by Courtney Dumais
The “Food For Thought” Expo on Saturday got me thinking about the country’s youth. After all, if we fail to responsibly protect the Earth’s resources, our children and their children will suffer from our negligence. For me, these future generations are a large driving force behind the need to keep the Earth clean, healthy and safe.
Granted I have only inhabited the planet for a mere twenty years (and am not a parent), I have nonetheless, witnessed a variety of significant transformations, many of which resulted from important technological advancements. In my lifetime, these advancements entered the home in the form of computers, cell phones and genetically modified foods. For my parents, televisions and microwaves invaded.
Many Americans have difficulty imagining life without these things, certainly most children cannot fathom life, or even a day, without a cell phone, television, game-cube, X-box, Cheez-Its and so on. Despite my mother’s best efforts, my little brother arrives home from school, grabs a box of Trix and proceeds to engage in violent wars on the latest and greatest gaming system. I am in no way saying all the above should be eliminated, rather examining how such things will alter the future.
Granted I have only inhabited the planet for a mere twenty years (and am not a parent), I have nonetheless, witnessed a variety of significant transformations, many of which resulted from important technological advancements. In my lifetime, these advancements entered the home in the form of computers, cell phones and genetically modified foods. For my parents, televisions and microwaves invaded.
Many Americans have difficulty imagining life without these things, certainly most children cannot fathom life, or even a day, without a cell phone, television, game-cube, X-box, Cheez-Its and so on. Despite my mother’s best efforts, my little brother arrives home from school, grabs a box of Trix and proceeds to engage in violent wars on the latest and greatest gaming system. I am in no way saying all the above should be eliminated, rather examining how such things will alter the future.
Jamie Oliver, chef and author, recently began a television series entitled, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” in which he addresses pressing health issues related to what children eat. Jaime fears that, “the nation's children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents,” a realization he refuses to watch come true. Jamie Oliver's Food Facts contains a list of statistics that may frighten and surprise parents.
How do we change the way children eat before such statistics become the norm? I use my little brother again as an example because he is in middle school, where eating healthy lunches and drinking organic milk is simply “uncool.” Perhaps, if the youth are properly educated about healthy choices at a young age, organic milk will not be so out of the ordinary because everyone at the table will have the same. At least that seemed to be the hope at the “Food For Thought Expo.” In order to secure a safe planet and healthy generations to come, we must begin educating the youth of the present. We must encourage healthy choices and teach sustainability practices at a young age so that generations from now, our childrens’ children will live in on a pristine planet. For more information from mothers with first hand experience, visit the Green Scene's Parenting Page.
For my parents, televisions and microwaves invaded.
Posted by: temecula chiropractor | July 27, 2011 at 08:00 PM