Hungry for Change: Food, Ethics and Sustainability

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Hungry for Change explores the true meaning of the phrase "you are what you eat." In a flexible four to six session schedule, this discussion course challenges participants to examine their roles, not only as consumers of food, but also as creators -- of food, of systems, and of the world we all live in. Each session includes readings, short assignments and accompanying discussion questions that address the impact of individual food choices on a range of issues, including ecosystem health, the treatment of factory and farm workers, and the global economy. Many sessions also include video clips, podcasts and websites to deepen the learning experience. Hungry for Change helps participants commit to lasting change by developing and sharing personal Action Plans with each session.

Discussion Course Goals:

• To explore the interconnected nature of food systems and our relationships to them.

• To examine the impact our food choices have on our health, the health of others and the health of our planet.

• To consider the ethical and political implications of our current food system and our personal food choices.

"Food choices are always already political, cultural and ecological choices. The question is whether and how to make these food choices more consciously, coherently and contextually."

-- Greta Gaard

Topics Covered:

The First Bite: The global food web has become increasingly complicated with the industrialization and globalization of our world. Session one explores the interconnectedness of food and our relationship to it, and previews the topics that will be explored in the rest of the course. 

Politics of the Plate: Session two focuses on the global geopolitics of food systems, including hunger, subsidies and externalized costs. What are the connections and what can we do to bring about more equity?

 

A Healthy Appetite: This health-focused session examines how our current food system affects the health of our selves and our loved ones. Topics covered include GMOs, lifestyle diseases, soy, organics and pesticides.

 

Just Food: Our eating choices often have hidden ethical implications. Session three explores the ethical and justice considerations of what we eat and how it’s produced, including factory farming and humane meat, fair trade vs. free trade, human rights violations in Florida’s tomato farms and food distribution.

 

Eating for Earth: Session five discusses how climate change affects food supply and how our current food production system contributes to climate change and environmental degradation.

 

Hungry for Change: This solutions-focused session looks at what others are doing and what we can do to affect change. It includes stories on Wes Jackson and the Land Institute’s perennial grains, Will Allen and Growing Power and a really cool fish farm in Spain.

 

Download the Hungry for Change Course Flyer Here

 

"There is, then, a politics of food that, like any politics, involves our freedom. We still (sometimes) remember that we cannot be free if our minds and voices are controlled by someone else. But we have neglected to understand that we cannot be free if our food and its sources are controlled by someone else. The condition of the passive consumer of food is not a democratic condition. One reason to eat responsibly is to live free."