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Overview
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ― Virginia Woolf
Food is powerful. The choices we make when we eat directly affect not only ourselves, but also our planet, local communities, and global population. Yet, we don’t often consider where our food comes from and at what cost. It’s challenging to know the agricultural practices used at the source. Add in over-processing, flashy marketing and engineered packaging, and it can be easy to feel wholly disconnected from what’s on your plate.
Historically, humans have treated food with reverence, farming in a way that respects the earth, cooking nourishing meals, and building community around the table. These traditions have unfortunately been disrupted with the onset of industrial (conventional) agriculture that prioritizes profit over people, planet and quality. “Industrial agriculture is characterized by heavy pesticide use and practices that endanger human health, particularly farm workers, deplete the land, mistreat animals, and increase various forms of pollution.” (NRDC) “This method consumes finite resources without replenishing them, including the very resources on which food production depends: healthy soil, clean water and fresh air.” (FoodPrint)
Consumers (YOU) are increasingly demanding to know what’s actually in food, asking who grew it and how it was produced. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 guides that rank the most pesticide-laden produce and guide you in a healthier direction.
When it comes to food, we live by the acronym FLOSN for our food choices. Here’s what it means:
Fresh. Food tastes best and has the highest nutritional value when it goes straight from farm to fork. Consuming fresh produce avoids harmful chemicals and preservatives.
Local. The average American meal travels an estimated 1,500 miles before consumption. When you buy from local farmers, demand for local products increases and emissions from food transportation decrease. Money spent on local products stays in your community, benefiting everyone.
Organic. To be certified organic, farmers cannot use substances that might harm or contaminate air, water or soil. Organic food puts soil and human health first by growing food truly naturally.
Seasonal. Buying in-season means you purchase, cook, and eat produce harvested at its peak, and often grown closer to home. It simultaneously benefits health, soil, environment and wallets.
Nutritious. Nutrient-rich food provides your body with the diversity of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients humans need to remain healthy, function properly, maintain energy and thrive.
Turning Green has put FLOSN practices to work in our Conscious Kitchen program. Conscious Kitchen partners with schools to shift the paradigm around food service, working to replace processed pre-packaged school food with healthier chef-prepared scratch-cooked meals for elementary and middle school students. Check out our video here for a glimpse into this revolutionary program.
THINK
Get familiar with the true benefits and cost of organic food, so you can make informed decisions about your purchases and move toward becoming a more conscious consumer.
ACTIVITY
To get started, read this article about the benefits and basics of organic food. Look at The Organic Center’s infographic on how to make organic more affordable. Now, answer the following:
- Why does organic matter? Find three specific benefits of organic that impact you, all species, and the planet.
- Share two ways that you might shop for organic items on a budget.
- Is this something you could implement into your daily life with your family? Why or why not?
DELIVERABLES
Upload your answers as a PDF document using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Now it’s time to test your cooking skills! With the FLOSN criteria as your guide, prepare a healthy, delicious and nutritious meal for you and your family or housemates for dinner tonight.
ACTIVITY
- Look for as many fresh, local, organic, seasonal, nutritious ingredients as you have on hand. Gather what you find. Come up with a menu including an entree, a side dish, and if you are feeling ambitious, a great dessert.
- Look up recipes that include your key ingredients. Check out Thrive Market’s website and the Conscious Kitchen Cookbook for inspiration. (If you want a fun lesson on how to read a recipe, The Edible Schoolyard Project has a great lesson and video!)
- Get your household involved to help prep.
- Create a story/photo essay with photos and/or video (up to 90 seconds) about your process including meal prep and recipes for what is sure to be a great meal.
- Post a photo of your creation and/or a link to your video on a social platform of your choice. Caption it with your recipe. Be sure to tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom. We can’t wait to see!
DELIVERABLES
Upload your response and photos or video link using the upload button. Post a photo or video of your creation and caption it with your menu. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Now that you have learned more about the impact of food, recognized the importance of organic, and prepared a delicious FLOSN-inspired dinner, it’s time to relax… and learn and be inspired some more!
ACTIVITY
Gather with friends or family (together at home OR #TogetherApart, thanks to technology!) to watch one of our favorite documentaries, The Biggest Little Farm! Follow farmer/filmmaker John Chester and his wife, Molly, on a journey as they follow their dream to build one of the most diverse and sustainable farms of its kind in complete harmony with nature. Biggest Little Farm is an eye-opening, visually beautiful, uplifting, award-winning documentary.
The film is available on Hulu with a subscription or Amazon Prime for a small fee. If you don’t have access to these streaming networks, research and watch another great documentary on food and/or agriculture. Tell us what you find!
After watching, ask your family or friends some questions:
- What did you learn from this film? Can you sum up your reaction in three words?
- Will you make any changes the next time you shop for groceries? If so, which?
- How will you share with others about the impacts of agriculture and food?
DELIVERABLES
Upload a summary of the responses using the upload button below.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.