{"id":10762,"date":"2019-06-22T09:02:58","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T13:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/?p=10762"},"modified":"2019-06-23T02:10:46","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T06:10:46","slug":"rep-garlick-hosts-food-planet-health-meeting-in-needham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/2019\/06\/rep-garlick-hosts-food-planet-health-meeting-in-needham\/","title":{"rendered":"Rep. Garlick Hosts “Food, Planet, Health” Meeting in Needham"},"content":{"rendered":"

When thinking about what we can each do to protect the environment, most of us know that our car choices matter, and that insulating our homes is an important way to reduce energy use. But what about our food choices? <\/p>\n

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According to the IPCC the Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use (AFOLU) sector \u201cis responsible for just under a quarter of anthropogenic GHG emissions mainly from deforestation and agricultural emissions from livestock, soil and nutrient management.”<\/b>BTW: This does not include the greenhouse gas emissions that result from transporting food.<\/p>\n

The environmental impact of the food system is enormous, but more importantly, that impact varies significantly based on what we choose to eat every day because \u2026 all foods are NOT created equal (literally). Producing a hamburger requires significantly more land, water, and nitrogen fertilizer than producing a bean burger.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click on the image to view Dr. Willett’s talk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On June 4th, the relationship between food choices and the environment was explored more in depth at a meeting run by members of Green Needham and hosted by Representative Denise Garlick<\/b>. A group including policymakers, academics, and food industry stakeholders – farmers, entrepreneurs, food service providers, and food justice advocates – came together to listen, learn, and discuss actions needed to create a more sustainable and equitable food system in Massachusetts. <\/p>\n

The meeting began with a presentation by Dr. Walter Willett<\/b>, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Professor, world renowned expert on public health, and co-chair of the EAT Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. The Commission, which is made up of more than 35 experts in various scientific fields, was tasked with determining if the planet has the capacity to feed a healthy diet to 10 billion people (predicted population in 2050) without depleting and degrading the earth\u2019s resources to the point that future generations will be imperilled. The Commission issued its findings in January, in the report: \u201cFood in the Anthropocene: the EAT\u2013<\/span>Lancet<\/span><\/i> Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Willett described the Commission\u2019s methods and the overarching conclusions of the report: <\/span><\/p>\n