Introduction Hey! I am Brjiesh, the compiler of the EUMIND team: “My Green Meal.” My role as a compiler meant that I had to shoulder the responsibility of compiling the findings of the team. The aim of our project was to conduct research on how the food we ate had an impact on the environment. I was intrigued by the fact that the food we ate emitted large amounts of carbon emissions into the environment, which obviously has an adverse effect on it. In the course of our research, I interviewed an expert on green meals, which helped me to delve deeper into the world of food production and how it contributes to global warming. Research Through my research, I found answers to these three questions : 1. How food contributes toward CO2 Emissions: There are a lot of factors that contribute to the carbon emissions of the food we eat. The main factors include the transportation, production and harvesting of food. The same food item, when cultivated in different ways, can have vastly different CO2 emissions. For example: A product that has been naturally grown in a nearby farm would have less CO2 than a product that has been shipped from another country and grown with artificial fertilizers. The reason for this is because the transportation as well as the method of cultivation differs. 2. My experience making green meals for my family When making green meals, the thing that matters most are the raw ingredients themselves. To preserve this idea as much as possible, I made a simple summer salad for an after-dinner snack. My family members really enjoyed it, and they said that it was scrumptious. Not only was it delicious, it was also very nutritious due to all the vitamin-rich tomatoes and bell peppers in it.
3.Is eating green healthier for us? Is it better for the environment? Green meals refer to meals that have a relatively low CO2 emission. This means that it enables us to reduce our carbon footprint, and do our part to prevent global warming. Taking this into consideration, green meals are undeniably beneficial for the environment. Furthermore, the crops cultivated with green methods are raised without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers and other harmful substances. Thus, green meals are also healthier for us.
Communication The main form of communication that our team used was Whatsapp, through which we were able to ask questions and inform everyone when we were done with a certain aspect of our project. In addition to this, we also conducted meetings on Microsoft Teams, which allowed us to see each other face-to-face and have productive discussions.
Reflection In my opinion, we did really well as a team. There was a lot of communication between all of us, and I absolutely loved the energetic atmosphere that my teammates maintained throughout the project. Even though it was a challenge to balance EUMIND with all of my academics and extracurricular activities, I was able to complete everything on time.
Communication was obviously hindered due to the pandemic, but we overcame that hurdle too. I would have liked to meet with my teammates in person, but given the current circumstances, I am completely satisfied with how things turned out. However, I would have preferred if the tasks were handed out in a more orderly manner, since this caused me some confusion. The constant inflow of tasks made it hard to keep track of everything that was left to be done, but the checklists that were posted on the Whatsapp group solved this problem.
EUMIND was a fabulous experience, and I had the opportunity to learn a lot of new things and delve deeper into the intriguing topic of ‘Green meals.’ I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with my teammates, and this is an experience that I will never forget.
Introduction Did you know that the food system is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions? I'm Anna, the photographer of the EUMIND team “My Green Meal " and we can all save our planet from global warming by changing our lifestyle. Green meal refers to making lifestyle choices related to food consumption to reduce resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Choosing a low carbon diet is one side of developing sustainable diets which increase the long-term sustainability of humanity Research • How food contributes to CO2: The carbon emissions of your food depends on methods used to grow, rear, farm, process, transport, store, cook and dispose of the food you eat. Green meals include eating less industrial meat and dairy, eating less industrially produced food in general, eating food grown locally and seasonally, eating less processed and packaged foods, and reducing waste from food by proper portion size, recycling, or composting. • My experience making green meal for the family: I had made fresh salad as my green meal which was greatly enjoyed by my family members. It required very less ingredients and time. It was cheaper compared to the food we eat regularly. • Is eating green healthier for us? Is it better for the environment? Yes, eating green is healthier for us and the environment as eating green reduces the carbon emissions and results in a sustainable future. Based on the interview with an expert, we came to the conclusion that eating green is healthy for us as the food is produced by green and organic methods. It is free from pesticides and fertilizers. Communication My team members and I interacted on an online platform which was greatly beneficial. We stayed connected through WhatsApp and conducted meetings in Microsoft Teams. Reflection I had a wonderful time participating in EUMIND and I learned many new things. Based on the research conducted, I learned how the food we eat affects the environment. I had a great time with my teammates, who also contributed greatly to the success of this project. I only wish that we had more time to organize our data and plan the project more thoroughly. EUMIND was a wonderful experience for me. I hope that we can all come together and save our environment.
Introduction Being the Editor of the Eumind team with the Topic “My Green Meal” was quite challenging. We were asked to conduct interviews and formulate recipes which were not just healthy but also appealing to our taste buds. Our kitchen was transformed into a lab where we experimented with food and various recipes. The research was truly an awakening experience as we came to know more about the food we consumed in terms of CO2 emissions and how it affected the environment we live in.
Research
How Food contributes to CO2:
Carbon emissions include all the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of certain activities. Therefore, it is carbon emission of food which contains the gases released by food production. Growing plants, breeding livestock, farming, harvesting, and producing food contributes to these emissions. Transportation of these products and their disposal can have an impact on the environment. Therefore, we need to be really careful with how we handle them. Food production has a huge impact on the environment in terms of carbon emissions. According to research, more than 8 tons of gases are released by one single household.
My experience making Green Meals for my family:
I made Cobb salad for my family and I’m glad to say that they really enjoyed it. The best thing about Cobb salad is that it includes all the food types and the carbon emissions of this salad is really low so it is good for my health and maintains a healthy environment. Scientists have discovered that if you don’t like the food you’re eating, your body doesn’t accept it either. The advantage of consuming this salad is that it not only looks appetising but tastes delicious too.
Is eating green healthier? Is it better for the environment?
From the interviews, experiments and research work we had conducted, we came to the conclusion that it is safe to practice eating green as it is healthy for us and the environment. Eating green means eating healthy from all the food groups in which the food emits less carbon emissions which is a win-win for us and the environment. Communication My team and I had enough streams through which we communicated like WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams. Through the above mentioned medium we could communicate anytime without any hindrance.
Reflection This was my first experience in EUMIND and I enjoyed the brain storming sessions that we so often had. I had lots of fun-filled moments with my fellow schoolmates and researching together about a topic that was entirely new to me. I found the information collected very productive and I’m sure it can go into my repository of wisdom gained. We did have a few obstacles due to managing schoolwork along with the project but life is a lot more challenging and exciting when we keep our minds occupied with enlightened thoughts. I can’t wait to join EUMIND next year too and learn more about the world!
Interview with an expert – Summary After conducting extensive research on the topic of green meals and conducting interviews with experts on this topic, we have come to the conclusion that green meals are indeed healthy for both the environment and for us. The first question that we need to answer when talking about green meals is: What is eating green? Eating green is choosing foods that are healthy for the environment; that is to say, foods with relatively low carbon emissions. You may be wondering how you can reduce your carbon footprint. Since the primary cause behind the carbon emissions isn’t the food itself, but the process used to cultivate, transport and harvest it, you can simply buy farm fresh and organic ingredients to prepare your meals. Any meal made from ingredients grown organically can be considered as a green meal, as when there is no use of pesticides and fertilisers, and the natural cycle of agriculture (involving creatures which keep the soil healthy, and which are otherwise harmed by these chemical substitutes) is kept alive. Furthermore, animal farms are one of the largest sources of environmental pollution, due to the release of dangerous greenhouse gases like methane in these farms. It would help if people switched over to a vegan and more environment friendly diet. Earth friendly and natural methods should be used for farming. The best way to spread awareness about the importance of green meals is by targeting the younger generation, who can then inform their families.
Interview with an expert – Summary
I had done an interview on the topic green meal with a dietician. She defined green meal as consuming food that would benefit the enivironment.This involves consuming food with a low carbon food print. A low-carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices related to food consumption to reduce resulting greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Choosing a low carbon diet is one side of developing sustainable diets which increase the long-term sustainability of humanity. Some ways to reduce the carbon emission of our meals is to; grow your own produce, buy produce directly sold to you by farmers and avoid processed food. She also mentioned that eating green does not necessarily mean you have to be vegan or vegetarian. You simply can reduce the amount of meat consumed daily as meat has exceedingly high carbon emission. Eating green is not only healthy for the environment but is healthy for us too as industrially grown produce will be injected by many antibiotics and pesticides but when we consume organic and farm fresh produce it will be beneficial to us. By making simple changes like eating fewer animal products, using less plastic, eating more fresh produce, and decreasing your food waste, you can cut your personal greenhouse gas emissions significantly for us.These simple steps can help save the environment. - Anna
In a magnificent interview with dietician and nutritionist Dr. Jemmima Felix, I found answers to many of the curious questions asked by the society about green meal. I was intrigued by the innovative answers that she had given me. During the interview I asked her five common questions that come into people’s minds when they plan to start a green meal and she told me the pros and cons for each of them. But the highlight to the interview were two of these questions that I had asked. The first one was, what exactly is a green meal? She has answered telling me that many of the people had misunderstood the meaning of this very concept, A green meal was nothing but a meal that is healthy for us and the environment. A green meal helps our body to stay in good condition and the environment to sustain and help us with the nourishment. The second and the main question I had asked was that because green meals involved replacement of traditional ingredients with greener alternatives, would it lead to the downfall of the European and Indian economies? To this I got a very articulated answer. She had told me that this would cause a slight downfall but if we didn’t eat a green meal it would cause a major downfall due to the malnourishment of the environment and the people which would cause a big impact on the country just like the recent pandemic has because our health and the health of the environment is the only thing that keeps the country’s economy high and running. I found this interview very helpful and enlightening.
Questionnare: 1. What would you consider a green meal? 2. What are some examples of green meal? 3. Do you think that the food that we eat everyday can be considered a green meal? If not, then why? 4. Is eating green healthier for us? Is it better for the environment? 5. Is something that would be considered “healthy” for us necessarily be healthy for the environment? 6. In your experience, would you say that eating green is more expensive or cheaper that eating normally? 7. Is it possible for us to enjoy the same meals as we do now, but to reduce the carbon emissions? 8. Does eating green have any ill effects on humans in the long-term? If so, how? 9. Are there any existing communities or villages that eat green daily? If so, are they witnessing any major changes in the environment surrounding them? 10. Are there any current efforts being made by scientists or others to counter this problem? If there are, how? 11. What would be some easy steps we could take every day to eat healthier? 12. In my experience, people often say that green meals are not tasty, and thus, they don’t prefer them. Is there any way we could make green meals more appealing to the general public? 13. In today’s world, foods like spinach, cabbage and other vegetables are considered “green”, but are they actually green or is that a common misconception? 14. It is also said that fruits and vegetables are greener than meats. Is this true? 15. Is it the food itself that makes it green, or the process we use to cultivate and harvest it?