Sustainable nutrition without thinking | Julian Däster | TEDxHWZ

Summary

The speaker recounts her childhood growing up on an organic farm, being surrounded by fresh, sustainable food but taking it for granted. She argues that our industrialized food system is environmentally damaging and pushes for eating local, seasonal produce. Through examples like community supported agriculture, she shows how pre-selecting and directly connecting consumers to local farms can nudge people toward more sustainable diets. She concludes that consumers have power through their purchases to drive demand for small-scale, organic farms over industrial agriculture and leave future generations a healthy planet.

Takeaways

• 😱 Industrial agriculture and our food system have strongly negative impacts on the environment
• 😢 Only 6% of available agricultural land is used to grow fruits and vegetables
• 🍖 Our eating habits, especially high meat consumption, prevent an agricultural turnaround
• 🥗 Eating seasonal and local is key to sustainable nutrition
• 😕 Most food decisions in supermarkets are intuitive and impulsive
• 😐 Context influences our decisions - supermarkets could nudge us towards sustainability
• 🛒 Community supported agriculture simplifies choices and nudges sustainable consumption
• 😊 Cooperative producers and consumers enables organic, diverse agriculture
• 🌿 In South Korea, Hansalim cooperative feeds 1.5 million people sustainably
• 😀 As consumers, we have the power to drive the market towards sustainable local agriculture

Q & A

What was the speaker's childhood environment like in terms of access to fresh food?

The speaker grew up on an organic farm situated in the middle of large vegetable fields, so she had very easy access to ultra-fresh vegetables and salad ingredients.

How much of the available agricultural land is used for growing fruits and vegetables versus animal farming?

Only 6% of the available land is used for growing fruits and vegetables, while about two-thirds is used for animal farming.

What are two negative impacts of our current food system and industrial agriculture?

Two negative impacts are: 1) Damage to soil, water and biodiversity, and 2) Inefficient use of available agricultural land.

How did the speaker start appreciating sustainable agriculture more as an adult?

She started appreciating it more when her dad gifted her a basket of fresh seasonal vegetables for Christmas from his community supported agriculture co-op.

What is community-supported agriculture and how does it benefit producers and consumers?

It's a cooperative model where consumers pay upfront for a 'subscription' to receive regular baskets of seasonal produce, benefitting consumers with fresh food and producers by ensuring demand.

What can supermarkets do to nudge consumers towards more sustainable choices?

Simple ideas like clear labelling on seasonality and providing feedback on ecological footprint while shopping can positively influence consumer behavior.

How does the weekly vegetable basket subscription help simplify the speaker's lifestyle?

The pre-selected basket of seasonal vegetables cuts down on food choices she has to make and variety helps her discover new recipes.

How widespread are community-supported agriculture models globally?

There are over 1,500 such community farms in the U.S. alone. South Korea has thousands feeding 1.5 million people and a quarter of Japan's population participates.

What did Hansalim, the large South Korean sustainable produce organization, focus on?

The main focus was producers taking responsibility for consumers' wellbeing and consumers taking responsibility for producers' livelihoods.

What specific call to action does the speaker make to the audience?

She asks listeners to appreciate food origin more, search online for local producers to connect with, and support local small-scale sustainable farms.