My Meal is a Problem (Question #1)

After doing research on the environmental impacts of the ingredients I listed in my meal, I have concluded that the production of these foods negatively impact the environment. The two groups with the biggest footprint were the eggs and pork/beef. I have narrowed it down to be a problem with the way we operate commercial livestock farms and how the waste from the animals is dealt with. Although there are many issues with chemical and pesticide runoff, I will be looking at how to combat GHGs produced from livestock agriculture procedures.

Livestock and manure management are significant contributors to agricultural GHG emissions. The following practices could reduce carbon and mitigate GHG emissions from livestock and manure:

• Select regionally appropriate forages
• Practice rotational grazing
• Select high quality feed that will reduce methane released from enteric fermentation
• Manage manure to reduce methane and nitrous oxide
• Cover manure storage facilities
• Optimize manure application to soil
• Capture and combust methane from manure
• Renewable energy sources could displace fossil fuel use and would be another possible solution to help reduce GHG emissions on the farm. They can also help decrease reliance on energy sources with volatile prices, and create new economic diversification opportunities for agricultural producers. Renewable energy technologies suitable for on-farm use include:
  • Anaerobic digestion
  • Electrification
  • Geothermal
  • Gasification
  • Wind
  • Solar electric
  These actions would have to be considered at a national scale. Livestock farming standards would have to take a dramatic shift towards environmental friendly technology and procedures. There does not really seem to be any small scale or household solutions to this problem. 
  
  

Resources:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/climate-action/reducing-agricultural-ghgs

The environmental impacts of your meal or product

Two ingredients or foods I decided to take a look at out of my meal were bacon and eggs.
 It is not a mystery that most poultry and pork/beef served in restraints come from a large scale production farm.  Factory farms are known to produce a great amount of air and water pollution. When you cram thousands of animals into extremely close quarters, what else could one expect. Looking at pig farms. they are responsible for a great amount of environmental destruction. It is common for "pig factories" to store all the tons of waste from pigs in open air lagoons. These lagoons emit toxic compounds like ammonia, hydrogen sulfite, endotoxins, methane, carbon dioxide, and bacteria. The only way to get rid of most of this waste is to spray it on nearby fields, while the toxin levels usually make it unusable  as fertilizer. When this process occurs, it can be absorbed into the ground which can contaminate groundwater and soil.

Egg/poultry production is just as destructive. Scientists from the University of Oviedo conducted a study on the environmental effects of intensive egg production.  Not only did the improper disposal of waste from the animals pose a threat, but the the process of producing the feed for the laying hens effected the environment negatively.



Resources:

https://www.poultryworld.net/Eggs/Articles/2018/4/Environmental-footprint-of-the-egg-industry-revealed-268882E/

https://lpelc.org/evaluating-the-environmental-footprint-of-pork-production/

Describe a Meal

A meal that I can not forget was somewhere along the lines of a full English breakfast. This feast was consumed after a day of drinking in London with friends, so it needed to be big. For meat, the breakfast consisted of back bacon and sausage. The sausage did not appear to be anything special, but the bacon seemed to be more of a thin pork chop. Next to the sausage and bacon was a mixture of mushrooms and tomatoes. The tomatoes were cut in half and seared in a pan with oil, while the mushrooms were nicely browned and caramelized in. oil as well. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and sprinkled with chives. The toast was toast. The last thing that seemed a bit extra was a heaping bowl of baked beans. This is where I had to draw the line.