The Environmentalist in Me Would Be Happy if I Starved

Before I started taking an interest in environmental issues, I never used to put much thought into my food choices. I would consume several bottles of water or soda daily, I would purchase food which was prepared on the other side of the country, and I never did any real research into what I ate on a regular basis. Roughly a year ago, when I became much more interested in environmental protection, I realized that I had a rather large impact on the environment, solely based on the food choices I made. I stopped drinking bottled beverages regularly, and began drinking water through a faucet filter and consuming soda from cans instead; I started to purchase produce locally; and I began researching which national companies are friendlier towards the environment than others. Additionally, I have stopped eating as much as I used to, and average between two and three meals with no snacking in between. This is not only a personal health choice, but a choice made to reduce my own environmental impact.

When I reflect on the list which we made in class, however, I cannot honestly answer which of my food options has had the greatest environmental impact. The reason why I am uncertain is because most of the food I consume here, at American University, is on a meal plan provided by the school. American University has a record of being an ecologically friendly institution; however, I am not sure if the food which is served at TDR, Block Express, or the Tavern is locally produced or purchased from around the world. Of the items I consumed which were not provided by the university, I would say that the Jolly Ranchers I have been slowly consuming over the past few weeks have had the most environmental impact. The package says they were processed in Illinois; from there, they were sent to upstate New York; next, my parents sent them to me through the mail; and now, I am consuming them and disposing of each individual plastic wrapper which will unsuredly survive a century or so in a landfill somewhere.