FOOD

Anyone who eats has the ability to affect Climate Change. Anyone who makes food for others is on the frontlines. As you make your own food decisions, all of these choices will make a difference. Some things to think about:

Eating food that is locally grown and sustainably raised
Eating less meat which can have a significant impact on deforestation
Reducing foods with palm oil can again impact deforestation
Buying food with little or no packaging, paper or plastic
Being attentive to food waste
Growing food at home
Thinking a bit more about fish?
Considering growing your own?

With the bombardment of media telling you what you should and shouldn’t do (a little like our own list above), it can feel daunting. Getting good at taking actions to combat global warming is a bit like deciding to go on a diet and then struggling to stick to it. We don’t expect you to do everything every day even if your intentions are terrific. We just hope you keep coming back and setting yourself yet another goal. And, you are not alone in wondering what difference you, as an individual, can actually make. But, consider bees building a honey hive or voters electing a president. In both cases, there are lots of individuals taking small actions and achieving monumental things.

How to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, in 21 charts

CREDIT: FCRN.ORG.UK

CURRENT NEWS

Dec 30 2021

Civil Eats

Our Best Food System Solutions Stories of 2021

By The Civil Eats Editors Photo: Alexandre Family Farm

From the climate crisis to systemic racism to the never-ending pandemic, challenges abound, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But across the food system, people and communities are thinking creatively and acting boldly to address…

Dec 28 2021

Civil Eats

Taking Stock And Looking Forward: Climate and Animal Agriculture

By The Civil Eats Editors

As 2021 comes to an end, we take stock of another momentous year that marked massive upheavals in the food system and across society. To lead us into 2022, we asked some of the leading…

Nov 17 2021

The Washington Post

Extreme weather is crimping America’s pie supply

By Laura Reiley Photo: Zack Wittman for The Washington Post

For Mike’s Pies in Florida, even once supply chain problems resolve, there’s still climate change

Nov 16 2021

Civil Eats

Could Climate Change Make Food Less Nutritious?

By Greta Moran

As the climate crisis progresses, the planet is becoming less inhabitable—not only for humans and other animals, but also for plants.

Nov 12 2021

Wild Human

Foraging On Oregon’s Central Coast

By Tony Kastelnik Photo: Justin Myers

In 1959 author Jean Craighead George released the adventure novel My Side of the Mountain. The book tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who runs away from home and lives off the land in…

Oct 12 2021

The Washington Post

A recipe for fighting climate change and feeding the world

By Sarah Kaplan Photo: Chase Castor

“It’s so different from anything I’ve baked with,” says my baking partner, Jenny Starrs. We’re standing in the tiny kitchen of my D.C. apartment, examining palmfuls of a dark, coarse, rich-scented flour. It’s unfamiliar because…

Oct 11 2021

Fact.Mr

The Impact of Eating Habits on Sustainability: Going Green in the Kitchen and Beyond

As our planet faces the challenges of climate change, population growth, and dwindling natural resources, many people are looking for ways to take small steps to make a big difference. This can mean familiar measures…

Oct 08 2021

Anthropocene

The most comprehensive study ever reveals which are the greenest ‘blue foods’

By Emma Bryce

What is the role of fish in a sustainable food future? Compared to other food groups, we have limited knowledge about the environmental impact of blue foods when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions and…

Sep 29 2021

Food Dive

Nestlé, Campbell Soup ‘highly exposed’ to climate risks, investor group warns

By Chris Casey Photo: Scott Olson via Getty Images

Major food players including Nestlé, Campbell Soup, Nissin Foods, Ajinomoto and Kerry Group ranked among 50 large companies that are "highly exposed" to the physical effects of climate change relative to other businesses in the sectors…

Sep 13 2021

The Guardian

Meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, study finds

By Oliver Milman Photo: Jim West/Alamy Stock Photo

The global production of food is responsible for a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity, with the use of animals for meat causing twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods, a major…

Aug 09 2021

Chicago Tribune

A third of the food we produce is thrown away. An app is trying to change that by connecting consumers to extra food at a bargain price.

By Maya Mokh Photo: Terrance Antonio James , Chicago Tribune

At the end of a given day, restaurants, markets and other food stores often have leftover food that is still perfectly good, but can no longer be sold the next day. That food often gets…

KEY RESOURCES

Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

10/06/20

Food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability; however, they are currently threatening both.

Earth Institute

Focus on Food Would Help Solve Climate Change, Says Study

02/18/20

A paper released today presents a new global food system approach to climate-change research that brings together agricultural production, supply chains and consumption.

Regenerative Farm Map

02/06/20

Click any pin on the map to view more information about specific farms. This is the easiest way to find local farms in your area selling regenerative products.

Nutrient Variation in Our Food Supply

02/05/20

The final report from the Real Food Campaign 2018 Survey is now online. The full analysis might be long, but is worth the read, and we invite your feedback! We've also uploaded a video walk-through…

New York Times

QUIZ: How Does Your Diet Contribute to Climate Change?

01/09/20

See how your food choices compare with those of other Americans.

Center for Food Safety

06/24/19

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) developed the Cool Foods Campaign to show food can be part of climate solutions. The campaign emphasizes eating fresh, unprocessed foods; buying local and seasonal products; choosing organic fare;…

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MORE NEWS

Mother Jones

Is Lab Meat About to Hit Your Dinner Plate?

By Tom Philpott Photo: Sergei Karpukhin , Getty Images 08/02/21

For at least a century, people have dreamed of being able to dine on plentiful meat without having to worry about the labor exploitation, environmental destruction, and animal cruelty that go along with it. In 1932,…

The Guardian

Man v food: is lab-grown meat really going to solve our nasty agriculture problem?

By Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N Rosenberg Photo: Svetlana-Cherruty 07/29/21

Americans will eat about 2bn chicken nuggets this year, give or take a few hundred million. This deep-fried staple is a way of profiting off the bits that are left after the breast, legs and…

Treehugger

How Simple Mills Is Supporting Regenerative Agriculture

By Sami Grover 07/29/21

When frozen potato giant McCain committed themselves to regenerative agriculture, I noted that these signs of positive progress should be tempered with a note of caution: Just like buzz words like “net-zero,” definitions of regenerative agriculture…

The Washington Post

The total health and climate consequences of the American food system cost three times as much as the food itself

By Laura Reiley Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg 07/16/21

The true cost of food is even higher than you think, a new report out Thursday says. The United States spends $1.1 trillion a year on food. But when the impacts of the food system…

Supermarket News

Giant Eagle targets net-zero carbon emissions

By Russell Redman 07/14/21

Regional grocer Giant Eagle aims to reduce its climate impact by achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Supermarket News

Krasdale Foods plans one of New York City’s largest solar projects

By Russell Redman 07/13/21

Krasdale Foods plans to add a solar power system to the roof of its Hunts Point warehouse, which the grocery wholesaler described as the largest solar project in the New York City borough of the…

Civil Eats

Will the U.S. Ban PFAS in Food Packaging?

By Tom Perkins 06/03/21

Since they were developed around the middle of last century, PFAS have been hailed by multiple industries as miracle chemicals. Not only could they stop rain from soaking through fabric, but they could also prevent…

FORTUNE

Plants in, beef out: restaurant menus are adapting to climate-friendly eating

By Mike Dorning and Bloomberg 05/16/21

Eleven Madison Park, a top Manhattan restaurant, is going meatless. The Epicurious cooking site stopped posting new beef recipes. The Culinary Institute of America is promoting “plant-forward” menus. Dozens of colleges, including Harvard and Stanford,…

Science Daily

Climate change threatens one-third of global food production

By Aalto University 05/14/21

Climate change is known to negatively affect agriculture and livestock, but there has been little scientific knowledge on which regions of the planet would be touched or what the biggest risks may be. New research…

SciTechDaily

One-Third of Global Food Production Threatened by Climate Change

By Aalto University Photo: Matti Kummu/Aalto University 05/14/21

The Guardian

Third of global food production at risk from climate crisis

By Fiona Harvey Photo: Alamy 05/14/21

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have calculated that about 95% of current crop production takes place in areas they define as “safe climatic space”, or conditions where temperature, rainfall and aridity fall within certain…

denverpost.com

Restaurant-led agriculture effort aims to fight climate change

By Michael Elizabeth Sakas 05/09/21

Most ranchers sell their cattle to a meat company for the going price, so there’s often little profit or incentive to invest in significant environmental improvements to their land. Something as simple as planting trees…

THE HILL

Tackling climate challenge through food and agricultural innovation

By Ryan Hobert Photo: Thinkstock 05/06/21

Buried among the flurry of announcements made at the Leaders Summit on Climate was a new initiative to address a substantial driver of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: food systems. One-third of global emissions come…

abc15.com

Researchers look to solve food production challenges due to climate change

By Jamie Warren 05/04/21

Former Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan says at the local level, drought and wildfires are the most significant threats to Arizona ranchers...

The Washington Post

Opinion: Biden isn’t trying to cut meat consumption. But he should.

By Stephanie Feldstein Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg 04/30/21

The spark that ignited this right-wing meat fury was an analysis of the climate benefits of Americans eating less beef, which the Daily Mail falsely connected to the president’s climate plan. But the report, from…

eos.org

Climate Change May Reduce Children’s Diet Diversity

By Christian Fogerty Photo: JLUrrea 03/02/21

theseahawk.org

Your food isn’t as sustainable as you thought—how can you do better?

02/28/21

www.businessinsider.com

America has a valuable chance to reimagine our food system as a force to combat climate change

By Paul Lightfoot , Opinion Contributor Photo: Tetona Dunlap/The Washington 02/27/21

Axios

Exclusive: Former UN climate head joins Impossible Foods

By Bryan Walsh Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images 01/15/21

Christiana Figueres, an architect of the Paris climate agreement, will be joining the board of alternative protein startup Impossible Foods, Axios has learned.

Clear Center

What if the United States stopped eating meat?

By Frank Mitloehner 12/04/20

If Americans’ gave up meat and other animal products, would that solve our climate crisis? Research says no. In fact, it continues to demonstrate giving up meat would be a woefully inadequate solution to the…

HuffPost

Food Monopolies Are Affecting The Future Of How We Eat

12/01/20

The food we grow and eat influences every aspect of our cities, our communities and ourselves. But in a world of global food monopolies, how can we future-proof food?

Civil Eats

14 Stories of Resiliency and Food Justice in Indigenous Communities

By The Civil Eats Editor 11/25/20

This year, Thanksgiving is fraught for many reasons, chief among them the ongoing and escalating crisis of the coronavirus pandemic. Many families have canceled or limited travel and festivities, and some are only gathering virtually.

The New York Times

Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Food Production Is Urgent, Scientists Say

By Henry Fountain 11/05/20

How Four Years of Trump Reshaped Food and Farming

11/02/20

In the midst of a global pandemic, a rushed Supreme Court confirmation, and a reckoning with racial justice, food and farming have been on the back burner in the 2020 presidential election.

nypost

Health and environmental experts are coming for your gas stove

By Hannah Sparks 10/29/20

But natural gas combustion isn’t just bad for Earth’s atmosphere. Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit advocacy organization for sustainability, have revealed that toxins, such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, are collecting inside…

Wild Human

GEAR ON THE EDGE OF WASHINGTON’S FRONTIER

By Tony K. Photo: Wild Human 10/29/20

A good gear shop can be like a temple for adventure seekers. There are unmistakable signs of the wild on the weather-worn buildings that compel passers-by to stop. The old skis crossed and mounted on…

The Pandemic Has Given Organics a Big Boost—but Most Profits Aren’t Flowing to Small Producers

10/23/20

When COVID-19 forced communications consultant Kyle Freund and his wife to work from home this spring, the Madison, Wisconsin couple and their 5-year-old daughter began seeking out organic produce from small local farms. They stopped…

Nutrition Education is Helping Low-Income Families Eat Healthier

10/20/20

In addition to math and reading lessons, many third graders in Alabama’s low-income communities learn about nutrition from animated characters like Shining Rainbow, who loves colorful vegetables, and Muscle Max, who eats plenty of lean…

‘Gather’ Centers Efforts to Heal and Rebuild Indigenous Traditions and Foodways

10/14/20

Director Sanjay Rawal is the first to admit that he, the First Nations Development Institute, and the half dozen Indigenous-led partner organizations they worked with to make the new documentary Gather, didn’t set out to…

12 Native-Owned Food Businesses to Support on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

10/12/20

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate and honor the original Americans. To be Indigenous means to be inextricably intertwined with one’s homeland since time immemorial. Entire societies and cultures were and still are organized,…

Forbes

Got Beef? Here’s What Your Hamburger Is Doing To The Climate

By David Vetter Photo: Alliance/Getty Images 10/05/20

The ethics of killing animals for their meat have been debated for centuries. But in recent years, the looming specter of climate change has given meat eaters an additional dilemma to consider: cattle and dairy…

Carbonbrief

Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy?

By Daisy Dunne 09/14/20

Food production accounts for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and takes up half of the planet’s habitable surface.

Phys.org

Changing what we eat could offset years of climate-warming emissions, new analysis finds

by New York University Photo: by New York University 09/07/20

Plant protein foods—like lentils, beans, and nuts—can provide vital nutrients using a small fraction of the land required to produce meat and dairy. By shifting to these foods, much of the remaining land could support…

Kamala Harris Brings Food Justice to the Democratic Ticket

08/18/20

Just four days before Senator Kamala Harris became the first woman of color chosen as the running mate of a major U.S. political party’s (presumptive) presidential...

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Produce Prescriptions are More Important—and Popular—Than Ever.

08/13/20

Since 2019, the VeggieRx produce prescription program in Chicago has offered food-insecure residents with diet-related illnesses free local produce every week. Patients receive prescriptions from primary care physicians and dietitians, and can pick up a…

Ensia

Can cabbage boost the environmental friendliness of lithium-ion batteries?

By Doug Johnson Photo: iStockphoto.com/kupicoo 06/10/20

Although the economics have yet to pencil out, scientists are exploring the use of phytomining to help meet the world's increased demand for lithium, a key component of batteries that run EVs and other modern…

Washington Post

Eating our way to a healthier planet

By Eve Turow-Paul and Sophie Egan Illustration: Michael Parkin for The Washington Post 05/15/20

Yeast, vegetable seeds and local farm boxes are new hot-ticket items. Windowsill scallions are having their moment in the sun. People are exchanging tips on how to use every bit of food in the fridge,…

EcoWatch

UN: Acute Food Shortages Worldwide May Double Due to COVID-19

By Jordan Davidson Photo: Pallava Bagla / Corbis via Getty Images 04/21/20

A stark new assessment from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) found that the economic implications from the economic downturns due to the coronavirus crisis might raise the number of people facing acute food shortages…

EcoWatch

Could Mushrooms Help Us Fight the Climate Crisis?

By Jordan Davidson Photo: Katy Ayers 04/20/20

Mushrooms have a remarkable ability to absorb carbon amongst their many other industrial, nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits. Just recently, a student in Nebraska built a fully functional canoe out of mycelium, the dense, fibrous…

MSNBC

What’s Eating America

By Andrew Zimmern 02/24/20

In a new, five-episode series What’s Eating America, award-winning chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern explores the most provocative social and political issues impacting voters through the lens of food. What’s Eating America premieres Sunday,…

EcoWatch

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