Thinking About Diet

This is a great activity to engage students in the impact of consumer choice, personal decisions about diet and personal impact on the environment. Eating less meat is one of the biggest changes that an individual can make to lower their personal ecological footprint. A Guardian newspaper article summarised the research of Joseph Poore published in the Journal Science. You can read the original manuscript here. 

However, students can be particularly blinded by the mix of messages they see on social media or from their own communities.

It is important for students to understand the arguments and evidence for diet choices. They should remember to consider the evidence from the laws of thermodynamics and the science behind feeding on different trophic levels. Try  Impact of Feeding on Different Trophic Levels 

The activity here is to prepare an infographic but I have also successfully organised debates on this topic. In this case I allocate debating sides to avoid student bias, e.g. a vegetarian student argues for meat consumption.

Thinking About Diet

Articles on Vegetarianism

Eating less Meat and Dairy is the "single biggest way" to reduce your Impact on Earth

Wikipedia - Environmental Vegetarianism

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler 

Hungry world must eat less meat

If you want to save the world, veganism isn't the answer

The rise of the non-veggie vegetarian

Index of articles on vegetarianism

Vegetarianism can save the planet

The environmental implications of diet

Eat more meat and save the world

Sustainable consumption

Should you stop eating fish

Global food production threatens to overwhelm climate change efforts

Can eating less meat really tackle climate change

Why taxing sausages may save lives

Protein wars: Why men love meat

Don't let Bjorn Lomberg fool you

Cows are not killing the climate

What's Wrong with What we Eat - a TED Playlist