Changing Climate Change

Leaders from 192 nations are gathered in Copenhagen for what has been called "the largest and most important UN climate change conference in history." Certainly the stakes are high. And the science is telling us dramatic action must be taken to prevent the worst effects of a warming globe. The worst, because the climate change ball is already in motion...

What does this have to do with nutrition? A whole heck of a lot it turns out.

Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The livestock sector alone accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions- more than transportation- according to the FAO.

Climate change is also a public health issue. "The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded greenhouse gases are endangering people's health and must be regulated."

And as the effects of climate change become more drastic, we won't have a choice in rethinking the way we feed ourselves- plant hardiness zone changes, drought patterns, flood impacts, and more are already shifting the way we are able to grow food.

National Public Radio's Marketplace has been airing a series recently called the Climate Race with a companion web portal in which you can listen to the series and explore an interactive US Climate Change map (compiled by the US Global Research Program.) Open the map on the region you live and you'll find effects of climate change that are already occurring and what we can expect by the end of the century if the pattern continues. The Midwest region has already seen two record breaking floods in the past 15 years (many of our local farmers were impacted.) If that isn't scary enough the forecast shows, "Great Lakes water levels to fall 1 to 2 feet by century's end, depending on emission levels." The Great Lakes-- our greatest supply of fresh water. The fresh water situation in other parts of the country looks even more grim.

These are just some of the reasons that so much is at stake in Copenhagen right now. Rising sea levels, already affecting countries like Maldives, will also dramatically change the way we live. Sweeping change is only possible if leaders around the world agree to reduce our collective impact. (And unfortunately, the popular cap and trade solution seems to only switch the pieces on the chess board.) But as individuals, I believe we have some power to create change as well.

Choosing a "low-carbon" diet is one way to reduce your personal carbon footprint. Locally grown foods tend to be lower impact- both in transportation cost, but also, importantly, in processing and packaging costs. Fortunately, the side effects of increased consumption of local foods could turn out to be stronger communities and healthier people. Check out the Center for Food Safety's Cool Food Campaign for more tips on stopping global warming with the food we eat.

Sustainable Nutrition Bottom-line: Our food choices impact the world around us. Less meat, more local, less processed, more home made.... you get the drift. While global politicians continue their politicking, we can choose to reduce our own impact while building the resilience of our communities. Maybe, just maybe, our choices will help our voices trickle up to our leaders.

The Practicality of Local Foods

As part of the Live Local Milwaukee initiative, yesterday the Paths to a Sustainable Future Group held a free Sustainable Living conference at the Urban Ecology Center. I participated in a panel discussion titled “Are Local Foods Really Practical? For Me? In SE WI?” along with Young Kim of the Fondy Food Market, Jay Salinas of Growing Power and the Wormfarm Institute, David Kozlowski of Pinehold Gardens and the CSA Initiative and moderated by Martha Davis Kipcak of Slow Food WiSE & the Kitchen Table Project.

I answered the question put to the panel by saying, “From a time & money perspective; no, local foods are not practical. However, it is impractical to continue business as usual.”

Business as usual when it comes to our foodways will only sink us deeper into the mire of climate change, land loss, water pollution, malnutrition, chronic disease, depletion of our precious topsoil, devastating loss of biodiversity and cultural diversity. We have gotten too big for our britches and we can’t expect to continue a food system that is propped up by cheap oil.

Re-localization of food systems is our only hope.

Our panel discussed many of the challenges facing us in terms of local food systems; capacity, land preservation, training farmers, creating distribution systems & small processing facilities, time, money, and general resistance to doing things differently. One of the themes that surfaced was our social value system- currently speedy, efficient, cheap foods allow us to get on with our hectic schedules of multitasking until we collapse in front of the tv where we are blasted with ads for more speedy, efficient, cheap stuff.... Its time for a makeover.

Here are some further thoughts on the matter:

Cost:
The hidden costs of industrial agriculture and fast food are unbearable. We spend less percentage of our income on food now than ever in history. Only we end up paying for it in the end with healthcare costs, environmental costs, as well as the direct cost of subsidies for the tax payer.

Public Health:
We have an epidemic of chronic diseases that are directly tied to our food system. Diabetes, heart disease, obesity are all related to the way we eat.

In my day job, I work with people with chronic diseases to help them make healthy lifestyle changes to improve their health outcomes. The picture seems to me quite grim. I can tell you that it is almost impossible to improve your health when your community foodways have been replaced by fast food outlets, convenience stores or liquor stores, and commodity distributors.

Our species are not immune to the laws of nature. When you have bad food available, people will, most often, eat it. You can study genetics and hormones and such, but it all comes down to the fact that we are wired to eat. We need gardens, farmers markets, co-ops in every neighborhood. And people need to relearn what to do with real food. We need to build skills around growing, buying, cooking, and eating. These are essential tools for health promotion and disease prevention.

Nutrition:
We have well over 3000 calories available to each of us in this country. Most of that comes from substances formerly known as corn. This breakdown of calories does not support the dietary guidelines. Local foods tend to be less processed, more wholesome, and more pleasurable on every level.

In Wisconsin, It is possible for those dedicated locavores to have a well balanced diet by eating 100% local foods (the only true exception is salt) year round. All of our food groups are represented: grains & starches, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, beans, nuts, fats, sweeteners, even beer, wine, liquor! We live in a land of plenty and yet our commodity food comes from and creates lands of scarcity around the world.

Global Warming:
Our food system is a major contributor to global warming in the fertilization and chemical application of crops as well as the transportion of food stuffs around the globe. The average meal travels 1500 miles to from farnm to fork. When it come sto the standard American plate of meat and potatoes, I’ve seen figures as high as 22,000 miles. Purchasing foods from your region can reduce your carbon footprint.

Peak Oil:
Industrial agriculture relies on oil to make its engine go. Oil is a finite resource and many experts believe world wide production has peaked or is near peak levels. Re-learning how to grow and process food without major oil & petroleum inputs will ensure a smoother transition into a post carbon future.

Biodiversity:
Poly-culture can ensure good nutrition, support wildlife and soil conservation, and it can also put out a lot more food stuff than the monocrops of high yield corn that seem to be planted fence post to fence post around farming communities.

Elitism:
Do not let people tell you that local, good, clean, and fair foods are bourgeois. These are the foods of the people. Our globalized food system strips people around the world of their food sovereignty. The cheap processed fast food costs a lot for the folks who no longer subsistence farm, for the folks with clogged arteries and pending diabetes, for the planet and for future generations. 35 million Americans are at risk of food insecurity- this in the wealthiest nation in the world with an excess of food.

We need to be valuing our food and this means making good food more accessible to everyone. One of the first practical steps to make this inevitability equitable would be to subsidize the good food. A current practice example is the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program- which doesn’t give much to individual seniors to use at farmer's markets, but it’s a step in the right direction.

We can make a better food system by creating and supporting action & policies:

• Conserve land.
• Teach people to farm & garden.
• Make it affordable for young farmers to get started.
• Promote gardens in schools, churches, front lawns, neighborhoods, porches, and rooftops.
• Allow chickens & bees in urban areas.
• Farm Bill: Improve upon the newly enacted bill with increased local foods initiatives and nutrition programs..
• Demand that your local and national policy makers to make sustainable food a priority.

How a person can eat locally:

• Redesign your life. Make time for food.
• Ask for local foods at restaurants and stores.
• Pay more for food. Make it a much larger percentage of your income.
• Garden: get unplugged and dig in. This is good exercise too.
• Learn to cook and preserve foods.