Environmental impacts

Making links

Summary information

Age range:	7 - 11 year olds
Curriculum links:	Geography, D&T
Time needed:	60 minutes
Group size:	Pairs or small groups
Setting:	Classroom or similar
Key vocabulary:	Food miles, local produce, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation, greenhouse gas emissions, packaging, landfill, incineration, processed food, reduce, reuse, recycle
Sustainability learning outcome(s):	To understand that some items of food and drink are produced in a more sustainable way than others. To understand that people need to have access to the information that will allow them to develop more sustainable lifestyles.

Preparation:

Pupils could be asked to record details about the origin of foods and drinks that they consume over a period of two to three days.

Resources needed:

A banana, a piece of locally produced organic fruit or vegetable and a selection of food products showing information about country of origin and/or information about origin of ingredients used in school meals. The following website provides brief information about the banana trade:
www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/banana/banana.htm

Procedure:

1. Display the banana and the locally produced organic fruit or vegetable, and ask pupils to brainstorm the environmental impacts of the life cycle of each item. Think about:

Land – What habitats were destroyed when the land was converted into agricultural use?
Production – Does it require chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation, machinery, packaging?
Transportation – How far did it travel? How was it transported? How much greenhouse gas emissions were created?
Processing – Was it processed in a factory? (Processed foods consume 15 times as much energy as raw foods)
Waste – How much waste does it create? What happens to this waste?

2. Ask the pupils to create a visual display that can be used to allow people to compare the environmental impacts of different items of food or drink. This display could be designed for a number of different purposes – information on packaging, a website, a leaflet, a poster, a classroom or dining hall display. The displays should allow consumers to make comparisons between at least some of the following factors:

Distance travelled (food miles)
Amount of packaging (and type – reusable or recyclable)
Amount of energy used in processing
Amount of chemicals used
Habitat destruction

3. As a whole class, invite pupils to share their work. Discuss: “Which are the most important factors when people are choosing what food and drink they’ll buy – cost, taste, brand, impact on health or impact on the environment?” “How might farmers, shops and shoppers be persuaded to pay more attention to the environmental impacts of food and drink?”

Extension:

Plan, prepare and enjoy a school meal with a low environmental impact or organise a low-waste lunch day.

Evaluation:

Sketch mapping diagrams showing the environmental impacts of two items of food or drink that you’ve consumed in the last few days – choose a pair of items where one has much larger impact than the other.

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