying a beverage, I’ll get something in a glass bottle over a plastic bottle, for instance.
ReplyDeleteThe beverage I’ve consumed this week that’s had the most environmental impact would probably be my Starbuck’s coffee. Despite Starbuck’s recent promotion of being an “environmentally-friendly” business, it has an enormous environmental impact both directly and indirectly. By supporting Starbuck’s through consumption of their product, it promotes the growth of one of the already fastest growing companies in the world. Expansion translates into more resource and land use. Since Starbuck’s presence is felt all over the world, the energy used and pollution produced through shipping and producing Starbucks’ products is very significant.
I think the first question is interesting. Do I think about the environmental impact of the food I eat? Well, no, I don't. I think hmmm, what am I in the mood for. What types of food have I already had this week and what is closest and most available to me. Also, when in a restaurant I think, hmm what is something TDR doesn't have? So there is absolutely no consideration what so ever except when in TDR they have eat local challenge day which about twice a semester. I rarely go shopping because I don't have time to cook so I don't choose my food either.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the food I have eaten considering I didn't make any of it I don't know much about the location from which it is coming, but it is a toss up between the bacon cheeseburger of Tavern and my meal at Chicken Out. I think Chicken Out wins because I took the shuttle and got the "feast of four" for three people which included a whole chicken, two large sides (mashed potatoes and mac and cheese) plus bread and a fountain soda, which probably was transported on a big truck from the factory. Also, we had styrofoam plates and plastic utensils= big ut-oh!
When it comes to shopping or picking out what I am going to eat, I have to agree with Mary and Laura. In really other posts, I notice that common themes seem to be that we choose what is most convenient to us at the time and what is most convenient for our wallets. Like many of us, I am on a student’s budget so basically I buy what is on sale and I shop at the places closest too me. I guess it’s good that the places we get our food aren’t far away or we use virtually impact-free ways of getting there (walking), but I am willing to bet that the food we eat and buy has come from a lot farther away. I think that this issue is similar to Bill McKibben’s argument about having only one child, in that when you think about it, our choices can lead to drastically different environmental impacts, but how many children we have and indeed what food we buy are not things we normally think about in environmental terms.
ReplyDeleteI guess I don’t really know the most environmentally damaging thing I have had to eat recently because I don’t really pay attention when I am shopping, but I would have to say probably my Chipotle burrito. I think so just because there are a lot of ingredients that go into one of those little tin-foil packages from heaven and probably a lot of them had to be refrigerated during transport to keep them fresh.
Unfortunately I must join the majority crowd here and admit that I rarely think about the source of my food. On a student's budget and resources, it often comes down to what is both closest and cheapest. I am often tempted to purchase food labeled as organic or "cruelty free" or local, but do not value these things as much as I value the lower price tag on less environmentally friendly options. At restaurants it's a little easier, as the meat-free options are usually cheaper and I tend to go with those, but the trade off is even less control over where the food comes from.
ReplyDeleteWhere my food comes from, to be honest, is something I almost never think about. When we completed the online carbon footprint exercise near the beginning of the semester, my food choices increased my footprint more than any other individual factor. The combination of food having to be shipped over vast distances, and the amount of land and energy it takes to raise and slaughter meat was astonishing.
However even after completing this exercise I cannot say my habits changed very much. Like others, convenience (and often necessity) take the place of environmentalism in my daily routines. Over the past day or two my eating habits have been slightly better, likely because I had this exercise in mind.
Oftentimes most of my major meals will be on campus. The on-campus food management company, Bon Appetit, is fairly good about ensuring food is local. I worked with them closely last semester when a class I was taking did a study on whether removing trays from the cafeteria would decrease food waste. It was a great opportunity to really learn about Bon Appetit's sustainability practices. Because of them, I can say that most of my food is grown "locally", although by their definition it can then come from as far away as West Virginia. While this is a bit better than those strawberries from California, I can do better.
I was also proud to purchase food from a farmer's market this past weekend. I bought corn and apples that were grown very close by in Maryland. I also harvested some beans and tomatoes from the community garden on campus, which is about as local as one can get and I encourage all of my classmates to check it out. The worst offender over the past few days for me was likely...and this is scary...Oscar Mayer Bologna. When placing it inside of a sandwich (with some of those oh so local tomatoes), I took the opportunity to read the label a bit. I realized that the vast majority of the ingredients are absolutely unpronounceable. Their origins are mysterious, and I can only imagine how and where they were made, and how this meat was raised. It's not a pretty image. Will I cut down on bologna from now on? I'll try, but its price tag will continue to be tempting.
If everyone in the country changed their eating habits, it would certainly have an impact on the entire world. Will this ever happen? Likely out of necessity, and not choice. Ideally it will be a gradual process, although if steps are not taken to curb some of our more destructive agricultural habits it could happen much more quickly than is comfortable.