Wrap Up Those Leftovers

It's the final week of 8Y08 and time to reflect on my Genius Hour journey. It was a lot of interesting, educational work that got me thinking about what I am passionate about and where I can make a difference. It also got me thinking about the types of actions that really make a difference. Changing my topic from Truth and Reconciliation to Plant-Based Eating was a really big decision that required a lot of extra work, but I think it was the right thing to do. Especially in the age of social media, it is very easy to jump up and use your voice but sometimes that's not the right course of action. This was a big lesson for me, although not the point of this assignment. 

I really enjoyed creating something every week, and while it was a lot of work it reminded me that really great things require a lot of work! I hope that moving forward I can remind myself to stretch my creative legs more often. The biggest challenge I had was coming up with a topic and I'm not sure why or what that means. The struggle was real, and it was because I have a lot of interests but feel as though I have no strong passions or big questions that I need answered. I'm not sure how or if that will affect me in a classroom, but it will be important to remind myself of moving forward. I would like to apply creative thinking and a growth mindset to more things in my life that I've previously thought I couldn't do. I think the Genius Hour project gave parts of my brain a little dust off!

 

As for all of you! Enjoy reading week and try something new! 

The Big Cheese

My Genius Hour work was definitely a journey and I think as I have grown older my creative mind has closed up a bit. While I was able to find a topic and idea I was passionate about, I feel I lacked the creativity to truly create something unique or wonderful. Maybe I am just feeling negative from all the bummer facts I learned about the meat industry and the climate crisis. 

I learned a lot of new stuff about Candian meat consumption vs global meat consumption that was really impressive. Yay Canada! As well as something that really surprised me; overconsumption of meat permeates into economic, social, and ecological issues but nothing is being done about it. Why is that? I've heard a lot about the power of the dollar and the meat industry trying to silence people, but numbers don't lie. Animal agriculture takes up 45% of global land use and feeding those animals is more than enough to prevent world hunger. Why is there an industry that can do this unchecked? Why do we care more about eating a steak than feeding everyone on earth? I really just have more questions!

By implementing a meal plan similar to my final product in my own house, I have been able to make my family eat plant based regularly and reduce our ecological footprint. Teaching people what I have learned would be my next step, and sharing with them all the great recipes I have found along the way.