The global meat industry generates 15% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Heart disease is the #1 killer in the U.S. Climate change is expected to lower grain yields and raise crop prices across the developing world, leading to a 20-percent rise in child malnutrition. This panel will take a close look at the food industry and how it impacts the well-being of our planet, ourselves, and our fellow species who inhabit the world with us. From local food to fast food this panel will touch on health and wellness and how the big business of food shapes our societies and politics. From racism associated with food deserts, speciesism associated with habitat destruction for farmland, to carnism associated with inhumane treatment of animals; we will take a close look at the morality of the choices we make when we eat.
Panelists:
Eric Gaze directs the Quantitative Reasoning Program at Bowdoin College, is current chair of the Center for Learning and Teaching, and teaches various courses for the mathematics department, economics department, and the digital and computational studies initiative. He runs an alpaca sanctuary, Gaze Acres Alpacas, with his wife Jeannine Anderson; and advocates for a plant based diet. He will share facts about the current state of agribusiness and the relationship between diet, health, and climate.
Mary “Mary Lou” McAteer Kennedy, R.D., M.A. has overseen the Dining Service operations at Bowdoin for many years! The 25,000 meals served weekly in the dining halls in addition to food locations in Smith Union and thousands of catered meals present unique challenges for food sourcing. Dining Service has received many accolades for their efforts in serving fresh, healthy, homemade foods and have been in the forefront of local and sustainable food sourcing. Mary Lou will share information about student dining trends and Bowdoin’s sustainable purchasing strategies.
Kevonté Anderson, Class of 2016: Form and Content. In this lifetime, I more than twenty-two years of experience being. I am from a small village in East Nashville, TN. Breathing, Eating and Drinking are three essential exercises of humanity’s waking life. I founded SeLectSe7en: Smoothies & Sandwiches with my bredren, A.SUN, to provide spiritually considerate, vegan locally sun-charged food to my community. Food and meditation are central for liberation, we craft evolutionary recipes to connect consumption to chakra meditation.
Trevor Kenkel, Class of 2018: The ecosystems around me have always been an important aspect of my life. I grew up in Whitefish, Montana, just a town away from a National Park and near some of the best fly fishing in the United States. This instilled in me a deep love of nature. As I saw areas around me degrading from human activity, I also became very interested in sustainability. This has led me to study biology here at Bowdoin as well as start Springworks in hopes of helping to forge a greener future.