Lesson overview |
Food often travels thousands of miles from where it is produced to where it is sold and eaten. You will learn why this is so and consider the advantages and disadvantages. In addition you will critically examine and debate different scales of food distribution (local, regional, national, and global).
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Level 9 Guiding Question: What are the pros and cons of local, regional, national, and global food distribution systems?
Read the following primer on Food Distribution and answer the questions in the form below. Article by: Center for a Livable Future,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore MD 21202. To read click to enlarge.
Level 9 Investigation: How far did your meal travel?
Choose a favorite meal and make a list of up to four main ingredients. For example, a burrito might include cheese, tomatoes, beans, and rice. For each ingredient, plot on the map their best guess (or research it on the Internet) of where each ingredient was produced. If any ingredients come from outside the U.S., students should write the name of the country of origin along the edge of the map. Below is a crowd sourcing map you can make with google "My Maps, Forms and Sheets" view one of the VDOs to find out how.
This is a map of my favorite food the hamburger, the beef is from Montana, tomatoes are from Mexico, the cheese is from Switzerland and find out where the rest of it is from as we add our recipes to this global illustration of where our food comes from! Stay tuned. Click on the markers to see the information about the ingredients.
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Please watch one of the videos above on how to assemble your own food map and then complete the "My Food Map" recipe. When you have created that make a google form for yourself and enter your information. If you need any help with that ask Mr. Delsol. Once your map is finished please do the following; 1. Make it public and post it on your website. 2. Complete the crowdsourcing Google form so that Mr. Delsol can build our class project map. |
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Level 9 Videos: Food Distribution
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Level 9 elaborate: Food miles Greenhouse Gas
What are some of the disadvantages of transporting food long distances? Possible responses include an increase in food miles and greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions. “Eating local” is often promoted as an important way to reduce the climate impact of our diet. What we eat and how food is produced, however, generally has a greater impact on the climate than how far food travels.
Watch and read the above slide presentation and answer the following questions:
1. What percentage of U.S. food system GHG emissions is food distribution responsible for?
2. What does this tell you about the impact of food miles?
3. What can we do to lower the percentages? (hint: diet)
Write your answers on the white boards in the classroom be ready to defend your answers.
1. What percentage of U.S. food system GHG emissions is food distribution responsible for?
2. What does this tell you about the impact of food miles?
3. What can we do to lower the percentages? (hint: diet)
Write your answers on the white boards in the classroom be ready to defend your answers.
Level 9 Review: Scales of Food Distribution
We will be going on a field trip thru the Capay Valley to meet with Capay Organics, Full Belly Farms and Seka Hills Olive Mill to study about Food Distribution. While we are there we will try to get the answers to the following question plus the ones you will craft.
1.What are some benefits of relying on your scale of distribution for all your food needs?
2.What are some potential drawbacks?
3.What kinds of transport vehicles does your scale of distribution rely upon?
4.How do the energy use and GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions compare for these different vehicles? (Direct students to the vehicle emissions/energy use chart in the primer.)
5.How would using your scale of distribution affect the local economy?
6.How would relying on your scale of distribution affect nutritional diversity for your community?
7.Would preserving food (e.g., canning and freezing) make relying on your scale of distribution more feasible?
8.Which scale of food distribution offers the greatest net benefit for your community? For society?
From the answers you get write a report on the scale of food distribution and how do our local farmers cope with their challenges to stay in business. Questions to consider: Do the benefits of transporting food long distances outweigh the costs? Will what you learned today about food distribution change the way you shop or eat? Why or why not?
1.What are some benefits of relying on your scale of distribution for all your food needs?
2.What are some potential drawbacks?
3.What kinds of transport vehicles does your scale of distribution rely upon?
4.How do the energy use and GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions compare for these different vehicles? (Direct students to the vehicle emissions/energy use chart in the primer.)
5.How would using your scale of distribution affect the local economy?
6.How would relying on your scale of distribution affect nutritional diversity for your community?
7.Would preserving food (e.g., canning and freezing) make relying on your scale of distribution more feasible?
8.Which scale of food distribution offers the greatest net benefit for your community? For society?
From the answers you get write a report on the scale of food distribution and how do our local farmers cope with their challenges to stay in business. Questions to consider: Do the benefits of transporting food long distances outweigh the costs? Will what you learned today about food distribution change the way you shop or eat? Why or why not?
Level 9 Summary: Unit Test-Eat Local Challenge
Youwill experiment with eating as much locally grown food as possible for an entire day or week. You will write a reflection about the experience: How difficult was it? Was it possible to eat local all the time? What are the barriers to eating only local food? What foods did you need to add or eliminate from your diet?