As a young 21-year-old woman I am determined to make a difference in this world that will aid in my generation, and those that follow. Within the past two years I have had an increasing interest in gardening and environmental stewardship. During the summer of 2016, I volunteered on an organic farm where I learned how to properly work with real and nutritious food. Here I was able to progress my understandings in how to efficiently use farmland, rotate crops, harvest properly, and manage weeds organically. All of this work was then returned by the earth through an abundance of fruits and vegetables that I, and the other members on the farm, ate everyday to sustain our bodies. In addition, I volunteered for a week on an organic farm in Concepción, …show more content…
This was with restrictions on space, time, resources, and difficult weather conditions. With regards to my volunteering in Chile, I chose to volunteer at the Jardín Botántico where I would be learning about, and working with, indigenous plants to Chile. My main focus is in environmental activism and how connection to the earth is the primary influence of cultural and intellectual development. In accordance to my volunteering practices, I am interested in how farming and growing food promotes a more well-rounded and healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, how it liberates people from depending on the ever-changing and non-reliable system of corporate manipulation, and the genetic modification of true …show more content…
As a starting point our food system must be addressed in order to understand how it has shifted and been changed. We live in an age of instant gratification, and this way of life is not only unsustainable, but also inefficient in maintaining the longevity of our planet. It is creating a world of food that does not benefit us. A main issue is that of how we define food. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that food, “ is a material used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy” (Merriam-Webster). Our definition of food must change in order for people have access to true nutritional sustenance. For example, Doritos are a cheap and available product. However, with the amount of sugars, high sodium levels, and fake chemical ingredients they offer no true sustaining benefits to an organism and therefore cannot be classified as real food. Furthermore, the role of Genetically Modified (GM) foods and the corporation Monsanto’s footprint within Latin America is negatively impacting the environment. In addition, there is little conclusive evidence and research on the effects that genetically modified foods will have on the human body. As the chemicals in these GM food biomagnifies within the human body systems the consequences are unknown and could directly correlate
Humans are damaging the planet to live comfortably, we must change the way food is distributed worldwide, support local farmers and switch to a healthier diet in order to stop global warming. The current global has been getting better for us humans over the years, from eating bread and eggs 3 times a day in the XV century, now we can eat better than the kings of those times, however the much of the food in not healthy and the global food system still fails in getting food to every individual in the planet and in addition it contributes to the destruction of our world. Ms. Anna Lappe explains how the food system contributes to around 1/3 of the global warming issue in her essay “The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork”, while a group of Plos one explains the issues about the export and import of food growth over the last 50 years in the
The book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food, by Wayne Roberts introduces us to the concept of “food system”, which has been neglected by many people in today’s fast-changing and fast-developing global food scene. Roberts points out that rather than food system, more people tend to recognize food as a problem or an opportunity. And he believes that instead of considering food as a “problem”, we should think first and foremost about food as an “opportunity”.
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
The human race was once completely dependent on hunting and gathering as its source for caloric intake. Today, this is not the case. We live in a society that is continuously becoming more global, and the large global population is being supported by modern food production. But what factors caused this switch to take place from hunting and gathering to food production? The main contributors over the last several thousand years include: the increase in calorie yield, the stability, and the benefits derived from domesticate-able animals that can all be attributed to food production.
I volunteered for The American Red Cross in various locations within the San Diego area. By volunteering in various locations the site supervisor changed. Fortunately for the majority of the dates I was able to volunteer the same site supervisor was in charge. In addition, by being a volunteer for this organization I had the opportunity to gain knowledge and identify the important purpose for this organization. Before volunteering I had to contact the representative, submit several forms and receive a training.
The past twenty years have seen rise to a new burgeoning scientific field: genetically modified foods. During the plant breeding process, geneticists interfere with the reproduction and modify the genes of the new seedling by introducing a fragment of DNA from another organism that possesses the desired trait. With genetic modification, scientists can increase the pest, herbicide, cold, and drought tolerance so that the crop can survive in harsher climates. In some cases, the nutritional value can even be increased (Ulrich 9). Despite the obvious benefits of more nutritious foods and crops that are hardier and more resistant to harsher climates, there are some concerns surrounding GM foods. Each new alteration can cause an unforeseen allergic reaction, negate the effects of antibiotics, or potentially cause some adverse effects to the environment (Falkner 101). Every newly developed GM food must be tested on a case by case basis as there is no universal method that determines the safety of all modified components. As a result, long term effects of ingesting food with altered material are unknown.
My interest in plants came through watching and helping my grandmother in her gardens. Last summer, Jacksonville's historic Cummer Gardens needed workers, so I began volunteering there for several hours each week, planting new flowers, removing old ones, mulching, and weeding. My work there has inspired me to volunteer in other public gardens, such as those in libraries and nursing homes, in the future.
Consuming foods that have been genetically altered have serious health risks based on research done on rats by The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), an international organization of physicians. Risks include infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, disruption of insulin and cholesterol regulation, gastrointestinal problems and organ damage. Many AAEM physicians have prescribed non-GMO diets for all patients to improve health conditions. Jeffrey M. Smith, an advocate for non-GMO, says scientific research shows the link of GM food to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock; thousands of toxic and allergic reactions in humans; and damage t...
In order for us to maintain our lives, we need to consume food to supply nutrient-needs for our bodies. As the global population increased, the demand for food also increased. Increased population led to mass production of foods. However, even with this mass production, in under-developed countries, people are still undernourished. On other hand, in developed and developing countries, people are overfed and suffering from obesity. In addition, the current methods of industrial farming destroy the environment. These problems raised a question to our global food system. Will it be able to sustain our increasing global population and the earth? With this question in my mind, I decided to investigate the sustainability of our current global food system.
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
Instead, she emphasizes that direct political action and collective organization are key for this movement to be a success. Isenhour outlines that consumer choice is not effective for a long list of reasons: there are too many choices, making it harder for choices to make a real change; there has been a significant increase in “greenwashing” (the misleading use of labels like “organic,” “natural,” etc.) ; there is an emergence of consumer choice as a “privileged social position”; there is neglect of aware for food justice; and there is simply a reproduction of the same inequitable, capitalist system consumers are trying to remove themselves from. She does not want to undermine the efforts that are taking place, yet she makes us aware that “mindful eating cannot dismantle historically embedded social structures” (2011, 21). Policy reform and polycentric solutions that involve participation from all parts of the food system are absolutely essential for all citizens to get healthy, sustainable food; consumer demand is simply not enough alone.
Thousands of homeless animals are looking for forever homes in America. Volunteering is a great way to give to your community and socialize the animals at the shelters. Working with dogs and cats that have not had good starts in their lives helps them trust again. It helps animals get over the trauma they have had before they went to the shelter. Socializing makes the animal more adoptable and they are given a chance to get forever homes. Volunteer at your local humane society 's and help out the animals like I have worked with in shelters.
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities. Just a small act can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The future is dependent on the individual person and the people they surround themselves with. Just a few hours will change both the volunteer’s life and the one that is in need.
I used to hate community service. I only did it if it was a requirement for graduation or for a program. Even when I did community service, I still waited until the very last opportunity to do it. When I heard the words community service, all I could picture is cleaning Philadelphia parks or streets that were filled with trash in either the cold or heat. My mind always went to that space because that 's what my first few encounters with community service consisted of. My high school always had us cleaning something; one time we re-landscaped the parking lot of a homeless shelter. Another time, we cleaned up the weeds out of the loading docks of the non-profit food bank Philabundance. One time my mom made me volunteer