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Our food has a huge carbon footprint. FIXING FOOD tells five stories of creative new ways to lower the cost.
To many of us, climate change is remote, abstract, too grim to consider, too far removed from our daily lives. But we now know that one of the biggest triggers for global warming is something all of us do every day: eating.
Growing and processing food, and packaging and bringing it to us—all use enormous amounts of energy, water, and chemicals, creating an overwhelming burden on our planet's resources. And, remarkably, Americans throw out nearly half of the food we produce. More than 62 million tons of food every year ends up rotting in landfills, releasing poisonous methane into the air and further fueling the increases in global warming.
Fortunately, across the country, intrepid innovators are recognizing and exploring solutions to the problems of growing our nation's food while responding to climate change.
FIXING FOOD tells stories of people who are working to lower our carbon footprint with impactful new ways to gather and prepare the food we need. The series looks at five important areas where we can make changes—farming in the ocean and the air, finding new food sources, learning from Indigenous agriculture, and rescuing the food we already have.
Their stories challenge us all: If we change the way we eat, can we save our planet?
The episodes are:
The 3 Cricketeers - 9 mins
The story of a Minnesota farm family working on the frontier of urban agriculture, trying to do their part in the climate crisis by raising environmentally-friendly, protein-rich crickets and turning them into cookies, treats and tortillas.
Native Table - 11:43 mins.
At their Minneapolis restaurant Chef Sean Sherman and business partner Dana Thomson are exploring their native cultural heritages by re-creating pre-Colonial menus, combining the past with the best in modern farming practices to create more sustainable and ethical food systems.
Farming the Sky - 8:28 mins.
Traditional industrial scale agriculture might never be replaced, but architect Nona Yehia was sure it could be improved. She designed a new kind of greenhouse: a building that would pack a perfectly controlled growing environment into a space built up vertically on a sliver of urban real estate.
Harvesting the Sea - 8 mins.
How can we keep Maine's lobster fishing communities employed and producing food for the rest of us when the oceans they depend on are warming so fast that fish stocks are declining? The answer, says the economist, Brianna Warner, is seaweed farming.
The Rescue Brigade - 8:34 mins.
More than 38 million people in America are food insecure. When Leah Lizarondo learned that over 40% of America's surplus food is wasted every year, she founded a food rescue mission with a small army of volunteers to bring that food to the people who need it most.
46 minutes
SDH Captioned
Directed by Sue Williams
Produced by Sue Williams
Writer: Sue Williams
Executive Producer: Victoria Wang
Co-Executive Producer: Judith Vecchione
Associate Producer: Noel Flego
Editor: Christina Kelly
Series Original Score: Carmen Borgia
Design & Animation: My Active Driveway
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"FIXING FOOD offers a celebration of radical business innovation in our food systems that envisions community and flourishing at its heart. These inspirational people and projects make it clear we have the tools to chart an incredibly rich and delicious future."
Paul Stock, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, University of Kansas, Author, New Farmers
"People are taking note of the alarming impact climate change has on weather, the food supply chain, and our pocketbooks. Access to affordable food is under threat, calling for innovative ways to produce and distribute our food supply. FIXING FOOD explores the multi-faceted face of food insecurity, food waste, and climate change, sharing real world, natural based solutions from the land, water, and sky. The sessions are broken up into digestible portions to engage audiences from a practical, emotional, and aspirational style. This film is five-star, and resonates with teachers, learners, and activists alike. I highly recommend FIXING FOOD for your next classroom or community screening."
"FIXING FOOD includes inspiring and tangible stories for the next generation. Each segment shows how creative and resourceful individuals are using food to tackle an array of challenges such as climate change, health, inequality, and economic development."
"FIXING FOOD is a lively look at some tasty alternatives to the way food is thought of, produced, and consumed in the modern food system. Using high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech methodologies, people are coming up with creative ways to use food to heal the planet. Both students and community activists will find this film useful, and the emphasis on community-based solutions is especially inspiring."
Jeffrey Miller, Associate Professor of Hospitality Management, Colorado State University, Author, Avocado: A Global History
"The current food production system is damaging our health and environment. FIXING FOOD shows how we can create a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable food system. It highlights the pioneering work of a diverse range of passionate individuals and organizations who are trying to reduce food waste, find alternatives to meat, and grow foods more sustainably. Their efforts should be an inspiration to students and activists who want to create a better world."
David Julian McClements, Professor of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Author, Future Foods: How Modern Science Is Transforming the Way We Eat
"FIXING FOOD demonstrates the transformative capacity of the food system through innovation, creativity, and passion. These pieces reveal that food, produced and used well, is more than calories; it is community, culture, job security, compassion and potentially the salvation of our planet. The food fixes presented here will not replace conventional agriculture, but they offer alternatives that are sustainable, optimistic, and ultimately regenerative to us and our Earth."
Gary S. Kleppel, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Owner/Operator, Longfield Farm
"The content is suitable for high school through college age audiences. The topics as stated are varied, so it isn't limited to a single subject area; classes in geography, business, ecology, and environmental studies could easily use these episodes. Overall, it's a very versatile set of mini-documentaries, and is highly recommended."
Kristen Adams, Miami University, Educational Media Reviews Online