Sustainable Agriculture
Making The Connection
Over the past few lessons we have learned that a problem in one area of the world is very similar to other areas of the world. Even in our own community we understand that we have to work together to implement solutions.
Let’s take for example our project that united our community together to solve the problem of nutrition education. Well the beautiful thing is— community is all around us to work together on any project.
First.
As you watch this TEDX talk, take in the messages as to how it relates to your personal life. It underscores the significant role educators play in shaping students' lives and emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive environments where everyone feels empowered to learn and contribute. Middle school students can draw inspiration from the speaker's journey as a high school teacher and reflect on how they can foster similar supportive communities within their own school or local initiatives.
Three key ingredients highlighted for creating thriving communities of learners include fostering inclusive cultures, embracing mutual learning by stepping aside, and being willing to challenge existing norms. Students can explore how these principles apply to their own experiences and consider ways to implement them in school projects, group activities, or community service efforts. The speaker's emphasis on the enduring nature of communities of learners encourages students to see themselves as agents of positive change and growth within their communities, beyond individual leadership.
Discussion Questions:
Reflect on a positive experience you've had with an educator who made you feel empowered and inspired. How did their approach contribute to creating a supportive learning environment?
What are some ways you can promote inclusivity and mutual learning within your school or community? How might these efforts contribute to the creation of a stronger sense of belonging and collaboration?
Think about a time when you've encountered challenges or norms that felt restrictive. How might you apply the concept of "bending the rules" to address these challenges and foster innovation and growth within your community?
Second.
Question to respond to: What are some ways that can make food difficult to get in your own local community?
Teacher tip: Have the students think about the following when answering the above questions about both themselves and the people around them.
How much does food cost?
Do the students enjoy eating the food that they often have?
Does it take a long time or a little bit of time to get the food that they need?
Are they able to eat all their favorite foods all year or are there certain foods they can only eat at certain times of the year?
When we think about how food gets to our table for breakfast, lunch, a snack, and dinner each day, we need to remember where each of these foods come from. While the apples you may be eating come from an apple orchard only a 30 minute drive away, your morning breakfast cereal came from many different areas of the world. Each bowl of cereal you eat is made by millions of different people.
Let’s take a look at where one of our favorite cereals come from:
In Cocoa Puffs, the list of major ingredients are:
Corn, Wheat, Sugar, Cocoa, and Vanilla
And the maker’s of this cereal is a company called General Mills, which sources their ingredients
from all over the world.
Corn: Iowa and Illinois, the top corn-producing States, typically account for about one-third
of the U.S. crop.Wheat: The state with the largest area planted with wheat in 2021 was Kansas (7.3 million acres).
Sugar: Sugarcane is grown in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.
Cocoa: General Mills purchases most of their Cocoa pods from Ghana, Africa.
Vanilla: Most of the vanilla we purchase is grown and cured in Madagascar's Sava region.
Creation of Cereal: Kansas's largest General Mills Factory.
Step One: Draw a line from each ingredient (1-5) to the creation of the cereal using Google Maps.
451 Miles (1 → 6)
50 Miles (2 → 6)
1,530 Miles (3 → 6)
6,266 Miles (4 → 6)
9,935 Miles (5 → 6)
Finally, Feeding Mouths, Filling Minds is based in Wisconsin, and draw a line from Kansas to Wisconsin
773 Miles (6 → 7)
Adding these miles up, our bowl of Cocoa Puffs traveled 19,005 Miles! That is nearly the distance of flying around the entire Earth! About 800 gallons of fuel, 7,811,055 grams of greenhouse gas emissions, or the equivalent of powering your school with coal power for nearly two whole days!
As you can see, just one bowl of cereal has traveled thousands of miles and was created by millions of people. Each step of the way requires lots of driving fuel, lots of hard work, and many steps that could go wrong along the way.
