Take a bite out of climate change

Introduction

Led by Sarah Bridle (University of Manchester), Take a Bite Out of Climate Change is a group of researchers at various universities who are concerned about how food contributes to climate change.

‘We want to help people learn how food reaches our plates, and how different choices contribute to how the climate changes in the future. Takeabitecc was organised to share widely the scientific evidence about how food and agriculture contribute to climate change, providing easily accessible information and fun activities to help citizens understand how they can help reduce their climatic impact.’

The website

The website (https://www.takeabitecc.org/) contains a wealth of interesting and useful resources to support teaching climate change, food and farming. The resources are particularly relevant to primary and lower secondary students.

• Online interactive Climate Stack Calculator (https://www.takeabitecc.org/calculator.html) enables students to consider their personal greenhouse gas emissions from a variety of food products.

• Climate Food Flashcards (https://www.takeabitecc.org/flashcards.html) provide a fun way to engage with children about the variation of greenhouse gas emissions cause by producing different foods.

‘While there is always a range of values depending on how the foods are produced, and emissions are often difficult to measure, we felt that providing some fun typical numbers in an accessible format could help get across some of the most important issues. We also wanted to get across some information on nutritional value, to start conversations with the public and children about healthy sustainable diets. We are excited to have water footprints too, which can start a conversation about trade-offs between environmental impacts.’

• Take a Bite at Home (https://www.takeabitecc.org/athome.html) offers a range of online resources including video clips and worksheets to support students working at home.

The website contains much else of interest including an online game (Climate Food Challenge http://climatefoodchallenge.online/game/), Farming for the Future board game, research details and links to events, conferences and exhibitions.