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Jhongsiao Elemantary school (2013 CyberFair Project ID 7517)
Taiwan,
Kaohsiung
Official Status:
Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 7. Environmental Awareness
We estimate 10 student(s) from 10 to 12 will work on this entry.
Description of Our Community: After the merger of Kaohsiung city and county, the agricultural production of Kaohsiung basically located in Chi-shan, Mei-nung, Da-shu, Da-liau, Da-she, Yan-chau, A-lian, Tian-liau, Nei-men and Jia-shian. The agricultural production area is the 16.09% of the total area of the Kaohsiung city. The agricultural population is the 8.8% of the total population of the Kaohsiung city. The items of agricultural products are rich and diverse, such as rice, vegetables, honey, fruit, meat, eggs and milk, etc. The products are also in good quality. With promotion by the city government, local foods are promoted not only to reduce food mile but also to save energy and reduce carbon to love the earth. Moreover, to help local farmers promote their agricultural products.
The “food mile” is the distance food travels from the farm to the store where you buy it. Reducing food mile not only provides us with fresher food, but also supports local farmers and treasures the earth due to energy conservation and carbon reduction. Our school is located in the Yancheng District, Kaohsiung. Although it is a metro area, we dedicate our passion to love and care for the environment. We expect to start with ourselves, then influence more people to be inspired by us. Furthermore, to make the concept of “food mile” root, sprout, and thrive to build a better ecological environment.
Project Description: The world is flat. Due to the outcome of highly economic development, no matter foods or daily supplies may come from different places in the world. After the Kyoto protocol was signed, many countries started to realize the hazards of greenhouse gases to the earth. Therefore, governments in the world are anxious to achieve the goal of carbon reduction. The “food mile” is the distance food travels from the farm to the store where you buy it (Dr. Tim Lang, 1990). According to related research, 17% of total carbon dioxide emissions results from transportation. As a result, reducing food mile not only provides us with fresher food, but also supports local farmers and treasures the earth due to energy conservation and carbon reduction. Through this research project and issues emphasized by the author, we expect to make people understand that most of the delicious food commonly selected by us is a notable cause of the increase in greenhouse gases. We suggest more people to purchase local and seasonal food, as practical actions to reduce food mile.
There are six main subjects in the research project:
1) Emphasis on environmental protection-introduction to food mile: first of all, we introduce the origin of food mile, how to calculate food mile, and how to calculate the carbon dioxide emission in food mile and related impacts on the environment. 2) In-depth investigation- “How do people know about food mile?”: through questionnaire survey, we investigate how the senior students in our school and people know about and support for food mile. 3) Continuous exploration-an investigation toward the origin of foods: by visiting Costco (Da-Shun branch, Kaohsiung), the consumer shop for the staff of Kaohsiung City Government, fruit and vegetable market and vendors of traditional market (products include pork, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit), we discover the purchasing principles of the stores from the selling point. Therefore, we discuss the difficulties in supporting and implementing food mile reduction due to the place of production. We also make an interview with the nutritionist in our school, in order to investigate the origin of the foods for school lunch, the implementation of food mile reduction, and provide suggestions for children to take action. 4) Love for the hometown-local food is the best: we visit the Agricultural Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government to find out the current agricultural condition of the city and the promotion and implementation of “local food” policy to reduce food mile. Next, we visit the “KAO Shop”, the weekend farmer's market and the “Breeze Market” which exclusively provide first choice, excellent local food in Kaohsiung. 5) Love for cultivation-experiences gained by the overview of conclusions. 6) Joy to root-appreciation from practical actions: the promotion activity is involved by all the staff, students and volunteers in the school and some community residents. We expected to achieve the goal of “zero food mile”. At last, we create a monopoly game for food mile to impress people by combining teaching with entertaining.