SPONSORED BY NAVITAS ORGANICS
“Globalized industrialized food is not cheap: it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health. The Earth can no longer carry the burden of groundwater mining, pesticide pollution, disappearance of species and destabilization of the climate. Farmers can no longer carry the burden of debt, which is inevitable in industrial farming with its high costs of production. It is incapable of producing safe, culturally appropriate, tasty, quality food. And it is incapable of producing enough food for all because it is wasteful of land, water and energy. Industrial agriculture uses ten times more energy than it produces. It is thus ten times less efficient.”
– Vandana Shiva, author, environmental activist
Food is powerful. The choices we make when we eat directly affect not only ourselves, but also our larger planet, local communities, and people worldwide. Yet most of us don’t consider where our food comes from and at what cost. As consumers, we’re too often unaware of the agricultural practices used to produce our food. Add in over-processing, flashy marketing and engineered packaging, and it can be easy to feel disconnected from what is on your plate.
Understanding where our food comes from is critical, because the choices we make multiple times each day create and reinforce the current toxic culture of food production, consumption and waste in our world. How we produce, use and dispose of food has a staggering (and currently negative) impact on both people and planet.
Historically, humans have treated food with reverence, by growing ingredients in a way that respects the earth and by cooking nourishing dishes that bring communities together. However, these traditions have been disrupted with the onset of industrial agriculture that prioritizes profit over quality and at the expense of all else.
Industrial agriculture damages the soil, water, air and climate at an unprecedented scale. The way people grow food has changed drastically and rapidly. Our current food system is dominated by large-scale monoculture, coupled with the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These practices harm the environment and cause soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and water pollution. Industrial agriculture also negatively impacts people, leading to social problems including antibiotic resistance, increasing use of chemicals and dangerously high exposure of farm workers to toxins.
But there is another way! When farming is managed sustainably, food production can improve soil health and water quality, restore habitats, mitigate climate change, enhance workers’ quality of life, and provide healthy, nourishing, plentiful food for people to eat.
Organizations like the Friends of the Earth are working tirelessly to protect our planet by fighting the detrimental industrial model and promoting ecologically sound and sustainable alternatives. Companies like today’s partner, Navitas Organics, are committed to creating a healthier world through regenerative organic farming and plant-focused lifestyles.
The good news is that consumers (YOU) are demanding to know what’s actually in food, who grew it, how it was produced, and where it came from. Individual buying habits here really do add up in massive ways.
When it comes to food, Turning Green follows the acronym FLOSN:
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 1500 miles before consumption. By prioritizing purchasing from local farmers, regional economies are strengthened with consistent demand for local products, and emissions from food transportation decrease greatly.
Organic. To be certified organic, farmers cannot use substances that might harm or contaminate air, water or soil. Organic food puts human and soil health first, supporting farmers and businesses that do the same.
Seasonal. Purchasing in season means you buy, cook and eat produce that tastes better, is harvested at its peak, and grown closer to home, while fostering appreciation for yearround variety and unique seasonal flavors. It simultaneously benefits health, soil, environment and wallets.
Non-GMO. GMOs have caused the pesticide and herbicide use to skyrocket, leaving more chemical residue on crops for consumers to ingest and contaminating lands. While much of the research around GMOs is conflicting, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health issues, environmental damage, biodiversity loss, and violations of farmers’ and consumers’ rights. For more information, check out this article from Green America.
Turning Green has put FLOSN practices to work with 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. Here’s a video to give you a glimpse into this revolutionary program.
Many recognize that industrial agriculture may be harmful, but don’t see another way to tackle hunger globally. This is a common misconception. Industrial agriculture has failed massively in its initial promises to “feed the world”. Although it is the most prevalent form of agriculture, the industrial food chain provides only 30% of the world’s food. Even decades after it came into existence, a billion people worldwide still go hungry, with the highest of any developed nation occuring in the United States. Food insecurity on college campuses in the USA is shocking, with 35-50% of students unable to afford food.
Perhaps one way to repair our damaged food system is to focus on improving sustainability practices of the small scale farmers that produce 70% of the world’s food. Agroecology is one way to do this. By working with, not against, nature, this way of farming demonstrates increasing evidence of its ability to actually feed the world.
Watch this short video explaining agroecology.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses. You must include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Eating FLOSN (fresh, local, organic, seasonal, non-GMO) food is often thought to be more expensive and thus out of reach for students, but that is not always the case. For example, buying seasonally, in bulk, and from local organic farmers at farmers markets are all great options to cut back on costs while reducing ecological footprints. These choices are also better for your health, for farmers and for the planet.
Get informed by checking out these resources for conscious shopping on a budget:
Take notes of practical ways a student can use these tips to incorporate more FLOSN foods into shopping habits. Share some of your notes in a creative way (infographic, drawing, video, etc.) and post your creation on social media. Tag @Turninggreenorg and use #PGC2019.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. You must include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Now that you are starting to understand the massive impact of food choices, we invite you to curate a FLOSN diet in your life for 5 days.
Imagine that you are alloted $50 for 5 days of FLOSN meals. Create a shopping list and meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. How far can you make $50 go?
Head to a local green grocer, grocery store, co-op or farmer’s market to price out your list. Or look online (check out Thrive Market). How will you best stick to the FLOSN criteria? Work with family, friends or roommates to get creative!
Share your shopping list and 5 day menu. Answer the following questions:
Upload a PDF Document with your responses. You must include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Due on 10/12 at 6am PT. We will award up to 50 bonus points based on quality of work.
Knowing what you now know about food, it is time to test your cooking skills! Using the FLOSN criteria as a guide, prepare a delicious meal for you and 3 or more friends, keeping it under $4 per person. The Conscious Kitchen Cookbook has some great inspiration!
Create a menu that must include an entree, side and drink. Use as many FLOSN ingredients as possible! Incorporate your skills from the Greener challenge to shop on a budget. The goal is to keep your meal under $4 per person. Get cooking and show us your rendition of a sustainable supper.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. You must include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Up to 10 Greener and 10 Greenest of the most outstanding submissions will be chosen as winners and awarded prize points to redeem in the PGC Prize Store. Greener wins = 75 prize points, Greenest wins = 100 prize points. Check the Winners page to see if you’re selected!
5 submissions will be randomly selected to receive:
Navitas Organics Super Food Blend Vanilla
Navitas Organics Mulberries
Navitas Organics Gogi Power Snacks
Each time you submit a challenge, you get an entry. Complete Green, Greener, and Greenest to triple your chances!
Extended deadlines and extra credits do not apply.
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