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APES The Cost of Thanksgiving WIP

Last updated about 2 years ago
17 questions
Note from the author:
Thank you to Sue O'Bannon (here: https://app.formative.com/formatives/6554da61e2d68a50e4ac4710), who provided the final article/16 pound turkey question, and Samantha Lee of National APES Teachers Facebook Group, who provided the vast majority of this activity.
Introduction

Tasks

  • Create and analyze the environmental impact of a traditional Thanksgiving Meal.
  • Create a plate of alternatives to the most energy expensive foods in the form of a Hand Turkey.

Objectives

  • Explain the variation in carbon footprint for production of different food items.
  • Distinguish between carbon-required and carbon-free energy production methods.
  • Compare local and non-local produce acquisition.
1

EXPLAIN why eating organisms that are lower on the food chain on Thanksgiving will lead to reducing your carbon footprint.

There are hints available. Use them slowly. The hints are not themselves the answer, but you can write in this answer, from the hint, I learned:... and that should help you connect. You should be able to answer this without a hint; if you cannot, you need to push your brain toward recall by only giving yourself a little information at a time. This can be answered in 50-150 words.

The Cost of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Dinner’s Carbon Footprint: A State-by-State Comparison

by Shilo Rea 2016 November

The environmental impact of your Thanksgiving dinner depends on where the meal is prepared.

Carnegie Mellon University researchers calculated the carbon footprint of a typical Thanksgiving feast – roasted turkey stuffed with sausage and apples, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie – for each state. The team based their calculations on the way the meal is cooked (gas versus electric range), the specific state’s predominant power source and how the food is produced in each area.

They found that dinners cooked in Maine and Vermont, states that rely mostly on renewable energy, emit the lowest amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is tied to climate change. States that use coal power, such as Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky, have the highest carbon dioxide emissions.

"Food production – how the food is grown or raised – and meal preparation – how the food is cooked – both contribute to the carbon footprint. We broke our dinner down into its separate dishes, and then broke those down into the individual ingredients. For each ingredient, we tracked its carbon emissions from 'farm-to-fork.' Production and preparation both contribute about 50 pounds of carbon dioxide, but it varies from state to state and house to house," said Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decisions sciences in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Further examination showed high variability among similar stove types in different states. For example, cooking a 16-pound turkey in an electric oven in coal-dependent Wyoming emits 32 pounds of carbon dioxide. In Maine, cooking the same turkey in the same oven but with electricity generated primarily from renewable energy releases less than three pounds of carbon dioxide.

Generally, using gas ranges to cook leaves a smaller footprint than electric ranges, but the team found that does not hold true for 11 states whose primary sources for electricity are renewables and nuclear power.

Traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving only worsens the problem.

"Bringing relatives into town can easily double the carbon footprint of the meal," said Orchi Banerjee, a sophomore majoring in decision science. "American cars emit close to a pound of carbon dioxide per mile traveled. If your guests collectively drive more than 180 miles round trip, it may help the environment if they stayed home and cooked their own meal."

Flying is a completely different story. Four people who fly 600 miles round trip have a carbon footprint ten times that of an average prepared Thanksgiving meal, before they even sit down at the table.

Fischbeck noted that this does not mean he thinks everyone should stay at home or shouldn’t enjoy a home-cooked meal.

"It is important to keep things in perspective. Yes, the carbon footprint of Thanksgiving is larger than an average meal, but compared to all the environmental lifestyle decisions that American family could make, these are very, very small potatoes," advised Fischbeck.

"So, eat in moderation, spend time with your friends and family and travel safely, but whatever you do, don’t replace your turkey with roast beef. That could easily double the footprint of your feast," Fischbeck said.

Jon Willcox, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, also participated in this research.

1

The central claim of the article; that celebration of Thanksgiving has high carbon footprint costs due to meals and travel, is

1
IDENTIFY the states that have the lowest and highest CO2 emissions for their Thanksgiving dinners. IDENTIFY the type of power associated with these lower CO2 emissions.

In _______ and _______, Thanksgiving dinner CO2 emissions are low in comparison to states like _______ and _______. Low emissions are associated with the use of _______ power, whereas states that rely on _______ power have higher emissions per dinner.
1

LIST three environmental impacts of coal-mining, without doing other research. You may use the hints to help you think.

I am using this question to help me understand how much in-class support I need to do re: coal mining, because students described coal mining impacts as a very uninteresting but also unfamiliar topic to them in the start-of-unit survey.

1
Complete the data-table using the article above.
Other Answer Choices:
Gas Lowers Footprint?
Energy from Carbon-Free Sources
Meal Footprint (lbs CO2)
1

The data table describes % of energy in a state that comes from 'carbon-free' resources.

Compare and Contrast the types of energy resources. Before or after you answer, you should view the hint for more information. Get a check on this.

  • natural gas
  • minerals (gold, etc)
  • hydroelectric
  • wind
  • biomass
  • nuclear
  • solar
  • coal
  • geothermal
  • Carbon-Required Resources
  • Carbon-Free* or Neutral resources
1

Import pictures of your ideal Thanksgiving plate. Your plate should have four specific food items on it.

1

Research the carbon impact of all 4 items on your ideal plate and describe them below. If you’re choosing a complex food (ex: sweet potato casserole) add up the CO2 expense of the 3 main ingredients (ex: sweet potato, butter, sugar). Pick the part of the dish that is the most CO2 costly to replace with a more sustainable option.

Use these links and the internet to help.
Chart: The Carbon Footprint of the Food Supply Chain and Categories of CO2 Emissions

1

On paper, create a Hand Turkey with each finger describing an alternative to your favorite traditional Thanksgiving foods. You may make it as pretty as you have time for. Mark TRUE when you have done this.

1

Consult the Guide to Local, Seasonal Produce in Texas at Thanksgiving.

List at least 4 items on this list and rank them with the following numbers. (4) I would eat this in abundance! (3) I like it well enough but grow tired of it. (2) I would eat this but would not be happy about it. (1) I would not be happy about eating this at all.

https://www.texasagriculture.gov/Portals/0/forms/MKT/TDA%20Produce%20Commodity%20Card.pdf

1

DESCRIBE the benefits of eating locally grown food instead of food created elsewhere and transported to your grocery store. Answer without doing other research. You may use the hints to help you think.

I am using this question to help me understand how much in-class support I need to do re this topic.

Article 2: More Information about Thanksgiving Dinner
Please read the following article: "The Environmental Impact of Your Thanksgiving Dinner". You may use it for the last questions, and also to check your previous question.
1

What is the carbon footprint of a 16-pound turkey? How does it compare to other types of meat, such as beef?

4

What is one thing in your life that you are thankful for this year?

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Tell me how you feel about the 'learning' value of this assignment, remembering your tasks and objectives:

Tasks

  • Create and analyze the environmental impact of a traditional Thanksgiving Meal.
  • Create a plate of alternatives to the most energy expensive foods in the form of a Hand Turkey.

Objectives

  • Explain the variation in carbon footprint for production of different food items.
  • Distinguish between carbon-required and carbon-free energy production methods.
  • Compare local and non-local produce acquisition.