food is an energy issue
TRANSCRIPT
Food is an Energy Issue Getting to a Sustainable and Climate-Friendly
Food and Farming System
Heather Schoonover
CERTs Conference, February 11, 2009
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Climate and the Food Cycle
Agricultural Production
Processing
Transportation
Retail
ConsumptionDisposal
Production•Fertilizer
•Livestock
•Tillage
•Crops
•Fuel
•Chemicals
•Irrigation
•Heat/cooling
•Electricity
Processing•Refrigeration
•Packaging
•Additives
•Electricity
•Heat/cooling
TransportationFrom field all the way to disposal – “Food Miles”
•Truck
•Ship
•Train
•Car
•Airplane
Retail•Refrigeration
•Packaging
•Heat/cooling
•Electricity
•Advertising
•Waste/disposal
Consumption•Transport
•Refrigeration
•Storage
•Waste/disposal
Disposal25%-30% of food in the U.S. is wasted•Methane release
•Landfill costs
•Incineration
Breakdown of the Food System
From: Weber and Matthews (2008), Carlsson-Kanyama (2003), FCRN (2007), Dutilh (2004), Kramer et al (1999)
Production60%
Processing8%
Transportation7%
Consumption15%
Disposal10%
Production60%
Transportation7%
Processing8%
Consumption15%
Disposal10%
Breakdown of the U.S. DietRed meat and dairy make up almost half of our dietary GHGs
Weber and Matthews (2008)Food is 13% of a household’s GHG impact
Organic or Conventional?
Organic farming practices build soil organic matter but often utilize tillage which releases GHGs
Conventional no-till reduces soil GHG emissions, but generally depends upon chemical use for weed control and does little to build soil organic matter
Grass or Grain?
Grass-fed beef and dairy products have lower GHG emissions than grain-fed beef and dairy products, but grazing reduces ability to capture methane from manure
Local versus Imported
Local production reduces transport costs and GHG emissions…
…but less intensive production methods generally override reduced transportation GHG benefits
How to Make the Biggest Impact• Avoid use of synthetic fertilizers• Reduce and compost/digest food waste • Shift from grain-fed to grass-fed meat
production • Manage manure: compost for fertilizer or
capture methane for power generation• Avoid irrigation and fossil fuels – look to
solar/wind/renewables for heat and energy • Reduce transport
Climate and Food Resources
- Try Bon Appetit’s new food carbon footprint calculator.www.eatlowcarbon.org/Carbon-Calculator.html
-“Local Foods and Climate Change: An Annotated Resource” available now at www.iatp.org
-“Blueprint for a Climate Friendly Local Food System” available soon at www.iatp.org
Thank You
Heather SchoonoverLocal Foods Program
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy(612) 870-3450