Response to: Globalization to Sustainable Development by Rachel
Rachel discusses globalization of the food system in reference to the chocolate contemplative practice. This made me think about where the other foods I eat come from, and
I had no idea. The image to the left demonstrates the idea that foods come from all over the world, you can see that many crops Americans eat regularly are not even grown in our country.
The idea of switching from a globalized food system to a localized agricultural system to decrease climate change was brought up in Rachel’s Article. I wanted to further explore this topic and the benefits of buying from local farmers/businesses. According to Lori Starling from One Green Planet, if you buy foods from local markets you’ll gain access to fresher food that have less packaging and took less transport time, therefore having a much lower carbon footprint than buying from the supermarket. In addition, it allows you to connect with the people involved in your foods development so you can ask all the necessary questions and have an expert there to help you make your decision.
But how do we get people to start buying local foods and shopping at farmers markets rather than the grocery store? Environmental education is the answer. Environmental education is important because it builds a basis of knowledge, understanding, appreciation, and sensitivity towards the environment. These perspectives
are important in allowing individuals to develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues. Though, it’s not just explaining environmental mechanisms; it’s building a relationship with nature so that informed personal decisions can be made to protect the planet (EPA).
So in conclusion, a localized food system can be very beneficial for the environment, but to get to a point where people are willingly buying local foods, environmental education needs to be improved.
