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Check out these two “games” that might make you think differently about food.
Consumer Consequences: Find Out if you are Living a Sustainable Life (thanks to Kim from Hand-Dipped Ideas for the tip). Basically, you answer questions about your lifestyle, and watch the impact of those choices on the world. It tells you how many planets we would need if everyone lived like you.
My number was shockingly high (3.4), with the two worst offenders being transportation and food. I fly often, which accounts for poor transportation numbers. Despite my healthy, sustainable eating, my food impact is fairly high also (relative to other areas of my life). I said that meat and dairy each represent 10% my diet. Reducing them to 0% each cut my impact in half. (I suspect that this game will illuminate to most people their food footprint is MUCH larger than they imagine).
Also check out Cooking Mama: The Unauthorized PETA Edition. A spoof of a popular Nintendo DS game, you progress through the levels preparing a thanksgiving turkey. It’s cartoony, but make it’s point (although it exaggerates a little bit at times - I don’t find drips of blood when I crack open eggs in real life).
At the end, you get to watch a “special” video (which can be found elsewhere). It’s SUPER gruesome - to the point that I couldn’t finish watching it. The first segment is a hidden camera inside a large chicken warehouse…it’s enough to make anyone ponder the impact of their food choices.
No post tomorrow, but look forward to a special video interview on Friday! Enjoy your Thanksgiving meals!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Did you get that link from me??? I got 3.5. It’s the food that gets everyone! I feel there is not much to do to change that other than a huge food system overhaul in America. I watched a video made in Japan about how they import most of their food and their meat portions are off as well. I talked to a girl from Ghana who said people are buying more and more commercially fished/produced canned tuna instead of the fish the local fishers catch. They had a local myth that if you fish every day the sea monsters will get you. The big fish companies obviously ignored this warning and fish every day of the week, never giving the ecosystem a rest. We need to stop this before it gets worse. And spreads to the entire world.
3.9 - shame! We have too big of a house (it feels small) and drive too much. Love the house, so will work on the driving…
@Kim. I did get that link from you (I mentioned it in the post)…thanks!
@Beckie…can you bike or bus? Still trying to figure out how I feel about flying - it’s something I never really considered in terms of my footprint. It’s a consequence of loving to travel and having friends and family all over the country. I could probably be a little bit more responsible though…