Food: Without it, You’ll Die…

Making the most of your diet to solve our worlds problems

Richard SawyerBridget Fischer

Tom FrancisKathleen IrishMelissa LawlerSarah Gingras

Our Main Idea

Food local to Vermont vs. mass produced factory food and organic vs. processed food

In the arenas of economy, sustainability and social aesthetics

THE PROBLEMS

•The environmental and economic sustainability of our food is in jeopardy:

1.Most of our food is shipped in a gas guzzling network of far-flung “factory” farms2.This creates a farming situation where he biogeochemical cycles are imbalanced, and the environment suffers3.It creates a less viable economy for everybody, harming the stat level population, helping a few4.There are many controversial farming practices found and debated throughout society, creating unrest and societal chaos

THE SOLUTIONS

•Through a series of “upgrades” in the way in which we think and make food:

1.Growing and buying food locally2.Growing food to organic standards

We can reduce greenhouse emissions, improve our society economically and socially, and improve our health

The Economics of Food…“Factory” Food

• Shipped on average 1500-2500 miles start to finish, in a diesel belching truck

• 672 dollars = cost in gas• Supports some big wig, and

provides for many poor jobs• Causes/costs millions in

damages to environment through poor field management, over fertilization, runoff, etc.

Locally Grown food

• The Jericho Settlers Farm, one of my families major food suppliers, is ten miles away.

• maybe 0.75 dollars spent• Supports the local economy,

vitalizing the area, increasing tax revenue, etc.

• Saves us thousands in damages by mitigating runoff, reducing asphalt, adding green space, etc.

THE CONCEPT: ECO-ECONOMICSThe major concept for sustainable economics is

going local. An unsustainable economy will split the gap in rich and poor, and harm local economies…A sustainable economy will invigorate the local economies, providing a positive feedback of

> more taxes to the state and more income spent in the state>leads to better in-state economy, leading to…

Lets use a Wal-Mart® example…

The Wal-Mart® Conspiracy:• Wal-Mart’s economic effects really look like this:

WallyLESSER QUALITY PRODUCTS*

MANY LOW PAYING JOBS W/O BENIFITS

A FEW TAX DOLLARS (MANY ARE EVADED)

$ = useful dollars, $ = not-useful dollars; All representations here are a simulation

LOTS OF OUR DOLLARS

DOLLARS IN THE BANK

LOW INCOME$$$$$$$$$$$$

MIDDLE INCOME$$

HIGH INCOME$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

DOLLARS IN THE BANK

LOW INCOME $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$

MIDDLE INCOME $$$$

HIGH INCOME $$$

CHINA!

DITB$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The model economy:• This is a sustainable economy…

$ = useful dollars, $ = not-useful dollars; All representations here are a simulation

A FEW OF OUR DOLLARS

NECESSARY PRODUCTS

LOCALLY MADE PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES, USUALLY SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED

LOTS OF OUR DOLLARS

EXPORTS

TAX DOLLARS, USUALLY NOT EVADED

DITB$$$$$$$$$$$$$

DITBLOW INCOME$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$MIDDLE INCOME$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$HIGH INCOME$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Conclusions to Eco-Economics…

• Our problem involves the “Wal-Mart drain” effect on our food system…

• Our solution rests in a sustainable economic plan involving local food growers.The local growers of Vermont have much greater

capacity to work sustainably, without artificial fertilizers, additives, and soil destruction

Which by the way introduces us to our other concept…

Processed foods in the spotlight…• Let us bring another key piece of our puzzle into play

into determining a solution to the problem of FOODTHE PROBLEM:

Much (~97%) of our food is grown to

nonorganic standards, using artificial

fertilizers, pesticides, and additives.

OUR SOLUTION:

Increase amount of organic

growers in local economic arenas

Organic vs. Processed foods

The Problem:Most of our foods have been injected, beaten and pumped etc.

full of chemicals and other questionable things. This is a major health concern that needs addressing.

Here are some things in processed foods:

sodium phosphates, sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite calcium propionate

yellow 6 lake,yellow 5 lake

(cancer)

mono calcium phosphatepartially hydrogenated

vegetable oils

Full list

Product IngredientsGreen Giant Baby Cut Carrots carrots

Fruit Naturals, No Sugar Added Peach Chunks

peaches, water, sorbitol, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor, acesulfame potassium, sucralose

Oscar Meyer Wieners

mechanically separated turkey, pork, chicken, water, less than 2% of: salt, flavor, sodium lactate, corn syrup, dextrose, sodium phosphates, sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite

Freihofer's Canadian White Bread

enriched wheat flour (flour, halted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, nonfat milk, soybean oil, salt monoglycerides, calcium propionate (preservative), mono calcium phosphate, datem, calcium sulfate, soy lecithin, soy flour

Wise Cheese Doodles

corn meal, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: corn, cottonseed, sunflower, soybean, or canola oil), whey, salt, cornstarch, cornflower, calcium carbonate, buttermilk, cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), monosodium glutamate, artificial color, calcium and sodium casinates (milk derived), butter oil, yellow 6 lake, lactic acid, yellow 5 lake, natural flavors

Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies

sugar, enriched flour bleached (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cocoa processed with alkali, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, corn starch, salt, carob powder, artificial flavor, nonfat milk (add water, oil, and eggs)

Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter

roasted peanuts, sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (cottonseed, soybean and rapeseed) to prevent separation, salt

Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels

semi sweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanillin - an artificial flavor, natural flavor)

Pepsi

carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sugar, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavors

THE CONCEPT : WHY FARMING THE “AMERICAN WAY” IS BAD

• Remember those lovely biogeochemical cycles? Well, here they are again, involved in a major problem from the “American” farming method!

In a sustainable farming environment, the biogeochemical cycles are kept in balance, mitigating far reaching eco-disturbances

MODEL

AS IT STANDS:The state of our biogeochemical cycles might be pictured like this:

Conclusion to Biogeochemical Sustainability

• The way we farm nowadays stands by the latter vision of the environment

• This method of farming is very disruptive to the environment and isn’t sustainable

• Using artificial fertilizers draws on fossil fuels, involving natural gas in the production process, throwing out any statements of sustainability

“The production of ammonia currently consumes about 5% of global natural gas consumption”

“A sustainable system has the ability to coexist with other systems indefinitely without damage to either”

• A solution for this problem lies in organic/sustainable farming methods

SO……• Our society is facing a triple-edged sword of

problems1. The majority of our food travels a long distance2. The majority of our food is inorganic and uses artificial fertilizer3. Sustainability is suffering as a consequence

• We must combat this with a triple edged sword of solutions

1. Switch over to buying locally2. Produce all of our food to organic standards3. Use sustainable practices in all counts

FIN• Something to bring away from this:

A simple solution to our problems rests just miles from our homes

Our state is fully capable of producing enough resources to become self-sufficient

The benefits well outweigh the costs, as much as our society wants to believe otherwise

Resources

http://www.uc.edu/food/images/asian%20food.JPGhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp0.blogger.com/_e-mPA_6ZQyg/RtWRGrl3yEI/AAAAAAAADmw/sI1mFQDwoFA/s400/fruits_and_vegetables2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.peaceinspiration.com/2007/08/29/organic-food/&h=360&w=400&sz=51&hl=en&start=3&usg=__x0PkRPOMT7quFJzIEqrXdy6DpuM=&tbnid=uNPxmHBiQt169M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dorganic%2Bfood%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DXhttp://www.virginmedia.com/images/organic-food-g.jpghttp://madisonbowen.com/vth104b-Vermont-Farm.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/93/268148656_2615c18e2c.jpghttp://www.voga.org/Holy_Cow.JPGhttp://www.sover.net/~buckholl/Albums/Album1/Large/f35.jpghttp://farm2.static.flickr.com/1156/1056738738_98ab7fc8a9.jpg?v=0http://www.rockymtnrefl.com/cows.jpghttp://blog.mlive.com/kalamabrew_impact/2008/04/0103643_2.jpghttp://www.elsiesdaughter.com/fourjugs.jpghttp://chef2chef.net/internship/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ben-jerry-smaller.jpghttp://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/e/e2/Ben_and_Jerry.jpghttp://karmafreecooking.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/p1030545.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/4264F8ACD27592E/standard.jpghttp://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/wal-mart-image.jpghttp://www.vermont-map.org/vermont-map.jpghttp://www.thehappyscientist.com/Krampf/Blog/Entries/2008/8/1_The_Long_Road_Home_files/DSC_0997%20copy.jpglibrary.thinkquest.org/22403/data/medium/other/glossary.htmlhttp://www.nfc.gov.pk/Webs/PFL.jpg

Complements of:

PowerPoint Director: Richard SawyerImages: Bridget Fischer, Melissa LawlerGraphics: Richard SawyerEditing: Whole GroupEverything else: Everybody besides Richard SawyerCookies: Melissa Lawler