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. 

Genius Hour: Powered By Plants

 Hello Adventure Friends!

Today's the day, the sun is shining, the topic has changed! Genius Hour is supposed to be a journey right? If you check out my last blog post you'll see that I have changed my idea to another area I'm very passionate about: plant based eating. 

I have been a vegetarian on and off for over 6 years, and always for the same reason: eating meat at the rate that society does has serious implication on the planet. Between the water used to raise meat for consumption and the land destruction caused by the meat industry there are serious issues with the way we get the food we want, crave, and ultimately need. There is also unnecessary social stigma around 'vegetarians' and 'vegans' and I get a lot of eye rolls when I tell people that I don't eat meat. 

I'm not here to tell people what to do or what to eat - or even not eat. My new big question is "What would happen if we globally reduced meat consumption by 50%?" 

From my own research and understanding before I take on this question I know that it would have significant environmental and health impacts in the long run, but what exactly are they? If I can back up this up with my own research maybe I can convince people to reduce their meat consumption. 

It's not about restriction or limitations to what you 'can or cannot' eat, the goal of this genius question is to raise awareness and engage our minds about where our food comes from and what time, money, energy and sacrifices go into putting it on our plates. 

Ideally I would like to create a product that educates people and gives them simple solutions to integrate more plant based eating into their daily lives. I have put out a survey to some friends on social media to get an idea of what they would like to know, and how they would best learn more (tik tok? ted talk? pdf check lists?). 

I have really started back at square one, but it's all part of the learning process. Okay now who else is hungry???