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Reflecting on the Environmental Impacts of Your Meal

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Reflecting on the Environmental Geography of Your Meal I would say that overall my meal had a positive impact on the environment and is a possible solution that other meals or products could look into. The idea of regenerative agriculture that was used in my meal is one that is helping the environment. One of the main problems associated with cattle is the production of meat. Producing it requires a great deal of land and water resources. According to the World Resources Institute, “ruminants such as cows and sheep are responsible for half of all greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture.” On the other hand, in a grass-fed cattle scenario, cattle spend their entire lives on grass. Their feed is much lower in energy so they are sent to slaughter later. Although these grass-fed cattle gain weight slower than feedlot animals and are slaughtered at a lower weight, they have significant environmental impacts at both the global and local scales. Regenerative agriculture is d
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The Environmental Impacts of Your Meal

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The Environmental Impacts of Your Meal Organic Valley Milk The milk that I use when making ravioli is Organic Valley 0% Fat Free Milk. Organic Valley is owned by over 2,000 family farmers, located all across the United States. My milk probably came from Reuhl Farms located about 70 miles away from me in Jefferson, Wisconsin. This link allows you to find your local Organic Valley Farmer:  https://www.organicvalley.coop/our-farmers/find-your-farmer/ This product probably had some environmental impacts associated with it. The cows that produce the milk are grass fed and this could lead to some negative environmental impacts. There could be wildlife habitat loss since grass feeding requires a great amount of land use. This large land use could also lead to a decrease in native vegetation from the cattle overgrazing. Other possible impacts include water eutrophication, increases in nitrous oxide emissions, and soil erosion. Organic Valley claims to not take shortcuts such as persis
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Introducing your Meal

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Introducing your Meal            A recent meal that I ate included toasted ravioli, strawberries, peas, and water. Toasted ravioli is one of my favorite foods ever. The recipe that we use is from Mr. Food. The cheese ravioli is first cooked in boiling water and then drained. After that we combine bread crumbs, garlic powder and salt. In another bowl we combine eggs and milk. Once those ingredients are mixed the ravioli is first dipped in the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture. After the ravioli is coated it is fried in peanut oil for three to five minutes. Once the ravioli comes out of the fryer it is placed on a cookie pan and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The ravioli is then cooked in the oven at 350 degrees for ten to fifteen minutes. Once cool it is ready to be enjoyed! I recommend using marinara sauce for dipping. Golden Ravioli   https://www.mrfood.com/Pastas/Golden-Ravioli-3435 Link to recipe:  https://www.mrfood.com/Pastas/Golden-Ravioli-3435
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Plastic Bags and Their Environmental Impacts

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Blog One: Plastic Bags Plastic bags are a very common thing in our lives that we encounter almost everyday. We may not realize all the environmental impacts that plastic bags have. One local impact of plastic bags is their effect on the oil industry. Plastic bags are made out of oil. According to the documentary, "Battle of the Bag" plastic bags account for 4% of natural gas and oil. Although this may seem like a very small fraction of the total natural gas and oil we produce, it has significant impacts on the environment. The oil for the creation of plastic bags is manipulated and massaged until it becomes polyethylene. This is a plastic that is almost impossible to destroy as it resists degradation. As a result, plastic bags can take anywhere from four hundred to one thousand years to disintegrate. Since the y take so long to disintegrate, they cause many problems for the environment and animals.  Plastic bags that are not disposed of properly or taken to the la
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