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What we eat is not only important for personal well-being and health; it is also of relevance for the demands we make on our ecosystems, including the climate, at local and global scales, and for the total carbon footprint that results from the production, packaging, and transportation of the food we consume. Moreover, whether we opt for organic or genetically engineered/modified food also raises ethical questions.
Self-check
Understand your carbon emissions while putting together your meals
Directions
- Go to the Eat Low Carbon Calculator and evaluate how your food choices contribute to carbon emissions and climate change.
- Go to “Make your own meal” and explore the implications of your choices (e.g. beef versus turkey, seasonal and regional versus all-year-round and tropical).
- Put together your favorite meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and see what the total CO2e points are.
- Then, understand what adjustments would be necessary so that the ‘carbonometer’ stays within the orange range.
- What geographic decisions will contribute to low carbon food choices? Remember, the points are a tool to compare the relative impact of food choices (see window below).
What does a "point" represent? Points are a tool to compare the relative impact of food choices. One point equals one gram (g), or .035 oz, of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e) of greenhouse gases. A 2,000 point meal item, then, equals 4.4 pounds of CO2e.
What is CO2e? CO2e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, which is an internationally accepted measure that expresses the amount of global warming from greenhouse gases. CO2e is not limited to carbon dioxide but also includes other greenhouse gases such as methane.
- What geographic decisions will contribute to low carbon food choices? Remember, the points are a tool to compare the relative impact of food choices (see window below).
Self-check
Be aware of genetically-engineered (GE) ingredients in the food you consume
Directions
- Create an Excel table where you designate one first column under which you will list what products you consume, each item on a separate row;
- Add five more columns to your Excel table: brand, likely GE ingredient in 2008, GE-free in 2008, and current or completed biotech field trials;
- Go to The Center for Food Safety.
- Click on "Shopper’s Guide" and look up the information you need for your table and mark with “x” in the right column: Center for Food Safety.
- Check if these products you consume fall under biotech field trials: http://truefoodnow.net/crop/pipeline_rdintro.html. Broken Link.
NOTE: Remember, GE labeling is not required in the United States. So, your list will be your best estimate!
Genetic Engineering
Genetic Engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms. The segments of DNA that have been associated with specific features or functions of an organism are called genes. Genetic engineers build vectors with incorporated genes of their choosing and insert these genes into DNA of living organisms.
Breeding to improve crop quality and yields has been used for hundreds and thousands of years. In the 1960s, the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines was the first to manage to breed NEW strains of rice that doubled yields. This was the beginning of the green revolution.
Norman Ernest Borlaug (1914 –2009), an American agronomist, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his key role in the Green Revolution and reducing world hunger.
However, it was only in 1972 that Paul Berg, a biochemist from the University of Stanford, discovered how to join together DNA from two different organisms, creating the first recombinant DNA molecule.
This was the beginning of the genetic revolution.
In 1981, Monsanto, at that time producing primarily herbicides for farming, developed its own biotechnology division. Two years later, the first genetically modified (GM) plant, a tobacco plant resistant to the antibiotic kanamycin, was produced. In 1994, the first GM food entered the US market: the Flavr-Savr Tomato!
GM Labeling
Since the beginning, there have been serious concerns about the safety of GM food. Some countries require strict labeling of any biotech food while others don’t. Some countries have full or partial bans regarding the import or cultivation of GM crops and food. See the map on this web page: http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/news/projects/biotech/imgs/grfx_c5_2.gif. Broken Link.
Reading Assignment
The most heated debates have been occurring in Africa where countries suffering foot shortages haven on several occasions, rejected both food aid that includes or may include GM food and investments in high-yielding varieties that include terminator seeds.
Read the following article “Africa Must Resist Terminator Technologies,” written by Sielani Tsiko (Zimbabwe) in March 2008, and understand the main arguments.
To View
View the first 30 minutes of a film called "The Future of Food." You can watch the whole thing if you like, but only the first 30 minutes will be testable material. "The Future of Food" goes into greater depth about the concerns surrounding genetically modified foods, specifically Round-up Ready crops and the ethical concerns surounding the patenting of life. After watching the film, take a look at the Get Involved website to further educate yourself about the issues discussed in the film and see what actions you can take to make sure the food you eat is safe.
How to obtain the video:
- Check out your local library. In the U.S. you can check out a copy of "The Future of Food" at many local public or university libraries.
- View the movie via the Hulu movie website.
- Rent. You can also rent "The Future of Food" from Netflix or other rental stores.
- Download. Download the full-length Windows Media file for $5.
- Purchase. Purchase the DVD for $10.
Self-check
Calculate your carbon footprint
Directions
There are more and more sites and businesses that promote low carbon footprints. The way to start is to assess your individual footprint and decide what best actions you could take to reduce it.
The carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by an entity (a person, an organization, a product, or an event).
So, here is one way of approaching it:
- Go to the US-based EcoHatchery site and calculate your carbon footprint.
- Then, go to Carbon Footprint (another good site, based in the UK) and use the calculator there.
- Compare the results. Then, explore the two sites for the following:
- how you can improve your energy efficiency at home and at work to reduce your carbon footprint, and
- how you could offset your carbon emissions.