<aside> ♻️ Hey Ecowarriors! Yesterday's lesson taught you how farmers can try to make the environment healthier, but today we're going to look at the part you can play through your own food choices!
</aside>
Today, pick one meal to keep track of! During this activity, you will record what you ate during that meal and do some research about its environmental impact. Then, you will come up with some ways to make the same meal you had more environmentally friendly.
<aside> 💡 Tip: Lunch is probably the best meal to choose, as it typically has more meat than breakfast but also gives you the whole afternoon to do this activity.
</aside>
First, print out this worksheet attached below!
Food sustainability worksheet.pdf
In the squares on the left-hand column, write down each item in your meal.
Did you have a sandwich? What was in that sandwich? Was there rice? If you had a sauce, can you find out what it was made out of? What did you drink? What type of bread did you have? Did you have chips on the side?
Pay special attention to any meat you ate. If you can, ask your parents what brand it was. Was it organic? (Organic food is label given by the government to farms that use sustainable agriculture).
Make a note of at most 8 different items. If you can't get to 8, that's okay. Write down the names of these items in the worksheet attached.
Next, you're going to need to do some research. Real scientists do research all the time! First, look up "the environmental impact of" each item you wrote down.
Then, read one of the pages that comes up and take a few notes in the middle column of the provided worksheet.
<aside> 💡 You might start to notice that some items you wrote down are harmful to the environment. Everything affects the environment in some way, so don't feel too badly. It's important to know what your actions are doing to the environment, though, so you can choose more sustainable options in the future.
</aside>
Now it's time to do some more research to find sustainable alternatives to some of the items in your meal!
First, look up "eco-friendly alternative to" each item you wrote down. An alternative is another option that gives you the same nutrients. Find one for each item that looks tasty and write that down in your worksheet!
Finally, talk to your parents! Since your parents are the ones buying your food, you'll need their help to make a difference. Bring your worksheet to your parents and talk with them about all your alternatives. They might not be able to buy some items that are too expensive, and that's okay. Just do what you can!