The Food Footprint

Session 3

Slides for Activity 2

Inputs and Outputs

Inputs; Things that enter a system (sunlight, water, fuel, and fertilizers) Outputs: Wastes produced (fertilizer run-off, food packaging, and emissions). Inputs and outputs have environmental impacts.

The a greater a foods negative environmental impact, the bigger its footprint.

Examples of inputs and outputs in strawberry jam

Solar energy, water, fertilizers, pesticides

Electricity; glass, metal, paper

Fuel, rubber, metal, wood, paper

Car to get to store; home energy use

Fuel, machinery, space

Growth and harvest

Processing

Transport

Consumption

Disposal

O2 to atmosphere, run off to river

Carbon emissions; food waste

Carbon emissions; discarded pallets

Carbon emissions; food waste

Emissions; leachate (liquid that drains out)

Summary of Key Points from Activity 3

The food system is embedded in the environment.

Energy from the sun ENVIRONMENT

Food system:
INPUTS: Fuel,
fertilizer, water, plastic

OUPUTS:
Emissions, runoff, packaging

Growing | Processing | Transport | Eating | Disposal

Wastes stay in the environment. They are transformed, but do not go away.
Diagram: Creative Change Educational Solutions. Adapted from works of Herman Daly.

Key Ideas: The Earth as a System

All human activity takes resources from the environment and puts wastes back into it. The environment is thus the ultimate source of all materials and the final sink for all wastes. Different types of land serve source and sink purposes. The variety of life-sustaining functions provided by the environment are collectively known as ecosystem services.

Larger food system footprint

Energy from the sun

ENVIRONMENT

INPUTS:
fuels, seeds, fertilizers, pesticide, machinery, paper,water

This food system uses large quantities of fossil fuels as the energy source for manufacturing fertilizers & pesticides, machinery, processing, long-distance transportation, refrigeration. Wastes are landfilled.

OUPUTS:
Emissions, run-off, packaging.

Diagram: Creative Change Educational Solutions. Adapted from works of Herman Daly.

Smaller food system footprint

Energy from the sun ENVIRONMENT

INPUTS: seeds,
manure, water, compost, less use of fossil fuels and packaging

This food system has fewer inputs. It relies more on solar energy and less on fossil fuel energy. Some outputs (compost) are nourishing, & there are fewer polluting outputs.

OUPUTS:
Nutrients that become inputs; fewer emissions.

Diagram: Creative Change Educational Solutions. Adapted from works of Herman Daly.

The environment: the source of all inputs, the sink for all wastes
Petroleum, natural gas, & coal are from the fossilized remains of plants/animals. Solar energy, petroleum, soil, water, fertilizers, pesticides Water from rivers, aquifers. Fuel, rubber, metal, wood, paper Sand, limestone come from the earth. Car or bike to get to store; home energy use Ores come from the earth. Fuel, machinery

Growth and harvest

National distribution

Consumption

Disposal

CO2, run off

Packaging from stores, discarded pallets; CO2; food waste CO2 goes into trees, oceans, atmosphere.

Package goes into the trash. Emissions; Land stores garbage.

Emissions & leachate. Trash goes to landfill. Leachate may reach groundwater.

Run-off goes into wetlands and rivers. Rivers drain to ocean.

The environment: the source of all inputs, the sink for all wastes
Water comes from rivers, aquifers. Solar energy, soil, water, animal waste Petroleum , natural gas, & coal are from the fossilized remains of plants/animals. Fuel, rubber, metal, paper Metals come from the earth.

Car or bike to food coop; home energy use

Food scraps, solar energy, microbes

Growth and harvest

Regional distribution

Consumption

Disposal

Waste is composted.

Discarded bag is recycled. Truck releases CO2.

Food waste is composted. Container is recycled.

Waste is composted.

Nutrients go to soil and become inputs.

Paper becomes fiber or is used as mulch. CO2 goes into trees, oceans, atmosphere.

Nutrients go to soil and become inputs.

Activity 4: Reducing our food footprint

Energy use in food production
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 household storage/prep commercial food service retial retail packaing processing transportation production