Introduction to Food and Our Environment from Coursera

This course is designed to help learners around the world become more sustainable eaters. Course videos can be watched in any order. Feel free to explore special areas of interest by skipping ahead and coming back to less familiar topics at a later stage. Together, we’ll explore key topics, like how food production impacts the environment and why meat production and protein consumption are often at the center of the debate around sustainability. We’ll introduce the pros and cons of different kinds of agriculture, fishing and food packaging, with a focus on how we can make more environmentally friendly decisions on a daily basis. We’ll also look ahead and explore some of the technology innovations that could become increasingly important as we look at the future of food for a growing global population. If this is the first course you’ve ever taken on food and sustainable eating, you’ll come away with concrete tips for how you can make food choices that will protect the world we hand over to the next generation. Our planet needs many people making small changes in the right direction and we’re here to help with that. If you’re an expert in food sustainability, we hope to offer you some tools that could help you to communicate key messages to others in simple, digestible ways. Whatever your level, we hope you’ll join this discussion as we explore, together, the ways in which we can all become more sustainable eaters.

The beautiful story animations were scripted by Lucas Oliver Oswald and animated by Janine Van Schoor.

Special thanks to: Lucas Oliver Oswald, William Bottini, Desiree Labeaud, Christopher Gardner, Sejal Parekh, Arielle Wenokur, Janine Van Schoor, Ann Doerr, Perry Pickert and the fantastic team at Friday Films.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Eating for Our Health and the Health of Our Planet

This week, we’ll learn about what it means to be a sustainable eater, by exploring the guiding principles of sustainable eating as published by the World Health Organization. We’ll examine how our food choices shape our health and the health of our planet and why protein is often at the center of the debate.

How Meat and Milk Impact Our Planet

In this module, we’ll learn about how producing different kinds of meat have different impacts on our environment. We’ll also learn why plant-based proteins are less stressful for our planet to produce than animal-based proteins - and how increasing the plant-based proteins in our diet can improve our health.

How Seafood and Egg Consumption Impact Our Planet

In this module, we will explore the impact of fish and seafood on our environment, including the different kinds of wild-caught and farmed fish. We will discuss the different kinds of eggs you find in the supermarket and gain insights into how we can make the best choices possible with our food budget.

The Future of Food?

In this module, we will explore the impact of packaging and food waste on our environment as well as the ways in which some forms of food packaging can prevent food waste. We’ll explore the benefits of eating locally grown foods, but also the technologies that allow global populations to have access to fresh produce all year long. Finally, we’ll explore some innovations in food technology that, if they are developed responsibly, might soon make it much easier to be a sustainable eater.

Good to know

Know what's good

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, and possible dealbreakers

Explores the environmental impact of food production and consumption, which is standard in industry

Offers practical tips for making sustainable food choices, which can help learners lead more environmentally conscious lives

Taught by Maya Adam, MD, who is recognized for her work in sustainable eating

Develops core skills for sustainable eating, which are relevant to personal growth and development

Examines different types of agriculture, fishing, and food packaging, which is highly relevant to sustainable eating

Takes a creative approach to the topic of sustainable eating, which may add color to other topics and subjects

Reviews summary

Introduction to food and our environment

learners say that this Introduction to Food and Our Environment course is amazing and incredibly helpful. Stanford professors Maya Adam and Adam Drewnowski do an excellent job of teaching about the relationship between food and the environment. Students appreciate that this course is well-planned and easy to understand while still providing important and impactful information. Students who take this course can expect to learn about food sustainability and how their food choices affect the environment. Overall, this course is highly recommended by students for anyone who wants to learn more about this important topic.

Engaging professor with delivery style

"Great Professor, great course."

"Dr. Maya is an excellent teacher with a wonderful delivery style."

Learn ways to develop sustainable eating habits

"This course helps me to understand more clearly the way to use food to protect our environment, and the way to choose food to save for the environment, reduce the footprint, and our health."

"Big thanks to Dr. Adams for her wisdom. This course helps me develop better eating habits since I have very low energy."

"I learned a lot about food sustainability and how our food choices affects the environment! I loved this course!"

Important and impactful information

"Aprendi cosas importantes sobre nutricion y sostenibilidad de una manera muy sencilla y amena, me encantaron las explicaciones de la doctora Maya."

"A very well done, concise and informative introduction to sustainability and food."

"As an human being all of us need food to survive. Whatever the occupation we are engaged with we must learn about our food and its impact on environment."

Well-planned and easy to understand

"Very well-planned and executed course."

"It teaches the course is so didactic that I enjoyed it and learned many things that I can incorporate into my work and daily routine."

"The way it teaches the course is so didactic that I enjoyed it and learned many things that I can incorporate into my work and daily routine. "

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Food and Our Environment with these activities:

Read 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' by Michael Pollan

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This book provides a comprehensive overview of the industrial food system and its impact on health, the environment, and society.

View The Botany of Desire Young Readers Edition on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts and arguments presented.

Review summary and critical analysis

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Summarizing and critically analyzing course materials helps to improve retention, and strengthens analytical skills.

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Identify key concepts and summarize them in your own words.
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and evidence presented.

Review the basics of nutrition

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Review the fundamental principles of nutrition to create a solid foundation for this course.

Browse courses on Nutrition

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Read a book or article on the basics of nutrition.
Take an online quiz or assessment to test your knowledge.

Two other activities

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Show all five activities

Calculate your own carbon footprint

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Calculating your own carbon footprint will help you understand the environmental impact of your food choices.

Browse courses on Carbon Footprint

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Find a carbon footprint calculator online.
Enter your data into the calculator.
Review your results and identify areas where you can reduce your impact.

Write a blog post about sustainable eating

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Creating a blog post will help you to synthesize and communicate your knowledge about sustainable eating.

Browse courses on Sustainable Eating

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Choose a topic for your blog post.
Research your topic.
Write your blog post.
Publish your blog post.

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Food and Our Environment will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Sustainability Manager

A Sustainability Manager is a professional who helps organizations implement sustainable practices and reduce their environmental impact. This course can help Sustainability Managers understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable choices. Additionally, the course can help Sustainability Managers communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Manager

Environmental Scientist

Environmental Scientists study the environment and develop solutions to environmental problems. This course can help Environmental Scientists understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to develop more sustainable practices. Additionally, the course can help Environmental Scientists communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Scientist

Food Scientist

Food Scientists develop new food products and processes, and ensure the safety and quality of food. This course can help Food Scientists understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to develop more sustainable food products and processes. Additionally, the course can help Food Scientists communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Scientist

Nutritionist

Nutritionists help people improve their health through diet and lifestyle changes. This course can help Nutritionists understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable dietary recommendations. Additionally, the course can help Nutritionists communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Nutritionist

Dietitian

Dietitians help people manage their health and nutrition. This course can help Dietitians understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable dietary recommendations. Additionally, the course can help Dietitians communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Dietitian

Public Health Nutritionist

Public Health Nutritionists work to improve the health of communities through nutrition education and policy changes. This course can help Public Health Nutritionists understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to develop more sustainable nutrition policies and programs. Additionally, the course can help Public Health Nutritionists communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public Health Nutritionist

Health Educator

Health Educators help people make healthy choices and improve their health. This course can help Health Educators understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to incorporate sustainability into their health education programs. Additionally, the course can help Health Educators communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Health Educator

Environmental Educator

Environmental Educators teach people about the environment and how to protect it. This course can help Environmental Educators understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to incorporate sustainability into their educational programs. Additionally, the course can help Environmental Educators communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Educator

Food Policy Analyst

Food Policy Analysts research and develop policies that affect the food system. This course can help Food Policy Analysts understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to develop more sustainable food policies. Additionally, the course can help Food Policy Analysts communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Policy Analyst

Sustainability Consultant

Sustainability Consultants help organizations implement sustainable practices and reduce their environmental impact. This course can help Sustainability Consultants understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable recommendations to their clients. Additionally, the course can help Sustainability Consultants communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Consultant

Food Journalist

Food Journalists write and report on food-related issues. This course can help Food Journalists understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to write more sustainable food articles. Additionally, the course can help Food Journalists communicate key messages about sustainability to others in simple, digestible ways.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Journalist

Chef

Chefs prepare and cook food. This course can help Chefs understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable choices in the kitchen. Additionally, the course can help Chefs communicate key messages about sustainability to their customers and staff.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chef

Food Service Manager

Food Service Managers oversee the operation of food service establishments. This course can help Food Service Managers understand the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable choices in their operations. Additionally, the course can help Food Service Managers communicate key messages about sustainability to their staff and customers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Service Manager

Registered Dietitian

Registered Dietitians help people manage their health and nutrition. This course may be useful for Registered Dietitians who want to learn more about the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to make more sustainable dietary recommendations. Additionally, the course can help Registered Dietitians communicate key messages about sustainability to their clients and patients.

See salaries and explore the career path for Registered Dietitian

Environmental Lawyer

Environmental Lawyers specialize in environmental law and represent clients in environmental cases. This course may be useful for Environmental Lawyers who want to learn more about the environmental impact of food production and consumption, and how to develop more sustainable environmental policies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Lawyer