Human Health Environment and Waste Management

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, Environment, and Human Health

Part 1: Documentary “Food. Inc.”

Food. Inc. is an American documentary that shows what it takes the food we eat to be on our tables. It explores the processes through which our food comes from the plants or animals to our plates. The message conveyed in the movie is quite alarming since the food labels and charts shown on the product descriptions do not appear as shocking as the processes through which they come to the sale display shelves. The consumers are unaware of the procedures and food industry practices that the food has been gone through as the company owners have modified ways scientifically rather than keeping them organic and close to nature (Shanbaum, 2016).

The film provides evidence in different categories, such as the industrial production of meat portrayed as inhumane for the animals and human consumption, environmentally unsustainable, and economically difficult in its management. The industrial production of grains, which should be organic as they are obtained from plants, is also depicted as unethical, particularly for corn and soybeans. Moreover, the labeling segment is economically and legally scrutinized since the filmmaker believes that the government should change labeling regulations to provide more exhaustive details of the food being packaged. It is observed that the packed food is usually contaminated and cheap as the sub-standard food is being sold at lower prices by the government.

The filmmaker has been successfully able to investigate the processes through which the initial stages of the food are being processed. The massive demands of the consumers could be fulfilled for lucrative profits within no time. The filmmaker’s goal has been achieved since they unveil the realities of food farming that the consumers are being kept in the dark. It is the right of the consumers to know what type of food they are eating and where it comes from, apart from only the limited details and food nutrition charts displayed on the food packaging. In today’s open access to knowledge where the information could be acquired within seconds by searching on the internet, the consumers are educated. The government should be extra-vigilant to provide extra details on the nutrition charts of the food packets kept on the supermarket shelves so that the customers should discern what type of food they are taking inside their bodies, and even if it is healthy enough to be purchased or not.

The supporting evidence of the fact that food farming has taken heinous turns for making voluminous produce to meet the superfluous demands of the consumers as quickly as possible, the movie shows how Tyson has re-shaped the production of chicken that can grow in lesser time with fuller breasts (Thompson, 2016). Also, the chickens are farmed in offensive conditions that are highly unethical for animal farming.

Compared with the documentary “Harvest of Shame” in the 1960s, much of the conditions are still the same since Harvest of Shame showed that the African American workers worked in second-rated conditions and earned quite low. Their income levels defined the quality of food they consumed that was inferior as well. The children and families suffered due to this crisis which is similarly shown in Food. Inc. as well. Low-income families buy sub-standard food that is low-cost and present in markets large volumes, resulting in obesity and diseases like diabetes and cholesterol in 1 out of 3 US families (Thompson, 2016).

Part 2: Waste Management in Households

The things that we are currently doing in our household that will impact our environment positively in the future are lesser use of plastic bags and adopting the habit of more recycling within our home. Plastic bags have recently been replaced by cloth bags, which is a good initiative from the government. Cloth bag itself is a form of recycling that can be used nationwide as it could be administered on a small scale that could be utilized on a large scale all over the country. A small step can make a huge leap for future generations and a greener environment.

Further, recycling in our homes, such as using disposable plastic bottles for making pencil holders and plant pots, has been a routine now. The kids at our home use these materials for their crafts and enjoy their free time indulging in creative art tasks. These tasks educate the children of today to preserve their environment for tomorrow and inform them about the importance of waste management that directly impacts human health at large.

Part 3: Watch Video and Explain (3A. 3B)

Such initiatives could be implemented in our local cities. Still, it requires policies and funding from the local government so that garbage trucks and mechanisms for taking the landfills to the waste factories could be managed efficiently. The daily waste management in our locality is based on a single garbage truck that takes a single wastebasket and empties it, whereas, in the video, it has been shown that there are three garbage cans marked for three different types of wastes that should be thrown away in separate garbage baskets for keeping them distinguished, making it easier for recycling purposes. Starting from small steps, the first step that could be done for better waste management in our locality is following the footsteps of keeping three different garbage baskets outside our homes on the road for better waste differentiation.