Introduction!
From left to right: Ellis, Chantal, Lisa, Anniko, Alice. |
Written introductions:
Chantal: Hello my name is Chantal I am 15 years old. My hobbies are gymnastics, listening to music and being with my friends. My ambition is to travel to a lot of different countries when I am older because I am really interested in different cultures of different countries. I am on the bilingual department because English is a very important language in the society of today and it is very convenient if you can communicate/express yourself well in the language. Ellis: Hello my name is Ellis and I’m 14 years old. My hobbies are playing tennis and listening to music. I also really enjoy shopping and being with my friends. When I’m older I would like to travel all over the world to see new countries. I'm on the bilingual department because later I would like to work international and maybe to study in a foreign country. Lisa: Hello my name is Lisa and I am 14 years old. My hobbies are dancing and being together with my friends. I’m also really keen on watching series on Netflix, and listening to music. I also enjoy shopping. My ambition is to travel to lots of different countries all over the world. I’m interested in seeing new countries with new cultures and different landscapes. I am on the bilingual department because in my opinion English is a very important language which is very practical when travelling because it is spoken all over the world. I’d also like to study in a foreign country or work in an international company when I am older. Anniko: Hello my name is Anniko and I am 14 years old. My hobby is playing hockey, I’m the goalkeeper. When I listen to music, I often listen to Adele. When I’m older, I want to go to England to study and live there. Also I would like to travel a lot. I’m on the bilingual department because I wanted to add something extra to my school, and the bilingual department was a good opportunity to do so. I also think it is very important to speak English very well, because it’s one of the most important languages in the world. Alice: Hello, my name is Alice and I am 14 years old. My hobbies are dancing and going out with friends. Also I enjoy listening to music and watching netflix. My ambition is to travel the world, because I love meeting new people and experiencing different cultures and languages. I am on the bilingual department because I want to be able to expand my choice of colleges I can go to, since it looks good on your resume. |
Action plan & deadlines.
The article:
Article- My green meal
Main research question: How can you make your meals greener and is this possible by eating organic food?
Research activities
Our group has conducted two different types of interviews; one about organic food and one about CO2 emission, and one interview to an expert. The interview with the expert from the company De Vaartse Hoeve in Dongen. The number where you can contact the company is: 0162 312082
Interview with expert
Do you buy your organic food or do you make it yourself?
We sell organic pork and beef. Organic also means that the slaughtered animals got organic animal feed. The feed only made of grains and no pesticides were used.
What makes the meat organic and what is the difference between for example an organic piece of beef and a normal piece of beef?
The animal feed that the animals got is produced without pesticides. Furthermore the animals only ate natural products. An organic piece of beef is organic due to the animal feed.
Why did you choose to sell organic food?
We don’t only sell organic food, it is a part of our assortment. Furthermore our food products are antibiotic free. Lately, more and more people have allergies, this is mostly caused by food. We choose to sell organic food products consciously. This makes our store different from normal butchers and supermarkets.
Do you think organic food causes less co2 emission than non-organic food?
No, I think this doesn't have an impact on the co2 emission. It will probably only make a small difference. Animal welfare is the most important thing with organic food.
Intervieuws organic food
We created interviews about organic food and asked our family members and people on the street to fill one in. We wanted to get knowledge about what people know about organic food. We divided our interviews into six age groups, younger than 16, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, and older than 75. From each age group five people filled in an interview. In total we did 30 interviews from which we can conclude what different age groups think about organic food.
Due to these results, we can conclude that there aren’t a lot of people that know exactly what organic food is and that there is only a very small group which never heard about organic food. There are only a few people who always eat organic food, most of them eat it sometimes. In case people consume organic food, the mostly eat organic meat and fish. Organic vegetables is also a very common organic food product. Lots of people think organic food is better for the environment. The opinion about the taste of organic food varies among all age groups, except for the age group 31-45. These five people taste a small difference between organic and nonorganic food. Furthermore, no one would increase in price. A lot of people are of opinion that the price is too high.
Interviews CO2 emission
We created interviews about co2 emission and asked our family members and people on the street to fill one in. We wanted to get knowledge about what people know and think of co2 emission and the greenhouse effect. We divided our interviews into six age groups again, younger than 16, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, and older than 75. From each age group 7 people filled in an interview. In total we did 42 interviews from which we can conclude what different age groups think about co2 emission.
By use of these results we can conclude that quite a lot of people have knowledge about the greenhouse effect. A lot of these people are also of opinion that we as humans should pay more attention to the greenhouse gases that are formed. Co2 is one of the greenhouse gases. Various people also think producing food produces co2 emission, which is true. A lot of people doubt about the question if organic food produces less co2 emission than non-organic food. Meat is the food product from which people think that it produces the most co2 emission during its production. This is also true.
Sites we used
Conclusion
When you say you eat green, you mean that you eat food with a low CO2e score. There are different ways to make your meals greener:
Don’t waste food; food is wasted in every possible way, for example cooking more than needed, crops not picked in fields, and food purchased but not eaten by the customer. Wasted food is wasted energy and water. Growing, processing, and transporting food all use fossil-fuel energy. This happens via farm and processing equipment, and inputs such as fertilizer. These are all associated with greenhouse gasses that are emitted into the atmosphere.
Eat seasonal and regional food; this means that you eat food which is grown in the period of the year it is when you buy the food. And make sure it’s grown in your region so the food will travel fewer kilometers. This will make up that there will be less CO2 emission.
Try to eat less meat and cheese; ruminant animals release the most greenhouse gas emission. They have a digestive system that constantly generates methane ( a greenhouse gas that’s 20 to 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide). Meat is associated with greenhouse emissions. Also because of the production of crops used to feed the animal, a lot of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
Don’t buy air freighted food; all food that travels by airplane has a high CO2 score, because something that is air freighted emits greenhouse gases up to 30 times more than food shipped by boat, from the same location. Most of the time this food is more expensive.
Skip processed and packaged food; food that is processed will have a larger carbon footprint than raw or minimally processed alternatives. This is because of a few reasons: the energy that goes into cutting, cooking, and packaging the foods. And because of additional sweeteners and preservatives like sugar, mechanically dried fruits, coffee and chocolate. These are all energy-intensive products. To start with eating greener you can try to eat less meat, for example a meatless monday.
Organic agriculture produces less CO2 emission, but only in a small amount.
Most changes in the environment are long term, occurring slowly over time. Organic agriculture contributes to the long term effects of sustainability.
Food grown with chemical products also has an impact on the climate. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are used a lot in agriculture, and are often made from fossil fuels. Manufacturing and transporting these chemicals uses significant quantities of energy and produces greenhouse gases. In addition, the use of synthetic fertilizers in soil produces nitrous oxide. A greenhouse gas that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Organic farms on the other hand, which rely on natural manure and compost for fertilizer, store most of the carbon in the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
But what is better for the environment, local or organic food? It is true that it is better to buy food nearby but the transport distance only makes up a relatively small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of food. Approximately 11%, according to studies. How food is grown makes up a much larger percentage, 83%. This is because if you buy for example lamb from close by they are fed grains, which take a lot of energy to grow, while if you buy lamb which is grown on an organic farm further away, they were grazed on grass. This is the same for other foods. Choosing to buy food that is organically grown, is therefore a better choice for the climate. But if possible, buy food that is organic and local. This will have a good impact on the climate over long term.
Article- My green meal
Main research question: How can you make your meals greener and is this possible by eating organic food?
Research activities
Our group has conducted two different types of interviews; one about organic food and one about CO2 emission, and one interview to an expert. The interview with the expert from the company De Vaartse Hoeve in Dongen. The number where you can contact the company is: 0162 312082
Interview with expert
Do you buy your organic food or do you make it yourself?
We sell organic pork and beef. Organic also means that the slaughtered animals got organic animal feed. The feed only made of grains and no pesticides were used.
What makes the meat organic and what is the difference between for example an organic piece of beef and a normal piece of beef?
The animal feed that the animals got is produced without pesticides. Furthermore the animals only ate natural products. An organic piece of beef is organic due to the animal feed.
Why did you choose to sell organic food?
We don’t only sell organic food, it is a part of our assortment. Furthermore our food products are antibiotic free. Lately, more and more people have allergies, this is mostly caused by food. We choose to sell organic food products consciously. This makes our store different from normal butchers and supermarkets.
Do you think organic food causes less co2 emission than non-organic food?
No, I think this doesn't have an impact on the co2 emission. It will probably only make a small difference. Animal welfare is the most important thing with organic food.
Intervieuws organic food
We created interviews about organic food and asked our family members and people on the street to fill one in. We wanted to get knowledge about what people know about organic food. We divided our interviews into six age groups, younger than 16, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, and older than 75. From each age group five people filled in an interview. In total we did 30 interviews from which we can conclude what different age groups think about organic food.
Due to these results, we can conclude that there aren’t a lot of people that know exactly what organic food is and that there is only a very small group which never heard about organic food. There are only a few people who always eat organic food, most of them eat it sometimes. In case people consume organic food, the mostly eat organic meat and fish. Organic vegetables is also a very common organic food product. Lots of people think organic food is better for the environment. The opinion about the taste of organic food varies among all age groups, except for the age group 31-45. These five people taste a small difference between organic and nonorganic food. Furthermore, no one would increase in price. A lot of people are of opinion that the price is too high.
Interviews CO2 emission
We created interviews about co2 emission and asked our family members and people on the street to fill one in. We wanted to get knowledge about what people know and think of co2 emission and the greenhouse effect. We divided our interviews into six age groups again, younger than 16, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, and older than 75. From each age group 7 people filled in an interview. In total we did 42 interviews from which we can conclude what different age groups think about co2 emission.
By use of these results we can conclude that quite a lot of people have knowledge about the greenhouse effect. A lot of these people are also of opinion that we as humans should pay more attention to the greenhouse gases that are formed. Co2 is one of the greenhouse gases. Various people also think producing food produces co2 emission, which is true. A lot of people doubt about the question if organic food produces less co2 emission than non-organic food. Meat is the food product from which people think that it produces the most co2 emission during its production. This is also true.
Sites we used
- www.eatlowcarbon.org
- http://ww.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/food-and-climate-change/
- http://timeforchange.org/eat-less-meat-co2-emission-of-food
- http://iinas.org/tl_files/iinas/downloads/food/2009_GHG_food.pdf
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161121165458.htm
Conclusion
When you say you eat green, you mean that you eat food with a low CO2e score. There are different ways to make your meals greener:
Don’t waste food; food is wasted in every possible way, for example cooking more than needed, crops not picked in fields, and food purchased but not eaten by the customer. Wasted food is wasted energy and water. Growing, processing, and transporting food all use fossil-fuel energy. This happens via farm and processing equipment, and inputs such as fertilizer. These are all associated with greenhouse gasses that are emitted into the atmosphere.
Eat seasonal and regional food; this means that you eat food which is grown in the period of the year it is when you buy the food. And make sure it’s grown in your region so the food will travel fewer kilometers. This will make up that there will be less CO2 emission.
Try to eat less meat and cheese; ruminant animals release the most greenhouse gas emission. They have a digestive system that constantly generates methane ( a greenhouse gas that’s 20 to 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide). Meat is associated with greenhouse emissions. Also because of the production of crops used to feed the animal, a lot of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
Don’t buy air freighted food; all food that travels by airplane has a high CO2 score, because something that is air freighted emits greenhouse gases up to 30 times more than food shipped by boat, from the same location. Most of the time this food is more expensive.
Skip processed and packaged food; food that is processed will have a larger carbon footprint than raw or minimally processed alternatives. This is because of a few reasons: the energy that goes into cutting, cooking, and packaging the foods. And because of additional sweeteners and preservatives like sugar, mechanically dried fruits, coffee and chocolate. These are all energy-intensive products. To start with eating greener you can try to eat less meat, for example a meatless monday.
Organic agriculture produces less CO2 emission, but only in a small amount.
Most changes in the environment are long term, occurring slowly over time. Organic agriculture contributes to the long term effects of sustainability.
Food grown with chemical products also has an impact on the climate. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are used a lot in agriculture, and are often made from fossil fuels. Manufacturing and transporting these chemicals uses significant quantities of energy and produces greenhouse gases. In addition, the use of synthetic fertilizers in soil produces nitrous oxide. A greenhouse gas that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Organic farms on the other hand, which rely on natural manure and compost for fertilizer, store most of the carbon in the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
But what is better for the environment, local or organic food? It is true that it is better to buy food nearby but the transport distance only makes up a relatively small percentage of the overall carbon footprint of food. Approximately 11%, according to studies. How food is grown makes up a much larger percentage, 83%. This is because if you buy for example lamb from close by they are fed grains, which take a lot of energy to grow, while if you buy lamb which is grown on an organic farm further away, they were grazed on grass. This is the same for other foods. Choosing to buy food that is organically grown, is therefore a better choice for the climate. But if possible, buy food that is organic and local. This will have a good impact on the climate over long term.