Author Archives: Regular Joe

ENVIR 385: One Heck of a Ride

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In order to understand the world food system, we need examine it through the lens of systems theory; the interdisciplinary study of systems. In the videos from Complexity Academy we were introduced to concepts like nonlinear systems, earth systems, and resilience thinking as well as the differences between mechanical and living systems. These are critical concepts in understanding how the global food system is organized and how the various parts interact with one another through positive and negative feedback loops.

I was able to interact with the food system through my group action project working with the Center for Food Safety. Our group developed a social media campaign, legislative toolkit, petition, and wrote letters to the editors of multiple local papers in order to raise awareness regarding the dangers of Washington state dairy CAFOs. These kinds of campaigns take time to develop and timing is very important. Because of COVID-19 and the recent death of George Floyd, the media climate and public zeitgeist limited our ability to message effectively. Even though our real-world impact was minimal, I found the experience to be valuable because it allowed me to engage with our course material in ways that would not have been possible otherwise.

When viewing my action project through the lens of our class material we can see the negative effects that factory farming cause to the larger earth system as well as its negative ecological and social justice impacts. In Washington state over 260,000 adult dairy cattle generate more than 26 million pounds of manure daily. CAFOs are prevalent in communities surrounding the Puget Sound, with 400+ unlined manure lagoons near waters that feed into the Sound. About 35% of all Washington dairy cows are located in a 280-square-mile area in Yakima County, equating to a city of 2.3 million people without any sewage treatment (CFS).

CAFOs are externalizing public health and environmental costs to the public, including the costs of contaminated drinking water and the subsequent health impacts. The cost of fixing nitrate pollution of drinking water can run into the millions of dollars and the costs to fix them are borne, in part, by local residents. The average cost of water to avoid contaminated tap water exceeds affordability thresholds, and disproportionately affect low-income and Spanish-speaking residents (CFS).

My action project allowed me to develop some important tools that I can use to explore complicated topics about our world food system. It also helped me learn how to ask the right kinds questions.

Is This Hunger?

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Sitting in the last bits of daylight, eyes closed, I calmly take deep breaths. Slowly inhaling through my nose, exhaling through my mouth. I’m concentrating on the emptiness inside of me, I’ve been fasting for almost 24 hours. Is this hunger I think to myself? No, it is not, being hungry means more than just missing a meal. It’s a debilitating crisis that has more than 820 million people in its grip.

Hunger is a perilous cycle that passes from one generation to the next. Families who struggle with chronic hunger and malnutrition consistently go without the nutrients their minds and bodies need, which then prevents them from being able to perform their best at work, school, or to improve their lives.

So why are people hungry? This is a complex question, but hunger is a byproduct of food insecurity, which is defined as being “unable to consistently access or afford adequate food.” A number of factors such as poverty, climate change, price fluctuations, distribution networks, and food waste all play a role in food insecurity. There is no silver-bullet solution and each region or community needs its own tailored fix. Though many agree that closing the yield gap, using fertilizers more efficiently, raising low water productivity, and reducing food waste would all go a long way in helping to reduce food insecurity.

Suddenly my mind begins spinning, my breathing hastens. This problem seems so overwhelming, what am I a poor student suppose do about this? I slow my breathing and say to myself “you don’t have to be responsible for solving the world’s problems but taking a moment to contemplate and be mindful is at least a step in the right direction.” Contemplative practices can be helpful in metaphorically dipping your toe into complex problems. They allow you to examine your place within a living system while not overly internalizing it.

Today’s Special: Grilled Salmon Laced with Plastic

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A lot of plastic garbage inevitably ends up in our waterways and oceans. Bottle caps, toys, plastic bags, and jugs are just some of the things that get washed into our oceans. But these aren’t the only source of oceanic plastic trash. Consumer products like toothpaste and facewash contain plastic microbeads that are used to provide scrubbing power, but they are too tiny to be filtered out by water treatment plants after they’re washed down the drain. Salmon and other creatures than feed on these microplastics by mistaking it for food or by feeding on zooplankton that have eaten the plastic.

Researchers once thought that microplastics ingested by fish remained in their guts. Removing their entrails before serving appeared to eliminate the risk of eating plastic. But new research is beginning to suggest that these tiny bits of plastic might actually move into fish flesh.

Plastic is now part of our food system and seafood is the third largest contributor of chemical-laden microplastics. What consuming all this plastic means for human health is hard to say, but it’s probably not good. Persistent chemicals like PCB’s and other contaminants in our waterways glom onto particle surfaces and carry endocrine-disrupting bisphenols, phthalates, and other toxic additives.

So, who is responsible and what can we do about it? These are not easy questions to answer but some of the things we can do is stop using products that contain plastic microbeads. Encourage governments to ban the sale of products that contain microbeads. Promote plastic take-back programs for plastics that are currently not recyclable. Use reusable bags and containers, not throwaways.

It remains to be seen whether or not we will successful wean ourselves off of disposable plastics but it’s a problem we should make every effort to combat.

Sources:

Article: https://thefern.org/2019/09/todays-special-grilled-salmon-laced-with-plastic/

Image: https://www.multipure.com/purely-social/science/dangers-microplastics-drinking-water/