Fostering Climate Change and Food Literacy through a Climate-Friendly Food System Toolkit
Creators: name: Bryden, Lyndsey
name: Gill, Simran
name: Pieper, Georgia
name: Kong, Xuexuan
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: Climate change and the lack of food literacy have become increasingly important issues in recent years, and researchers have found that the environmental impacts of climate change on a global scale will affect human health and wellbeing (Filho et al., 2023). There is a positive correlation between global human health problems and more extreme weather conditions in the last decade (Keatinge &amp; Donaldson, 2004). The goal of moving to a sustainable food system is recognized as a viable solution to global environmental and climate problems (Feenstra, 2002). According to Park's team (2020), achieving a sustainable food system is essential for mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving resources (Hunter et al., 2020). Additionally, participants within this system must be empowered with knowledge in order to make informed choices that benefit both their health and the environment (Park et al., 2020). The implementers of this goal are all those involved in the food system, and the broad and effective promotion of food literacy skills is a cornerstone of achieving this goal. An effective toolkit holds significant value; serving as a guide, it consolidates best practices and offers actionable steps, enabling users to transition from awareness to impactful action as well as spreading practical knowledge (Assessment, 2016). The purpose of our project is to create a Climate Friendly Food Systems toolkit that is characterized by its professionalism and effectiveness. The professionalism of the toolkit is not only supported by the professional design and layout coupled with standardized language and terminology. And the effectiveness of this toolkit is supported not only by expert opinions but also the shared daily experience of the general public from our focused group. An effective and widely used toolkit can be inspirational as well as informative for the user. For example, the use of a toolkit to provide information on food waste disposal can position the user's role and boost their agency within a sustainable food system (Assessment, 2016). The objective of creating this toolkit is to increase UBC student’s knowledge of what constitutes a climate friendly food system, and provide them with tangible ways to implement this knowledge in their own lives. Eventually the toolkit aims to inspire and expand the role each user plays in a sustainable food system. Utilizing a focus group interview methodology offers numerous advantages. Diverse perspectives are gathered through dynamic and interactive discussions, providing a comprehensive understanding of complex issues. At the same time, focus groups are particularly effective in identifying priorities, exploring attitudes and behaviours, and building a sense of community among participants (Rabiee, 2004). Our team has conducted focus groups with the SEEDS CFFS Action Team, student groups focused on food system sustainability, and students from the wider student body. We have used these sessions to understand the most effective ways to present content surrounding climate change, food systems, and individual action, within the UBC campus context. This aligns with our approach of using Community Based Action Research (CBAR) methodology in our project. CBAR involves conducting participatory research specific to a certain location, with community participation at all stages of research. (Gullion &amp; Tilton, 2020) Through secondary sources, we explored the barriers to sustainable behaviour changes, including the use of framing language, the concept of reactance, and various sociocultural factors. Our primary and secondary findings were applied to the toolkit deliverable, which includes the digital handbook resource (Appendix A), printable posters and social media posts (Appendix B), and a printable brochure (Appendix C). With our toolkit, members of the UBC community can learn more about the food system while making sustainable food choices and creating a more environmentally friendly community. This will lead to reducing UBC’s food system carbon footprint and contributing to climate action in the community. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”