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EcoRadio KC
EcoRadio KC is a magazine show, including live segments, prerecorded stories, and interviews. The weekly explores our interdependence with the rest of the world, showing the connections between the ways we choose to live and the health of the whole community of life.
On our March 27th show, EcoRadio KC will broadcast the work of five University of Kansas Environmental Studies students on the topic of food insecurity. You might wonder what food insecurity has to do with environmental issues but the students will explain how food insecurity requires our society to make real change to policy-making and social science with an eye on the environment.
The students Ben Oprisu, Hannah Min, Clare Blanck, Connor Schmaus and Adeline Kelly, explain that the lack of adequate and healthy food is ultimately an economic and environmental justice issue, addressing things like income inequality, racial discrimination, transportation and housing needs, political representation, and more will be needed. Now, that the price of a dozen eggs has skyrocketed, all households are affected, but especially, since levels of income have racial disparity, households face an unfair struggle to bring good food to the table.
It is impossible to separate our food production, processing and distribution from our environment. Unfortunately, the industrial or “conventional” way of producing food causes large-scale environmental degradation.
Mono-cropped fields require chemical fertilizers and pesticides that run off into soil and waterways. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), also known as factory farms, result in excess animal waste that pollutes soil, water and air. These methods of food production use finite resources without replenishing them.
In addition, the way we produce and consume food contributes to global climate change, the effects of which exert a huge impact on the food system. Drought, flood, extreme heat and extreme cold are already affecting crops.
This first time they have been on EcoRadio KC, these students clearly explain there is food insecurity in our society. Hopefully, they will return with more information on what we can do to correct the problem.
We at EcoRadio KC are glad to encourage awareness and protection of our world. Our goal is to assure our listeners are aware of how we can create a sustainable present for a sustainable future!
This will be a great radio hour!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can about the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
