NEW YORK CITY – This spring, Farm Sanctuary, America’s premier farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization, is launching free in-classroom guest presentations and curriculum resources for teachers that help middle and high school students understand the profound impact our modern food system has on the environment and global climate change.
Demanding positive action, young people around the world are proving to have some of the most powerful voices in the fight to mitigate global climate change. Yet even amid a growing movement surrounding the teaching of environmental literacy in schools, there tends to be an elephant, or more accurately a cow, in the room when it comes to discussing practical actions students can take to lessen the effects of global climate change.
“Educating people on the relationship between food and the environment can play an important role in fighting climate change,” said Jennifer Ayla Jay, Ph.D., an Environmental Engineering professor at UCLA who served as a consultant for the science curriculum. “Our study at UCLA shows that when students learn about the environmental impacts of their food choices, they make voluntary dietary shifts that are both healthier for them and better for the planet.”
Farm Sanctuary’s in-classroom presentation, “Environmental Impacts & Our Food System,” is launching in the New York City metro area and the San Francisco Bay Area (with future cities to be announced) and introduces students to the ways in which animal agriculture pollutes our land, air, and water; depletes natural resources; and contributes to global climate change. Exploring a variety of topics including greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water use, pollution, species extinction, waste management, and the impact that factory farming has on community health, the presentation also offers a Virtual Reality experience that transports students to one of Farm Sanctuary’s shelters where they come face to face with cows, chickens, sheep, goats, and pigs rescued from the harsh conditions of our food system.
For teachers and students nationwide, Farm Sanctuary’s Sustainable Future Curriculum is available through online downloads and also educates students about the detrimental effects that animal agriculture and factory farming have on our planet, arming them with the most current and noteworthy scientific findings drawn from reputable organizations including FAO, CDC, NASA, and NRDC. With titles like “Global Warming & Our Food System: A Greenhouse Effect Inquiry Lab,” “Environmental Impacts & Our Food System: Exploring the Evidence,” and “Food Production & CO2 Equivalents: Creating a Computational Simulation,” the environmentally focused lessons align with Next Generation Science Standards and follow the 5E Model, encouraging students to learn through engagement and exploration.
Says Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, who TIME magazine calls “the conscience of the food movement,” “It is critically important to address the negative impacts of animal agriculture if we hope to curb some of the biggest threats our world faces. Failing to discuss these issues in the classroom would be doing future generations a terrible disservice.”
To learn more about Farm Sanctuary’s Sustainable Future Curriculum and schedule a presentation for your class, visit https://www.farmsanctuary.org/humane-education/.
