Tag Archives: sustainability

Finding the Common Ground Between Defunding the Police and the Transition to Local & Organic Agricultural Practices

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Our police system and the industrial agricultural practices we have in the US are unsustainable, both in nature and in practice. They have no place in the just, peaceful world of the future. The roots of the police system make it an inherently violent institution, as it has developed from a slave catcher system.  A LONG history of criminalizing Black people, in addition to for-profit prisons in the US, broken windows policing in neighborhoods, and over militarized police have culminated in a disturbingly unjust “justice” system. As it currently functions, our justice system results in violence being disproportionately perpetuated against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. 

Currently, I have sensed a lot of apprehension around the idea of defunding the police, a popular demand within the Black Lives Movement. Common reactions I’ve heard include the fear of anarchy and chaos, crime running rampant, and concern regarding the livelihoods of those who are currently working within the police system. I feel that these concerns mirror the concern that replacing industrial agriculture with local, organic, food-sovereignty centered agriculture would not be sufficient to feed a growing population. 

Based on what we learned in class, I would argue that yes, an immediate, complete overhaul of the industrial agricultural system we have now would not only be unsustainable, but would have some very negative repercussions for the most vulnerable populations. Lower income communities of color and Black communities currently depend on cheap, processed food that is made possible by industrial agriculture. In order to avoid disastrous consequences that a complete overhaul would pose for these communities, industrial agriculture must be dismantled while simultaneously investing into organic practices. For example, instead of having 80% of the Farm Bill go towards food stamps, what if 80% of the Farm Bill went towards conservation efforts and investing into regenerative development projects, like the Sweet Water Foundation? 

The Perry Avenue Community Farm in Englewood, Chicago. This farm is overseen by Emmanuel Pratt, the executive director and cofounder of the Sweet Water Foundation. Read more here. Sweet Water Foundation

The dismantling of the industrial agriculture system will not be sufficient without investment into critical resources. This same argument can be made for defunding, and eventually abolishing, the police. It is important for people to understand that the call to defund the police is also a demand to invest in critical community resources, like social workers, mental health resources, rehabilitation centers, housing for homelessness, and education just to name a few. The investment in these resources will lead to a decrease in violence and crime, working simultaneously to decrease the significance of a police force.

This image shows some of the thoughts behind the Defund the Police/ Abolish the Police Movements. The demands have a heavy focus on community investment. 8toabolition.com

With both of these examples it is important to understand that systemic change is a long-term goal that involves investing in the people and practices we intend to see in the future. It cannot be done overnight, but that should not stop it from being done at all. Here is to a just, sustainable, and peaceful future for all!

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For my group project, I worked with the Salish Center for Sustainable Seafood, a NGO committed to educating the public about reef netting and other sustainable fishing methods in order to preserve the Salish Sea. Our work was particularly focused on helping the Salish Center establish a PDO (protected designation of origin) for all seafood caught in the Salish Sea. The intention behind a PDO is the center’s belief that seafood from the Salish Sea is special and better than seafood harvested elsewhere. They also hope that PDO will increase consumer knowledge and interest in the Salish Sea and encourage engagement and a desire to protect it. 

On one hand, a PDO would be great in helping people purchase locally sourced seafood and understand the origins of their food. This is the kind of action that is encouraged in readings like The Pleasure of Eating and the lecture Localism. However, you also have to wonder, would a PDO really accomplish much in encouraging sustainable fishing methods and preserving the Salish Sea? The fact is – 70% of seafood is eaten in restaurants. The average American likely does not regularly prepare seafood or can’t afford to eat it on a regular basis. Seafood is a luxury item, and locally sourced, sustainably caught seafood is even more expensive. While a PDO would help restaurants source locally caught seafood, that’s a pretty niche audience and honestly doesn’t seem like it would help broadly increase consumer knowledge about the Salish Sea. While consumer knowledge can encourage activism, I also wonder if this depends too much on the individualist consumer habits and lures people into complacency. Consumers may feel like they are doing enough by buying local seafood, but will that make them interested in protecting the Salish Sea and promoting sustainable fishing methods? 

Map of the Salish Sea

The United States has a lot more legally enforced sustainable fishing practices than other countries, but the PDO would not require that the seafood harvested in the Salish Sea be caught sustainably or at least to the levels of sustainability that the Salish Center advocates for. With this in mind, you have to wonder what exactly a PDO would accomplish and if there would be a more effective way to protect the Salish Sea. Other NGOs are also working towards similar goals and it would be nice to see more collaboration between them in the future, especially in establishing a PDO or encouraging sustainable fishing methods:  a notable one in the Puget Sound area is Long Live the Kings, an organization that works to support sustainable fishing practices and restore the wild salmon populations.

Alternative Milk, Our Earth, and Systems Theory

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I really valued what I took away from this course, as it presented new and challenging topics that I had never considered before. It also gave me the opportunity to conduct research on a topic I took a great interest in: the sustainability of alternative milk products. I was inspired by a previous blog post I wrote, about a climate change food calculator that calculates the ghg emissions, water usage, and land usage of 40 different foods.

With the massive changes in the dairy and alternative milk market, I decided to use this as a jumping point to look into three milk products: milk from dairy cows, almond milk, and oat milk. I researched and compared all three products with reference to water usage and GHG emissions. I was mostly interested in determining if alternative milks were actually more sustainable, and if so which was the most sustainable milk?

I looked closely at the sections about food systems and the effect of climate change. I determined that the ecological system and the food production system are incredibly intertwined and interdependent. The ecological and biological systems greatly affect how food is grown and produced, and the food production system has had very adverse effects on the environment.

My research only scratched the surface of sustainable food production practices, but it is a critical piece in the future of food production. This course gave me a deeper understanding of systems theory that allowed me to analyze a topic in a more meaningful way.

Works Cited:

Guibourg, C., & Briggs, H. (2019, August 09). Climate change food calculator: What’s your diet’s carbon footprint? Retrieved June 09, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46459714

Image:

Lucas, A. (2019, November 13). 5 charts that show how milk sales changed and made it tough for Dean Foods to avert bankruptcy. Retrieved June 09, 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/13/5-charts-that-show-how-milk-sales-have-changed.html

ENVIR 385: A Reflection

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My group had the opportunity to work with Landesa; a non-profit organization that helps secure land rights for the world’s poorest. Although Landesa covers a more general scope, our focus was to bring awareness to the issue of women land rights in underdeveloped countries, and to learn more about how it connects to resilience-building within communities in the face of a pandemic. 

We learned that the women in the regions we researched make up the vast majority of the agricultural workforce, but due to the huge gender disparity, the lack of land rights puts women in vulnerable positions, especially when facing a health crisis. If the patriarch falls ill or passes away, there isn’t much a woman can do to support her family. At least not with the current system.  

Women’s Land Rights infographic. (Created by Ashley Wright)

This quarter we talked about systems theory. We are all part of a system(s). If a part of the system is changed, then the other parts will be affected– impacting the system as a whole. This impact could either be negative or positive. Through our research we found that by giving women legal access to land, it could be the latter. They have the ability to help their communities build resilience by making an economic and ecological impact; all they need is change. The current status quo is an example of an unsustainable system.

Unsustainable systems are everywhere. We don’t have to go to an underdeveloped country to see them. Our food system is a big one. 

Individual, institutional, and structural racism lives in our food system. In the reading, “The Color of Food”, Raj Patel concludes that racial disparity in wages and representation can be found in most occupations along the food chain. POC are often limited to low-wage food jobs in the food industry, leading them to experience high rates of food insecurity, malnutrition and hunger. But consumers are oftentimes unaware of these exploitations because there is a great disconnect between consumers and the food chain. 

The Color of Food, Raj Patel

With the BLM movement in full force right now, it is important to understand that racism goes beyond just police brutality. It lives in different parts of our society. 

As this class comes to an end and our projects wrap up, I can’t help but think about the systems I belong to and the impact I’m having on them. Raj Patel stated that, “consumers vote with their purchases”. As a consumer in this unsustainable system, my choices matter when it comes to food. 

Food sovereignty in the Shellfish Industry

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In regards to action projects, I participated in working with the Center for Food Safety (CFS) on creating a sustainable shellfish scorecard. The scorecard can be utilized by restaurant owners, chefs, and consumers who are demanding to be knowledgeable of which shellfish producers follow sustainable procedures. CFS is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS also educates consumers concerning the definition of organic food and products. Producing a scorecard to determine shellfish producer’s level of sustainability with the help of CFS will certainly be a meaningful contribution to the larger community because it will be functional to exclude shellfish producers that execute practices that degrade biodiversity and the environment it surrounds it. 

What I learned through working with the CFS is the idea of food sovereignty and how important it is for consumers to be knowledgeable about the process of how sustainable the food is being produced. Included in the scorecard, are criteria based on the feasibility and sustainability of shellfish producers in the shellfish industry. The criteria includes; pesticide use, transparency over regulations and environmental legislation, seeding and harvesting methods, and lastly, processing methods. This action project promotes people’s right to to healthy and culturally-appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems which are all tested through the criteria we have generated.

Another thing I wanted to bring up is our capability of getting involved in projects like this simply in our homes, and through our computers. I find it amazing how we integrated elements of collaboration, grasping and creating ideas, and completing tasks without ever seeing each other in person. As Karen said, we really are working and living in unprecedented times, and yet we continue to strive for greatness. We continue to do as much as we can to stay involved, despite limitations. Then, I realized that this is the type of vitality we need to make positive changes within the food system. We have to keep educating ourselves, and work together to amplify what the system lacks and the assistance it needs.

The Lessons I Learned from Soil & Water

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The functioning and health of our soil not only determines the vitality of the plants that grow out of it, but also has cascading effects on other socio-ecological symptoms. Soil that has a balanced amount of nutrients, a supportive root system, and is well-aerated, has the potential to prevent massive algal blooms, lessen the negative effects of flooding events, and even capture carbon. Healthy soil is the foundation of a robust and resilient food system. 

A visual demonstrating the value of a healthy soil.

Photo by: The Ecological Landscape Alliance

Through the soil & water contemplative practice, I began to make the connection between soil and our socio-ecological systems. Similar to how soil serves as the foundation of our food system, our current linear model of production, and capitalist ideology, serve as the foundation of the global socio-economic system. By enabling waste, encouraging constantly increasing rates of production, and relying on environmental and social externalities to keep prices low, we have an inherently unsustainable and unhealthy foundation. 

The failures of this system have been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a series of expected self-perpetuating injustices. Although watching these negative consequences unravel has been frustrating to say the least, it is hardly surprising. The foundation of our economy is based on unsustainable, and inequitable principles, so it is expected that in the face of a disturbance our socio-economic systems do not demonstrate resilience.

Image by: LiberationNews.org

Currently, there is a push to integrate systems thinking in regard to soil health; as Alan Richardson, a member of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation says, ““Historically we’ve fertilized the crop… We’ve been interested in the crop. The paradigm shift is in thinking that you have to fertilize the system, the microbes and all that. And through that you support the crop.” This contemplative practice made me realize that if we ever want to achieve sustainability within our socio-ecological systems, this same mindset needs to be applied to our socio-economic system. By creating a foundation that is rooted in a circular model of production, and values quality of life as opposed to quantity of money, we have the potential to create a healthier, more resilient society.

Resources:

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-11-09/healthy-soil-healthy-plants-healthy-people/

https://grist.org/food/heres-a-solution-for-those-out-of-control-toxic-algae-blooms/

https://www.700milliongallons.org/types-of-gsi/

https://landinstitute.org/our-work/perennial-crops/

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/17/naomi-klein-and-jeremy-scahill-discuss-coronavirus-the-election-and-solidarity-in-the-midst-of-a-pandemic/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/world/europe/coronavirus-inequality.html

https://www.liberationnews.org

https://www.ecolandscaping.org/about/

https://grist.org/food/the-secret-to-richer-carbon-capturing-soil-treat-your-microbes-well/

Can Earth Provide for Growing Consumption Rates?

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A recent study by the University of Gottingen forecasts that global food consumption could rise by 80% by 2100. They suggest that 60% would be from population growth and 20% from the increased quantity of food required by larger (in terms of BMI and height) humans.

Yes, this does sound quite alarming…however, the statistic is based on the assumption that the world will continue until 2100 without changing its ways at all. I find this highly improbable given that the human behavior constantly evolves and adapts. There are already many working to combat issues of food insecurity, food waste, and malnutrition. 

Currently, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization reports that every year, around 30% of food produced in the world is lost or wasted. How many additional people could we feed on this wasted food alone? Also, there are many movements advocating for reduced animal product consumption. Bloomberg reports that around 41% of US land is used for livestock production. Take a look at these maps; imagine if there was an initiative to shift the subsidization of animals, corn, soy, and wheat to whole grains, produce, and legumes. This alone could sustain our population for longer and promote healthier diets.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/

The US is unique in its high demand for animal products. What would the future of feeding a larger population look like if human health was promoted by governments through proper subsidies, and if sustainable farming and waste management was a major priority for state legislatures and governments worldwide? Would this prediction of future consumption be as extreme?

I don’t have all the answers, but I know that we all must fight for a more sustainable future that prioritizes systematic changes.

Consider finding out how you can get involved in local initiatives. Big changes begin with little steps. 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/food-shortages-supply-global-population-bmi-taller-height-a9239686.html 

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/10/thirty-percent-world-food-wasted-2014103192739208584.html

https://www.arespectfullife.com/2018/08/05/41-of-u-s-land-is-used-for-livestock-production/