Process and Resources
- Time: 15 minutes
The first step for you and your classmates is to get acquainted with some main key concepts such as the meaning of the expression “food miles”, the knowledge of the carbon footprint produced by the transportation of produce but also by the distance we drive to buy our food, and how to track the source of food.
To do so, at first, you will read the articles at the links below and then you will fill in the following table to summarize the main key concepts you have gained:
- The facts about food miles https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/facts-about-food-miles
- What are food miles? – My Food Bag blog https://blog.myfoodbag.co.nz/2020/10/15/what-are-food-miles/
- What are food miles? – Eco friendly kids https://ecofriendlykids.co.uk/what-are-food-miles/
- EU regulation on the provision of food information to consumers
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02011R1169-20180101
1: Introduction to food miles and to their environmental impact)
- Traceability and tracking of meat in the EU https://www.carnisostenibili.it/en/traceability-and-tracking-of-meat-in-the-eu/
- How to reduce food miles – reduce carbon footprint https://www.organo.co.in/blog/how-to-reduce-food-miles
- Km.0 cuisine – A more sustainable lifestyle https://www.levantina.com/blog/en/km-0-cuisine-a-more-sustainable-lifestyle/
- Watch also the following videos:
Introduction to food miles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0BhbVvSxOk
Fields to fork episode 2 food miles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7rn5hH5XN8
The teacher can provide additional links if he/she likes.
- Time: 10 minutes
Great! Now you are more aware of the impact that food transportation has on the environment and you have even read some tips on how you can reduce it!
Let’s move on the next step!
Individually, write down the content of your lunch box.
You should then find out where each item was grown or reared. You need to look for packet labels or stickers on fresh produce that inform about the country of origin or specifies were it has been produced “Produced in”.
For some items you will need to think about the different ingredients that were used to make it: – Have they come from different countries?
On a copy of the world map, you have to highlight and write down where your food has come from.
- Time: 20 minutes
Now it’s the time to calculate how many food miles your meal has travelled! So you will work out the total food miles of your lunch box! You will be astonished!
You can use this tool to help you: http://www.foodmiles.com
If you are still curious, through this other tool you can calculate the carbon footprint of some fruits, vegetables, meat, etc which are part of your meal: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46459714
To conclude this step, together with your teacher you will discuss about the fact that many food have travelled thousands of miles.
The teacher may ask, for instance: Can you think of the reasons why food has travelled so far?
Discuss the reasons and put your answers on the whiteboard.
- Time: 10 minutes
A tip to reduce food miles is trying to buy local food.
To learn were and when you can find local food nearby as well as what food you can find, the teacher splits the class into 3 working groups approx. equal in number composition (tigers, crocodiles and sharks).
On the Internet, each group will investigate:
- Tigers: Is there a farmer’s market or a local fruit and vegetable shop near where you live? Does it sell local products?
- Crocodiles: Are any farms nearby selling eggs? Tomatoes? And milk?
- Sharks: Does a fish van come to your area? When? What fishes or seafood does it sell?
For this step, specific links will be provided directly by the teacher, as this activity is based on the local context (town/city from which you are from).
Some examples for pupils from Florence / Italy might be:
- La Spesa in Campagna – Mercati – Cia Toscana Centro – Firenze, Pistoia, Prato https://www.ciatoscanacentro.it/mercati/
- Mercati rionali città di Firenze https://www.comune.fi.it/pagina/imprese-e-commercio/mercati-rionali
- Genuino.Zero – Spesa a casa con prodotti di filiera corta a Firenze https://www.genuinopuntozero.it/spesa-casa-firenze/
Note down this information! You will need them to develop your flyer!
- Time: 25 minutes
Well done, you and your mates are nearly at the end of this WebQuest! Your last step is to design a 2-page appealing flyer, to outline:
- The importance to eat local produce to decrease the impact their transport has got on the environment
- The information on local farmers market and local fruit and vegetable shops near you
- And do not forget to present a meal that has reduced food miles!
You can get some inspiration and some additional information from the following links:
The benefits of buying locally sourced produce
How does shopping locally help the environment?
You will be divided into two working groups:
- The Red Group takes care of the flyer’s layout and graphic design and uses the Canva online tool at www.canva.com to draw the flyer
- The Blue Group writes down the flyer’s content.
Once your flyer is ready you can display it in the hallway of your school!