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Over eating is an ecological issue- motivation?

CorvusCorax77
CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
edited August 2020 in Debate Club
I was wondering if anyone else thinks about the ecological impacts of over eating, and if anyone else is motivated by that? The idea first came to me when I heard we were fishing the ocean to death. While I am a vegetarian and I was vegan for 11 years, I don't believe that veganism or vegetarianism is a one size fits all solution (because I'm indigenous too and my ancestors didn't destroy their land base by hunting).

Anyways, so it turns out some folks have done some maths around the idea that over eating causes ecological destruction. It's not a perfect science, but they looked at how much of the population had how much of a BMI and the typical diet in that region, and calculated an approximately 240 billion tons of CO2 in the atmosphere caused by over eating alone.

Here's a link: https://www.treehugger.com/overeating-terrible-planet-4856664

Of course, I know some of us need to eat more (you weight lifting beefcakes!), so again not a "one size fits all" approach, but I thought this was a really interesting thing to look into.

I'm an earth loving hippie, so this motivates me to get my eating addiction under control.
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Replies

  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Neat topic idea @CorvusCorax77

    I hope you don't mind I moved this over to the debate section, I think it will get some better visability here.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    If this idea motivates you then more power to you! :) I’ve thought about having lessened my ecological impact due to the fact that I am a barefoot runner. I run barefoot because to me it feels natural and fun but I realize I’m also saving the planet a teeny tiny bit from having to manufacture, transport and later dispose of multiple pairs of running shoes every single year for many years and that’s definitely an added bonus in my opinion :)

    That's pretty rad. What type of surface do you run on?
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    If this idea motivates you then more power to you! :) I’ve thought about having lessened my ecological impact due to the fact that I am a barefoot runner. I run barefoot because to me it feels natural and fun but I realize I’m also saving the planet a teeny tiny bit from having to manufacture, transport and later dispose of multiple pairs of running shoes every single year for many years and that’s definitely an added bonus in my opinion :)

    That's pretty rad. What type of surface do you run on?

    Trail and pavement. Trail running is my true passion! Been at it for 6+ years
  • Mellouk89
    Mellouk89 Posts: 469 Member
    Food waste is a big problem, I try my hardest not to throw away food.

    I rarely do it, maybe once a month at most.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    No one forces you to eat. It's about personal responsibility.
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
    edited August 2020
    Deleted.
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Food waste is a big problem, I try my hardest not to throw away food.

    I rarely do it, maybe once a month at most.

    Somehow I missed this. That’s so impressive! What are some steps you take to reduce food waste?
  • MarttaHP
    MarttaHP Posts: 68 Member
    fstrickl wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Food waste is a big problem, I try my hardest not to throw away food.

    I rarely do it, maybe once a month at most.

    Somehow I missed this. That’s so impressive! What are some steps you take to reduce food waste?

    Is it impressive? Honestly, I'm baffled by the fact that households generate so much food waste. 43% in the US according to this report, which is probably similar to most developed countries. I've never understood how, why. Can anyone offer any insight into this? What kinds of foods do you throw out, and why?

    Me, I buy only what I intend to eat, I eat everything I buy. Very occasionally I might throw out a piece of fruit that I didn't notice at the store had started going moldy and brought home. I suppose that maybe with children things might be more complicated - my 10-month old nephew throws much of his food on the floor, and not even his aunt who finds food waste abhorrent will pick it up and eat it herself. But then again he's small, so it's not as if he eats (or wastes) much to begin with. Shouldn't adults be able to plan what they are going to eat and act accordingly?
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,190 Member
    MarttaHP wrote: »
    fstrickl wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    Food waste is a big problem, I try my hardest not to throw away food.

    I rarely do it, maybe once a month at most.

    Somehow I missed this. That’s so impressive! What are some steps you take to reduce food waste?

    Is it impressive? Honestly, I'm baffled by the fact that households generate so much food waste. 43% in the US according to this report, which is probably similar to most developed countries. I've never understood how, why. Can anyone offer any insight into this? What kinds of foods do you throw out, and why?

    Me, I buy only what I intend to eat, I eat everything I buy. Very occasionally I might throw out a piece of fruit that I didn't notice at the store had started going moldy and brought home. I suppose that maybe with children things might be more complicated - my 10-month old nephew throws much of his food on the floor, and not even his aunt who finds food waste abhorrent will pick it up and eat it herself. But then again he's small, so it's not as if he eats (or wastes) much to begin with. Shouldn't adults be able to plan what they are going to eat and act accordingly?

    Kids. Omg kids create so much waste.

    We buy a lot of fruit because my kids eat a lot of fruit. That and bread is always available to them. And usually they are pretty good at eating it. Buy boy do they go through patches where they won't touch it and it rots in the bowl. Or they get a banana and because of a brown spot they won't eat it, or they get something because they are starving, eat half and throw away the rest.

    We are trying to teach them to not waste food, but it's an ongoing challenge. They are getting better, but they are also only 4 and 6.

    Also, the pickiness! We refuse to cook seperate meals. So they eat what ever we make for them. No individual meals. So this can cause waste, by them simply not eating what they are given.

    So yeah, kids.

    After that it's more complicated. I know I've bought stuff, intending to use it throughout the week, then simply didn't want to eat it when I got to it, or even forgot about it. Is this privileged? Absolutely. Did I do the same thing when I had absolutely no money, you bet it did. I believe its because we are trained and conditioned by advertising and marketing to always believe we have a choice no matter what.