I know I have already posted about recycling and reducing,
this however in many people’s eyes involves simply rubbish like cans and
plastic. I would also like you to stop and have a think for a while about all
the food waste you’ve thrown away year so far. Now think about all the energy
it has taken to get that food to your door. Think about the energy required to
produce it, this all adds up to colossal amounts.
Millions of acres of land in every single country has been
cleared for agriculture and billions of tonnes of grains are planted every year
to feed growing populations. As well as crops land is cleared for grazing of
domesticated animals such as cows and pigs.
This mass production method of food in monocultures are somewhat
necessary to cope with the high demand for food across the world, even with
these methods it is estimated that 805 million people suffered from undernourishment
from 2012-2014. In other words 1 in 9 people are not getting suitable nutrition
they need on a daily basis, 791 million of these people are found in developing
nations and 161 million are children.
We need to revaluate the types of food which are consumed
and the amount of food waste which is being produced in developed countries
where food is plentiful. Changes in both attitude towards food and the types of
food which are regularly consumed will help limit the changes which are being
made to the environment.
For instance meat production has a far higher cost of
production than vegetables and grains, if you factor in the amount of grain
needed to produce meat. A single hectare of land can produce 29 times more food
in the form of vegetables than in the form of chicken, 73 times more than pork
and 78 times more than beef. It’s also important to remember that it’s not just
the production of vegetables that decreases for meat production; you must also
remember what was lost from the land to start with. In Brazil for instance 80%
of the deforestation taking place was accounted for by cattle ranching. That’s hundreds
of thousands of acres a year, and the land cleared is only productive for a few
years, as once the tree roots are lost from the soil it becomes unstable and
the thin fertile top soil is lost and the land turns into a dust bowl, and so
the process carries on with no end in sight.
The destruction of land isn’t the only cost, 340 million tons
of carbon is released into the atmosphere each year
from cattle ranches in
Brazil alone, that’s 3.4% of global emissions (That includes the
deforestation). In fact over 50% of global human-caused greenhouse gases can be
attributed to livestock and their by-products.
Now I’m not attempting to turn anyone into a vegetarian
because of this post, as I will still be eating meat. Humans are omnivores and
we require both meat and vegetables in order to grow and it is a key factor in
living a healthy lifestyle. I understand it is perfectly possible for a
vegetarian to gain enough nutrients without the consumption of meat, but it
does require careful meal planning. I simply want people to look at the
quantities of meat they are eating each day and take steps to reduce it,
perhaps aim to remove meat from two or three of your main meals a week and
replace the ham or chicken in your lunch time sandwich with a tasty
alternative. These changes will not only have effects on the global meat
production but also in your wallet.
The second point I would like to make is about the actual
food you eat every day. It’s important to think about what you are eating from
day to day, as in today’s world in developed countries you are constantly
capable of finding any sort of food you want. Clearly though you can’t grow
bananas in the UK and other products constantly available are seasonal yet they
are still available off season, this means that they have to be transported in.
This results in these products having thousands of food miles. For an example an average food basket in Victoria
Australia, a country which is capable of growing a huge range of different
crops, has travelled a total of 70,803km to get to your dinner table. That’s
the same as almost travelling twice round the earth and so food mileage is a
huge contributor to the production of greenhouse gases. The products have also
needed to be refrigerated till they reach the destination so as they arrive fresh,
but this creates even more emissions as it requires large amounts of energy. So
please attempt to source the majority of your food as locally as possible and
limit the amount of each product you eat when it’s out of season.
Finally I want to leave you with a few facts about the sheer
mass of edible food which is thrown away each year. Aussies throw out $8
billion worth of edible food ever year, which equates to 4,000,000 tonnes.
There are ways to reduce this, if you plan your shopping for the week or the
month it will mean you have a decent understanding of what you need and you are
less likely to buy excess food which will expire before you have time to eat
it. Also try to separate food which expires such as loaves of bread into
smaller portions and then freeze the rest till you need it. Finally use the
information on the back of the packaging which gives you suggested quantities
to cook, and if you have left overs no matter how small keep them for a snack
later to replace biscuits or as a part of your lunch.
These are all simple methods and I completely understand
that but too many people are not following them with people in the age range
18-24 being the most wasteful.
Thanks for reading.
Check out this video!!!
