Reflection Post: Week 5 & 6

Week 5 we watched the movie called The Future of Food. I really liked this movie a lot. The movie was about how farmers were planting seed, that some how ended up being the seed that Monsanto chemically engineered, and then Monsanto would bring a lawsuit against them for not purchasing the patent. These farmers have farmed on these lands for years and never once changed their seeds, and Monsanto came in and took away their life savings and farmland because they were using “their” seed. It was really sad to see that happen to them. Another thing in the movie that impacted me was they were coming close to become a step closer to finding the cure for Breast Cancer and one of the genes they couldn’t use because it was already patented. We have been trying to cure cancer for years, and because of one gene they are now one step behind then closer. The movie goes on and it seems that there is no hope for us against chemically engineered food, until the last of the movie when they talk about farmers markets and organic farms. These two ideas are ways to buy foods that are no way touched by any chemicals and healthy for us. So there is hope for fresher foods after all!

Week 6 I was not in class due to being sick, but I did watch the movie Diet For A New America on YouTube. The movie is from the view point of John Robbins, who’s family owns Baskin Robbins, but decided to turn down anything from his family and live in British Columbia and live off of himself and grow foods. He talks about driving by a feedlot with lots of cattle getting fed seed, because that makes them fatter in areas we like to eat. These livestock can make up to 1.6 billion tons of manure (waste) and where does this waste go? Into the ground, streams and other waters supply near by. These chemicals run into water making algae and running our lakes affecting the eco-systems. This makes me think we need to change something! Ew!

In class everyone also made headers for their blogs and they look great! I am meeting with Steve on Monday to go over it, so I can add one to my page!