What is food justice:
Food justice is the right to have access to healthy, pesticide-free, fresh, and affordable food. We also have the right to know where our food comes from. But the term food justice is not only limited to just one thing. Food justice is a broad term that involves anything that has to do with the food industry. From restaurant to farm workers, both are many times under paid and work in/with unacceptable conditions.
What factors drive food injustice:
Profit is the big bad wolf when it comes to food injustice. For example, using pesticides can create a larger harvest which brings in more money, but at what expense? Our health that's what, pesticides have been known to cause illness and sometimes even death.
Another factor of food injustice leads straight to the Food and Drug Administration. When you buy orange juice, it usually says 100% natural. Well, if you look at the ingredients there's barely any orange in the container. Why would the FDA allow a product like that to sell when it is obviously telling lies? This keeps us from having access to fresh foods and lies to us about our food.
When you visit a Safeway or your local market, usually the prices for organic vegetables can be quite high and many times there are people who can't afford it or don't want to pay such a price. So they have to pick something cheap like an instant mac n' cheese box or a broccoli that has been grown using pesticides. This is not fair, a person should be able to purchase healthy foods for their family and it's outrageous that we should pay more for pesticide free food.
I believe laziness also plays a key factor in food injustice. Fast foods are cheap, easy, and quick to produce so why would someone waste the effort of growing/raising it? For the past few years, obesity in the United States is increasingly becoming a bigger problem amongst all ages. We don't always have access to healthy fresh foods and many times we are lured in by the McDonalds that is selling a hamburger combo for $2.50. We have very easy access to this junk food, a meal will come to you in a matter of seconds. Processed foods are simple and easy, but many times have chemicals that we would otherwise not want to put in our bodies.
In what ways can nature be therapeutic:
Nature can be therapeutic in many ways. For some being outside and camping out underneath the stars is a well deserved and relaxing break. Being outside allows for physical activity and time to reflect on one's actions. Just listening to the wind can e enough to calm someone's nerves.Animals are also a part of nature and many times animals are used for the sole purpose of therapy. Dogs, which are more commonly seen in the therapeutic business are a great example.
What is nature deficit disorder and who coined the term:
The nature deficit disorder is not an illness but the lack of relationship we have with nature. Many times we see teens, adults, and even toddlers glued to their screens playing a game or sending a text. Being so glued to these screen hurts our social lives which can and will affect your family, friends, and community. The person who coined the term is a man name Richard Louv who wrote the book, Last Child in the Woods.
In what ways have your own interactions with the natural world had a positive impact on your life:
To be honest, I hate going outside. There are bugs and it means I have to walk up steep hills sometimes. I don't like hills at all, but when I do go outside I end up becoming really curious. What's out there, what plant is this, how long has this tree stood here? I also find that when I go to a national park or a place like Muir Woods, despite the crowds I am in awe of it's beauty and just want to find a spot to sit, relax, and listen. So in some respect, my interaction with nature has given me time to breathe, think and reflect.
Bibliography: (I used EasyBib.com to format it for me)
Louv, Richard. "Richard Louv." Richard Louv Blog Full Posts Atom 10. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
"Nature Deficit Disorder." Education.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
"Perspectives: Food Justice." Nourish. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
"What Is the Food Justice Movement? How Do I Get Involved?" Ask MetaFilter. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <http://ask.metafilter.com/271500/What-is-the-Food-Justice-Movement-How-do-I-get-involvedisorder/>.
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