What did you learn about dietary choices from using the footprint calculator? Now imagine that you could translate what you learned into an effective societal policy on food- what would it be? And how would this policy effect the need to alleviate world hunger?
925 million people on earth do not have enough to eat according to the FAO [Food and Agricultural Organization]. That's almost 1 in 7 inhabitants of our planet!
Food & Hunger >
Impact of Food on the Environment
The type of food you eat can have a big impact on the environment. For example growing from home is not only healthier and fresher, but also eliminates all of the greenhouse gases used to grow and transport food across the globe. Furthermore, choosing to eat vegetarian meals over chicken and fish or chicken and fish over red meat can also impact your carbon footprint. Meat consumption takes a serious toll on the environment. The production, processing and distribution of meat requires huge amounts of pesticides, fertilizer, fuel, feed and water while releasing greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals into our air and water. Red meat such as beef and lamb produces 10 to 40 times as many greenhouse gas emissions as common vegetables and grains. So, by choosing to grow your own food, or even to just eat more vegetarian meals you are helping the environment.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti … vironment/
One disadvantage I feel to eating more vegetarian meals is how people especially athletes will get nutrients that are very abundant in meats like protein. Yes eating more vegetarian meals will juristically reduce a person's carbon footprint but how will it affect the people who really need the about of nutrients that certain meats give? I know people can be vegetarians and athletes but they have to be aware of what they eat all the time and how much they eat because often times vegetarian food lack calories and essential nutrients.
(source)https://health.clevelandclinic.org/yes- … n-athlete/