As our project year came to an unprecedented close, we asked our Berkeley High students to reflect on how they have grown as environmental community advocates. We asked, what does environmental literacy mean to you? What motivates you to be an environmental activist in your community, and how do you want to use your environmental literacy to create change? In light of current circumstances, it is imperative to be aware, supportive, and fight for those facing food/housing/healthcare insecurity. How could an urban greenway at the SFROW be used optimally to promote personal and societal health both now and after the COVID-19 pandemic? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Environmental Literacy As an environmental activist I take part in developing a deeper understanding of environmental education and act on issues involving both sustainability and the environment. There is no doubt that there are issues involving sustainability and the environment in my community. The fact that my community has more access to unhealthy food than accessible health resources is a big issue. My motivation for being an environmental activist is to not only better the health of others in the community through providing access to an urban greenway, but also to inform them about environmental topics that can potentially help them to have a more healthy, sustainable life. Considering all of the terms I have learned this year, I believe all of them can help people improve their health. However, sustainability, food waste, and soil health are three terms that I think could help better the health of others, and importantly, the health of our planet. Presently, we tend to consume certain foods that have been processed which affects the quality and nutritional value of the food. We buy what we want, but we never really ask how fresh it is, or how free it is of harmful chemicals. Sometimes the ¨organic¨ food you buy at the grocery store isn't really organic. Plants or plant seeds can be exposed to radioactivity or chemicals. These plants are produced in atomic gardens. The radiation or chemicals make random changes in the DNA of the plant resulting in many proteins being changed. Thousands of plant foods have been made this way and the plants modified this way can be labeled as ¨organic.¨ Calrose rice, yams, osa gold pears, wheat, grapefruit, and many more have all been made in atomic gardens. ¨We cannot be free if our food and its sources are controlled by someone else. One reason to eat responsibly is to live free” (Wendell Berry). Some ways we can eat more responsibly is by simply using more sustainable resources. Eating locally, maintaining a healthy diet, and paying attention to the production process are all ways we can better our health and be more sustainable. Soil health is just as important as sustainability. Soil health is the quality of soil that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Soil quality is directly linked to food quality, this means that good quality food can only be produced if our soils are healthy. Healthy soil is made up of a combination of minerals such as rocks, water, air, organic matter (plant and animal residue), microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and a variety of insects and worms. As a result of a growing population, there are higher demands for crop production. These high demands are damaging to the quality of the soil which in turn will be damaging to our food and will be damaging to us. This is another reason for which it is best to get your food locally or even from your own garden. Our goal at Moving South Berkeley Forward is to provide our South Berkeley residents with access to rich beautiful soil that can in turn sustain and promote healthier, happier communities through local food. Healthy soil is also good for our environment. It filters our water, provides essential nutrients to our forests and crops, and helps regulate the Earth's temperature as well as many of the important greenhouse gases. However, a lot goes into making the foods we need in order to survive. In fact, 21% of all freshwater is used in the service of producing food. That is a lot of water being wasted if the food ends up being wasted. In most cases, many foods being produced will only end up in the trash. This is unfortunate due to the fact that there are over 40 million people facing hunger in the U.S. each day. At the same time, 15% of the food that's getting wasted each year can feed 25 million people. Not only is it bad because there are people who are starving, but food waste also affects our environment. 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions are produced by agricultural activities. It is imperative that we actively attempt to not waste food because otherwise we are wasting valuable resources, and contributing more so to global greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, 43% of food waste occurs at home. That is to say that preventing food waste in your own home can help reduce the amount of food that gets wasted each year, and ultimately play a significant role in saving our planet. Ways in which we can prevent food waste in our homes are by not over-serving food when cooking. Only serve amounts you know you'll finish, then you can get more if you’re still hungry. Don't waste food when you’re full. Save it for later so you can make a whole new creative dish later on, and shop smart. Next time you go to the grocery store buy items that you know you need, not items you think you need. Doing these steps can help us in reducing food waste. However, you can always donate uneaten food or reuse it for compost. Currently our community, and the world, are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are older people mostly affected by the virus, but many African American, Latino, and other ethnic communities are disproportionately suffering from both direct and indirect impacts of this pandemic. Whether it's from education, housing, health care, or healthy food insecurity, communities like ours are struggling. However, this isn't anything new. Minority communities have always been struggling to access or even have equity in these needs. The disadvantages have made it more difficult for communities like ours to survive from viruses like COVID-19. It is true that an urban greenway can't fix all the problems that the community faces day to day. However, it is certain that an urban greenway can help provide accessible health resources like a community garden which can offer healthy food to people in need, especially in times like these. -Daniel Finis Perez ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Environmental Literacy Over the past few months I have been comprehending the importance of my environmental literacy. Knowing that my environmental literacy can be used to inform people about the impact in which sustainability can help better our lives is something very motivational for me. In fact, part of being an environmental activist is to spread information that will be helpful to people, especially in a time of panic and fear. Knowing the information I spread can change someone's opinion or attitude towards a topic makes me want to create change for the better. For example, I have reflected on various environmental topics such as regenerative agriculture, food waste, food security, and environmental justice. By sharing these paragraphs on our Moving South Berkeley Forward website, I have been able to inform and educate our community overall. Not only have these paragraphs spread awareness, but they also play a role in helping communities become healthier as a whole. When we discuss topics like nutrition and its relation to overall health, we can help people better understand the topic and can also influence their actions through their eating habits. Not only can they improve the health of a single person, but that person can also improve other people's health by spreading the information. I feel these paragraphs could especially help people who live in lower income areas where they have more corner stores than fully stocked healthy food stores. My goal is to help inform the community to make the best food choices possible with their health in mind and make the best meal they can, while also making sure the food is sustainable and affordable. Another topic we've covered that I feel could help people, especially in urban/lower income areas, is soil health. If a community has the area to do so, they could grow their own food and make healthier, locally sourced meals for themselves. I know most people living in “worse” areas will probably not have access to a place where they can grow their own food but in the off chance they do it would be a great idea and help them a lot. They could also learn about what crops are lower maintenance and easier to grow in their area, strengthening their connecting with their environment. If others were to read our blog posts on soil health, they would learn about what actually makes up soil, and that healthy soil is extremely important for aspects such as water storage during droughts, as well as soil’s important role as an ecosystem for plants, insects, animals, and humans. Investing in soil health means they wouldn't have to rely on cheap unhealthy corner store food and that they could provide their family with healthier alternatives. Cultivating a garden and growing your own food teaches an important lesson on food waste. 43% of food waste happens at peoples homes and the more we waste, the more food goes to landfills which then produce even more greenhouse gasses. Not only that but 15% of the food waste in the U.S could potentially feed 25 million Americans. It's important to try to buy what you can eat, eat the food you have, and not throw out deformed fruits or vegetables because they are still nutritious. For example, if you go to the grocery store and pick up some carrots that you don't pay much attention to, then finally get a good look and see that the carrot is curved, that shouldn’t make any difference.It's still good to eat and use for meals where you would chop it up anyway. Further, if you have extra food from your groceries or garden you could always donate it to a food bank and avoid waste. Now that we are in a pandemic I can only hope that people are doing well. Hopefully people going through problems with their access to food or healthcare are doing okay, but I feel like if we had a green way at the Santa Fe Right of Way it could help some people bounce back if they are running low on food, and help people stay healthier as a whole. A greenway could seriously help the community right now and I hope I will get the chance to continue helping this South Berkeley community in the future. -Angel Espiritu
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