Micheal Behar( 2019, Feb 15). Inside a repurposed Twin Cities brewery, a massive aquaponics operation is ready to provide a locavore’s dream: fresh produce and fish, raised indoors every month of the year. Outside. Retrieved (2019, Feb 24) From:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2389106/urban-organics-fix-food

Summary:

There is a massive aquaponics operation going on that will supply fresh food and fish for people in California. It is inside of an 85,000 ft square warehouse and its called Urban Organics. There are about 300,000 individual plants, and the operation as a whole keeps the system running very well. The yields can be very good because about 16,000 pounds of plants are produced in a week. It also produced 150 pounds of fish per week. This makes the operation extremely efficient and allows for there to be good profit with an environmentally friendly idea.

Relation to Environmental science:

Because this food source is local, they do not do a lot of transportation. This also produces a lot of food in a small area. The food is fresh and organic, therefore it is a possible solution to the problem of agriculture taking up so much space. Because the food is layered vertically on trays the amount of space used can be minimized. Lastly, people will come to this company to pick up the food like a market, because it is so fresh and good. It is a unique way of producing food that will help with the environment in the future.

David Goldstein ( 2019, Feb 23). Local residents tackle the problem of food waste.

VC star: USA today Retrieved (2019, Feb 24)

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/02/24/eco-tip-local-residents-tackle-problem-food-waste/2960388002/

Summary:

This is an article about a company based in California called food share. Food share is a company that collects extra food from grocery stores and ensures that people who are hungry and in need get the food. This helps prevent food waste and allows for people to get the food they need. It states that about 18% of the waste we put into landfill is food, and they are helping to stop this waste from becoming a problem.

Relation to Environmental science:

Because overstocking in stores is such a large problem, a company like Food share is doing a great job of creating a solution that benefits everyone. The people who do not have enough to eat get food and the environment is helped. This also shows that problems with the environment can be solved it just takes some effort from people to put together a solution. This company overall is helping about the community, in general, a lot.

Marieta Sakalian ( 2019, Feb 19). Towards a great transformation UN Envionrmnet. Retrieved (2019, Feb 24) From:

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/towards-great-food-transformation

Summary: In this article, the author is conveying the importance of diversity in nutrition. The author explains how people could grow a variety of food while conserving resources, as well as helping the environment. This article also talks about malnutrition and how there are over 820 million people around the world that do not get the proper nutrients that they need. The article states that although there are 250,000 plant species only 7000 have been used for agriculture and that there could be other plants that we have not tried that are edible.

Relation to Environmental science:

This article explains why it is important for agriculture to not take over all the resources. It shows that it has caused deforestation and explains how wasteful humans are. If we were to not be so wasteful it would mitigate many of the problems that we have with our environment. For example ,the article talks about using less water when growing food, this is important because water is a valuable resource that should not be wasted.

Chalmers University of Technology. ( 2018, Dec 13). Is Organic food worse for the Climate? EurekAlert. Retrieved (2019, Feb 20) From:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/cuot-ofw121318.php

Summary:

This article makes the argument that organically grown food has a larger impact on the environment than conventionally grown food for the amount of food that is grown per acre. There was an experiment between conventionally and organically grown peas in California. The results showed that the organically grown peas have 50% greater emissions than conventionally grown peas. This is mainly because the amount of land used for organic food needed to produce the same amount of conventionally grown food is much bigger.

Relation to Environmental science:

This is a sign that we need to be fixing our environment quickly. It is important for human to eat organic food, and while it is not necessary it is much healthier and therefore should be something we want to keep. The emission of agriculture, in general, is a lot and in order for us to survive, we are going to need to find a better way that does not yield so much carbon.

Rosie Burroughs ( 2019, Feb 19). As awareness grows about foods role in climate change. What solutions exits? Civil Eats. Retrieved (2019, Feb 20) From:

https://civileats.com/2019/02/19/as-awareness-grows-about-foods-role-in-climate-change-what-solutions-exist/

Summary:

This article talks about the large role that food and agriculture play in the production of global greenhouse gases. The article suggests that it would take 5% reductions every year if we were to start now in order to get the climate change to a good place. The article also mentions how little people talk about agriculture affecting the environment even though it plays a large role. In California, there is an organization, that has been working since 2006 called the CalCan, and they have been working to reduce emissions from agriculture in any way possible.

Relation to Environmental science:

While in California people are more aware of the impact that agriculture is making on the environment, other stats are not. The CalCan is one of the only organizations focused on reducing emissions specifically from agriculture and it is worrying that people are unaware of this major factor that contributes to climate change. It is important to reduce emissions in various ways and have multiple solutions to climate change. Otherwise, we will not be able to fix it, and if people are missing a piece as big as agriculture, it could be bad for the future.

Summary:

A study has confirmed that leading a healthy diet consisting of mostly fruits and vegetables, rather than meat, is better for the environment. It also benefits the climate because less processing is done to make the food. Livestock farming requires high energy, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas the production life cycle of organic food reduces greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative energy demand, and land occupation. Organic diets also have a more beneficial effect to people’s health if the diet is plant based rather than meat based.

Relation Environmental science:

It is inferred that the food production cycle of farming organic food is more beneficial to sustainability than any other method of food production. Therefore in the future it will be important for people to manage their diet in the pursuit of environmental wellness. Agriculture will also begin to use a lot of land taking away from other things so people must adapt to make room for more crops. The environment can also be impacted by climate, soil types, and farm management. This article does a good job of showing the importance of a healthy diet.  

This article talks about the importance of eating based off of season, if you were to eat a strawberry for example, during the winter. It would have to be flown over from somewhere across the world where it was in season. This makes it cost more and it is not environmentally friendly. It is also healthier to eat food based off of the seasons because this forces variety into a person’s diet. Overall it is beneficial to go to the market and have local in season fruits rather than processed or out of season fruit.

Relation to Environmental Science:

This relates to environmental science because when a fruit or vegetable is being flown over because someone wants to eat it out of season, it causes a lot of c02 emissions which overtime is environmentally damaging. This poses the questions of whether it is really worth it to eat fruit that is not in season, considering it is both economically and environmentally not friendly.

In Alabama, Colony’s Carpenter’s Cabinet community food pantry, held its official grand opening. This food pantry is able to obtain food for 14 cents per pound, and then distribute it to the people in need. Applicants for this food service must prove eligibility in order to receive food from the non profit organization. This type of food distribution is able to save a lot of money and help those in need. So it is beneficial in many ways. This particular organization in alambagh will help over 300 families.

Relation to Environmental Science:

This article is portraying the kindness of the community, because a company is donating to those who need food. It also relates to the environmental aspect because the process of getting the food and giving the food is much more cost efficient and environmentally friendly. Rather than selling the processed foods at stores, people are receiving food through the organization which helps the environment because most of this food is organic.