Final Reflective Assignment

1. I think that the most valuable thing that I learned from this class is that conventional food has an unseen price that cannot be accounted for until the damage is done. This class taught me that buying foods that are local and organic can really help to reduce the amount of damage done in transporting and growing food. Even though before this class I was aware of the damage that conventional food does, I wasn't acutely aware of it. Now I make sure to check labels of foods that I buy and to look for foods that better for me and for the planet.

2. The group project aspect of this course was really rewarding because we were working on something that would help People's in the long run and would have tangible results. Our group was challenged mostly by the farmers themselves. It was sometimes hard to get a hold of them and hard to get them to make a commitment to us for a farm visit or interview. We had to rely on strangers' capacity to welcome us and to invite to their farms which was awkward at best sometimes. Another struggle within the group was just finding time when our schedules corresponded to go to the farms. With five of us and three without cars, it was difficult to find shared free time to visit farms that were somewhat far away. We resolved these issues by trying to be as friendly and inviting to the farmers when we were setting up appointments to visit. Toward the end of the project, we realized that it was best to go to the farmers first and then plan our time around their time, whereas at first we tried to figure out when everyone was free and then try to call farms that could have us at that time. This helped us get together and rally around a time that was convenient for the farmer.

3. This class helped teach me that issues of food are issues of social responsibility. We all the responsibility to be knowledgeable about where our food comes from and how it is grown. In America, most of us have the privilege to vote with our dollar. By buying foods that are low impact on the environment we are making a statement about what we want the world to be like for future generations. More people in America need to realize the high ecological and health costs of cheap, unhealthy, processed foods and engage in the issues that allow big corporations to have control over what goes into our bodies.

Assignment #4: Question 2

While reading J. Justin Wilson's review of Food Inc. I was struck by several of the points he makes about organic food. First, he states, “the weight of scientific evidence does not support claims that organic food is more nutritious or safer than conventionally produced food.” Clearly this statement is a blatant lie. Perhaps organic food hasn't be proven to be more nutritious than conventional food, but certainly it doesn't take an expert to know that it is safer. Blue baby syndrome, extinction of other species, and depletion of soil quality requires the use of heavy duty chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These substances are very dangerous for animal and human consumption and therefore organic farms who do not use them are safer farms to live downstream from.
Another part of this article that stuck out to me is when he talks about the low income family who is overweight and eats a lot of fast food. Wilson implies that this family is stupid because they were unaware of how bad fast food is for you. Wilson mocks Food Inc's advice to the family which is to eat more local and organic vegetables. This advice is the sage advice of doctors and parents all over the world; eat your fruits and veggies. It is remarkable that Wilson thinks that this advice is stupid and mocks its intention even though clearly following that advice would drastically improve the health of the family.

Assignment #4: Question 1

I respond to the omnivore's dilemma by eating as locally and organic as I can. I like to buy my produce from the farmers themselves and try to foster relationships with the people that I rely on to grow my food. Buying bread and cheese that is made locally eliminates a lot of the shipping costs that would be necessary if they were shipped from all over the country and even world. I have been keeping a vegetable garden since last summer. In the winter I grow carrots, beets, kale, chard, and potatoes. This summer I have green and yellow zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries, basil, rosemary, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and bok choi. Having a garden makes me much more aware of the work and effort that is required to grow food. It also helps me eat more locally, by being able to use food from my garden instead of buying it from the store, I'm able to eliminate some of my reliance on others for food.

I also grow my own food as a part of my family's tradition of growing our own food. My mother grew up on a farm where they kept sheep, cows, and grew crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat, as well as maintaining a huge family garden. This is where she learned to garden vegetables and flowers. When she moved from the Midwest to the West coast, she brought her family's gardening tradition with her. She still has a large garden with flowers, vegetables, fruits, and berries. Her gardening practices definitely motivated me to start my own garden. As well as providing local, organic food for me, my garden keeps me connected with the traditions that have been in my family for hundreds of years. I may be growing different food than my ancestors, but I am still connected with the traditions that they practiced.


I mostly think about the environment when I am making choices about what to eat. I know that factory farming is extremely detrimental to the environment, as is chemical pesticides and fertilizers, so I try and avoid any foods that would have extremely negatively impacted the environment. This is what has led me to a mostly vegetarian diet. I will still eat some seafood, especially if it is freshly caught or sustainably, wildly caught. When I am shopping I try and keep in mind what foods are the most damaging to the environment and which foods are lighter and easier to produce naturally. Keeping these things in mind makes shopping new and fun each time because I can always look and find a new, local, organic product that will better replace another, less sustainable option.