Environmentally Friendly Hospital Menu

Environmentally Friendly Hospital Menu MANASA PENTA As a Registered Dietitian at the Sandringham Public hospital the below briefing paper on a proposal to revise existing hospital menu and plan a greener menu by including 100% foods used from local food producers around Melbourne. This is submitted to the Broad of Directors of the hospital for their approval. Context: According to the IPCC (2007), the global climate and other life-supporting environmental systems are seriously perturbed and depleted. Climate change-related drought prone and long-term drying conditions emerging in some sub-tropical regions around the world, higher temperatures, raising sea levels, increasing frequency of flooding, and acidification of oceans are now contributing to reduced quantity, quality and affordability of food in many countries. Australia is also facing environmental challenges, with an expected increase in average surface temperature of 0.6-1.5c by 2030. (Fd systems En sustain Pg1) Consequently, public concern over climate change, information and opportunities for people to lower their â€Å"carbon foot print†, a measure of the total consumer responsibility for greenhouse emissions, have become increasingly available. It is imperative that human health is placed within the context of the health of the planet. (food miles pg 3058). In general much of the research around climate change has concluded that food, home energy, and transportation together form a large share of most consumers’ personal impact (food miles pg 3058). Food has a huge impact on the environment. Food production contributes up to 29% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (http://www.foodalliance.org.au/article/healthy-sustainable-diets/). Every step of the food supply chain, from production, to transport, processing, packaging and distribution has potential environmental consequences. There is a bi-directional relationship between environmental degradation and food systems. This requires us to consider the impact of climate change on food production and the impact of food production on the ecology of the biosphere, both of which have significant implications on public health. Food production over the past fifty years in particular has had severe environmental impacts in Australia and around the world. To a significant extent, this is due to unsustainable methods being used all the way along the supply chain from agricultural practices through to distribution methods and consumer habits. Due to the increasing acknowledgment o f environmental degradation through the unsustainable nature of many agricultural methods used around the world, the concept of sustainable diets has become popular. (http://www.foodalliance.org.au/article/healthy-sustainable-diets/). According to FAO 2010, Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Why us? While there isn’t a ‘silver-bullet’ that will solve all the environmental issues of our food system at once, there are a number of actions our community can take to drive change in specific areas. The tremendous purchasing power and public visibility of hospitals could be a key lever for building infrastructure and demand for local food. Hospital efforts may also bring attention to public health impacts of the food system, including air and water pollution, residues from pesticides and other toxins, and health inequities in agricultural communities. A stronger focus on food helps hospitals play a role in promoting environmental sustainability and in raising awareness of its links to human health. Plan of Action On analysis the following food sustainable issues within the organisation need to be addressed to contribute to the overall Food is transported great distances Purchasing food that’s grown out of season Resources (especially water, fertiliser, Energy ) are used unsustainably Food Wastage Packaged Food Biodiversity impacts of agriculture Impacts of livestock production on environment Land being swallowed by urban sprawl Above issues can be address by following below practices to achieve food sustainability that not only benefit the organisation but also have an impact on local, national and global food sustainability issues. In Australia, food in the average shopping basket has travelled over 70,000 kms—that’s nearly two times the distance around the Earth. In fact, four imported items alone can account for nearly 50,000 kms. Even if a product is labelled as Australian-made it can still have ingredients from all over the world, adding to its transport footprint. Transporting food long distances, either across Australia or from overseas, generally uses up more non-renewable resources than producing and eating food locally. Energy, fuel, gas and water are consumed during transportation and storage adding to foods’ environmental impact. Transportation from farm, to processing plant, to consumer, can account for up to 11 per cent of food’s total greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce emissions by buying food produced locally. Perhaps the most significant element of any sustainable food strategy is the menu. Appetising food is more likely to be eaten, so it is important to develop a menu that on the one hand is appealing to patients and staff, while on the other hand being high in both nutritional and sustainable value. Menu planning drives the choice of ingredients required, so it is important to design a menu that reduces the use of ingredients that have high environmental and health impacts. (6) Currently our hospital menu offered to patients and cafeteria offers a wide range of food choices without much emphasis on food sustainability. The aim of this project is to revise the hospital menu that is served in the cafeteria and for in-patients and in a years’, plan a â€Å"Greener Menu† that incorporates environmentally sustainable foods which are procured within 100 kilometres of radius around Melbourne. This initiative helps patients, staff and visitors to make healthy food choices and in turn helps in reducing our hospital’s eco-footprint on climate and environmental changes. Short term goals: In 3 months’ time, a minimum of 5% of foods used in the hospital kitchen to come from locally produced foods. In 6 months to aim for a minimum of 25% foods used in the hospital kitchen to come from locally produced foods. In 9 months to aim from a minimum of 50% In a years’ time to achieve the actual goal of 100% foods used to be procured from locally produced foods Above aim can be achieved by following below objectives: (5) By aligning the hospital menu with seasonal production and harvesting cycles Sourcing food locally Adding vegetarian and dairy-free option to the menu Choosing sustainably farmed meat and dairy Including meat dishes that have low environmental impact such as chicken, pork and eggs What needs to be done and how? Overview of evidence: There are various studies conducted in the past that have proven that adapting a healthier and sustainable food choices into the organisation’s menu in turn increased intake of these foods A definition of healthy food procurement that has been used in a review of policies is â€Å"a process which encompasses not just how public bodies procure food, but also how they determine what food they want to buy and from whom; receive and store food; prepare and serve food; dispose of waste food; and monitor their costs† [26]. In Ireland, the impact of a structured catering initiative on food choices was evaluated in a hospital setting [60]. A cross-sectional comparison was made using a 24-hour dietary recall and questionnaire of participants aged 18–64 years in two hospitals; one implemented a catering initiative that promoted nutritious food and reduced sugar, fat, and salt, and the other was used as a control (Table 3) [60]. Overall, this study found that improving the dietary quality of menu items provided in hospitals can reduce the amount of unhealthy nutrients such as fat, sugar, and sodium in foods served to patients in a hospital setting by up to 30% [60] 480 homebound, low-income seniors receiving Meals on Wheels over 4 months in Seattle, WA (USA) Increased access to fresh fruit and vegetables via home delivery. Seniors receiving baskets consumed 1.04 more servings than those in the control group. The number of seniors consuming >five servings per day increased by 17% from baseline. (62) Comprehensive initiative for food public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and prisons in the United Kingdom developed and disseminated a report to encourage consumption of locally grown foods and availability of healthy foods and build momentum for progress. Awareness of the program increased by 24% in 2 years; 72% of local authorities and 69% of schools supported initiative; 54% of users find the guidelines very useful or extremely useful; constraints were identified.(64) How this goal can be achieved? Firstly the current menu needs to evaluated and analysed to see where improvements can be made in regards sustainable change can be adapted. A short survey in the form of questionnaire can be used to determine staff and patients view on moving towards a sustainable menu Educating the food service staff, chefs and hospital management staff about the importance of moving towards a sustainable menu with in the hospitals. This session will also highlight the benefits of sustainable menus for the organisation’s food consumers and to the community. Create a seasonal fruit and vegetable calendar depending on what’s available around Melbourne. This information can be obtained from websites, for example www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au/content/whats-season www.woolworths.com.au Need to source the local farmers for different foods, for example fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and also any suppliers for locally produced food items such as jams, relishes, ice creams etc. While choosing the contractors, food sustainability specifications such as including organic, seasonal produce, choosing sustainability farmed meat and dairy. Some of the organisations that can find sustainable food producers around Melbourne. www.sustainabletable.org.au, www.localharvest.org.au, www.foodalliance.org.au, www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au www.aco..net.au (Australian Certified Organic) Once this information is gathered, depending on what’s in season and what foods are available locally, different seasonal menus have to planned and consolidated by liaising with the hospital chefs and the food service team. When creating the menus by adding the region in the dish name or in the description, patients and staff can know where their food came from which in turn acts as role model to purchase local and seasonal produce. Once these menus are consolidated a short survey in the form of questionnaire among the staff can be conducted to get any feedback and suggestions that can be used to make any alterations. Finally, a review of the menus need to conducted to access if the original aim of including 100 percent locally and sustainably produced foods are incorporated in the menu initiative has been achieved. Also analysing the staff and patients food choices before and after the implementation of the Greener menu helps to evaluate if there a change in the way they chose the food items. Who is likely to support and challenge this proposal? The Key supports of this proposal at the community could be from The Local council – considering the proposals is addressing few food sustainability issues which in turn would benefit the community at both local and indirectly at a national scale. Government organisations and NGOs Local farmers as this proposal would the demand for their produce and contribute to their sales. The hospital patients, staff and people who access the hospital’s cafeteria as by purchasing this food they indirectly contributing towards a sustainable environment Challenges Challenges related to instructional buy-in Beyond the foodservice department, hospital leadership is crucial to building institutional capacity and commitment to buy local food. If senior administrators in charge of budget, human resources, procurement, community benefits, and overall institutional strategic direction do not support local food efforts, they can be can be severely crippled. By educating the foodservice department and the hospital leadership about the benefits of the proposal can build help building trust and also gives an opportunity to address their concerns towards the proposal. Challenges related to supply: It is important to note that farm-to-hospital initiatives may be substantially challenged by supply-side issues. Local production of food does not mean that producers would prefer to sell locally, or to sell to institutions. Many farmers are part of existing markets and do not produce enough additional food to supply high-volume institutional buyers. Large farmers may be uninterested in the additional marketing and customer relations that might be required to sell their products locally. So some research needs to be done to understand local producers and their supply ability. Local food may not always mean it’s from sustainable sources It is important to note that ‘local food’ doesn’t always mean it’s produced in environmental friendly conditions. So before accepting any contracts, it’s important to note what sustainable agricultural procedures are used. Visiting the farm yards or the food production units is a good idea to ensure sustainable farming or food productions methods are used. Summary: Recent studies suggest that there is a growing attention towards climate change and opportunities for people to lower their â€Å"carbon foot print† towards the growing Greenhouse gas emissions. It is now imperative that human health is placed within the context of the health of the planet. Every step of the food supply chain, from production, to transport, processing, packaging and distribution has potential environmental consequences. Hospital efforts may also bring attention to public health impacts of the food system, including air and water pollution, residues from pesticides and other toxins, and health inequities in agricultural communities. A stronger focus on food helps hospitals play a role in promoting environmental sustainability and in raising awareness of its links to human health This proposal aims at creating a greener menu in place of the current hospital menu where by addressing few food-sustainability issues that can be modified within the organization. The aim is to procure locally produced food items thereby decreasing food miles, buying local and seasonal foods, choosing sustainably produced food and animal products. This also helps to provide better sustainable and healthy choices to the patients and staff within the hospital. References 5. We Need to Talk About Food – How We Can All Build A Better Food System, https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Sustainability/WhatCanIDo/Pages/SustainableFood.asx 6. Sustainable Food: A Guide for Hospitals 7. Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States 8. Identifying Sustainable Foods: The Relationship between Environmental Impact, Nutritional Quality, and Prices of Foods Representative of the French Diet Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsVolume 114, Issue 6, June 2014, Pages 862–869 26 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ [L’Abbà © M., Sunohara D., Wan J. Environmental Scan of Public Food proCurement Policies Related to Sodium. Public Health Agency of Canada; Ottawa, ON, Canada: 2011. pp. 1–93.] 28. 26 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ 60 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ The impact of a workplace catering initiative on dietary intakes of salt and other nutrients: a pilot study.Geaney F, Harrington J, Fitzgerald A, Perry IPublic Health Nutr. 2011 Aug; 14(8):1345-9. [PubMed] [Ref list] In Australia, food in the average shopping basket has travelled over 70,000 kms—that’s nearly two times the distance around the Earth. In fact, four imported items alone can account for nearly 50,000 kms. Even if a product is labelled as Australian-made it can still have ingredients from all over the world, adding to its transport footprint. Transporting food long distances, either across Australia or from overseas, generally uses up more non-renewable resources than producing and eating food locally. Energy, fuel, gas and water are consumed during transportation and storage adding to foods’ environmental impact. Transportation from farm, to processing plant, to consumer, can account for up to 11 per cent of food’s total greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce emissions by buying food produced locally. Buying local produce also addresses some of the other food sustainability issues such as encouraging Promotes sustainable agriculture Gives fair and equal opportunities for local farmers Promotes healthy eating by choosing seasonal produces, Reducing the usage on fuel in terms of land / water and air travel for transporting food across the globe. Considering the multifactorial benefits that local food procurement has on the organisation’s food sustainability issues, it is identified as a key initiative that needs to be addressed in the organisation as a main priority. While there is no single solution to solve all the environmental issues of our food system at once, there are a number of actions our community can take to drive change in specific areas. Hospitals in the community act as role models 1

The Great Depression :: American History Economy Essays

The Great Depression There had been financial panics before, and there have been some since, but never did a collapse in the market have such a devastating and long-term effect. Like a snowball, it formed and swept away the whole economy before it. Businesses closed, putting millions out of work. Banks failed by the hundreds. Wages for those who were fortunate enough to still have work fell drastically. The value of money decreased as the demand for goods declined. The international structure of world trade collapsed, and each nation sought to protect its own industrial base by imposing high tariffs on imported goods. This only made matters worse. By the fall of 1931, the international gold standard had collapsed, further damaging any hope for the recovery of trade. This started a series of currency devaluations in several countries, because these nations realized that a devalued currency posed at least a temporary advantage in the struggle to find markets for their goods. This was the start of the Great Depression of 1929 to 1940, which began and centered in the United States but spread quickly throughout the industrial world. By 1932, United States industrial output had been cut in half. One fourth of the labor force (about 15 million people) was out of work, and there was no such thing as unemployment insurance. Hourly wages had dropped by about 50 percent. Prices for agricultural products dropped to their lowest level since the Civil War. More than 90,000 businesses failed completely. For nearly every unemployed person, their were dependents who needed to be fed and housed. This massive poverty and hunger had never before been known in the United States. Former millionaires stood on street corners trying to sell apples at 5 cents apeice. Hundreds of pitiful shantytowns, called Hoovervilles in honor of the unfortunate Republican president who presided over the disaster, sprang up all over the country to shelter the homeless. People slept under "Hoover blankets" (old newspapers) in the out-of-doors. People waited in bread lines in every city, hoping for something to eat. In 1931 alone, more than 20,000 Americans committed suicide. The theme song of the time was "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" For anyone who did have money, depression America was a shopper's paradise. A new home could be bought for less than $3,000. A man's suit costed about $10, a shirt about 50 cents, and a pair of shoes about $4.

Discuss the significance of seemingly Essay

Discuss the significance of seemingly â€Å"unrealistic† or apparently implausible characters, places or events in literature you have studied.  Unrealistic or implausible characters are often used literature to aid in transmitting the author’s intention and are usually of crucial conceptual significance, this is to say, that they are vital in the development of ideas that the author wants to express. Two of the forms that the writer might choose to give his implausible character are, for example, a glaring contrast with other characters in order to convey a moral message by means of conflict, or the personification of an abstract and specific human quality in order to symbolically express his views about that given value. These devices can be observed in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, in the character of the Savage, and in Alekos from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½res respectively. In Brave New World, the Savage is the main means of the author to create a clash with the Utopia portrayed: since absolutely everyone in the new society is conditioned to be entirely happy with it, it is only a foreigner to those ideals who can confront them. This is obvious from Chapter XVII in which John and Mustapha Mond have an intense discussion about the nature of their whole world, passage that sums up and develops all of the main ideas exposed in the preceding chapters and acts as a climax too. Judging from the content of the ideological battle portrayed we may say the Aldous Huxley’s intention was to convey a moral message, a warning to what uncontrolled human development may produce: a degenerated society according to our standards (note that during the novel Huxley’s tone when describing the world is largely subjective and tilted towards our opinion of their moral and social values, reinforcing the argument of Huxley’s intention) and ultimately the lack of choice between insanity and sanity, as indicated in the suicide of the Savage. It is important to say that the romantic and idealistic role played by John is that of greatest proximity to our common beliefs and using this device Huxley desires to stress the correctness of our morality and the â€Å"immorality† of theirs as seen in the emotive ending of chapter XVII: † ‘All right, then,’ said the Savage defiantly, ‘I’m claiming the right to be unhappy.’  Ã¢â‚¬ËœNot to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer (†¦) ‘I claim them all,’ said the Savage at last.†Ã‚  The reader feels deeply identified with John in this passage, mainly because of his rebellious and courageous tone, whereas Mustapha Mond represents domination and lack of freedom; Huxley uses the common device of the conflict between seemingly oppressed individuals and the organized, cold and analytical oppressor, usually an institution, in a subjective manner, thereby touching the inner fibres of human idealism for freedom and making the reader be in the part of the Savage. In this level the Savage should be the most familiar and realist character of them all, and is probably the level at which Huxley worked more in his development of the message, yet an implausibility in th e situation is found in an underlying plane: the philosophical training of the Savage. It is hardly believable that a person that has only read Shakespeare in his life and has had no real education in order to understand literature’s intentions as such and therefore the matters of human nature, consciousness, life, etc., can hold such an elevated discussion, and finally, in the eyes of the reader as portrayed by Huxley, win the argument, with a man as thoroughly educated as Mustapha Mond. Given the many other incongruencies and small mistakes found in the novel (which have been recognised by Huxley himself) it seems that this implausibility was not deliberately planned in order to convey some message, but was an inevitable result of the author’s method of exposing the central argument. It may be however that this is a device used to transmit an opinion about human nature and its inherent spiritual tendencies to romantic values and actual morals (as these cannot be genetic or even so mental due to the genetic engineering and the conditioning suffered by the Alphas themselves which are those who show the relative desire for these). Even though the Savage has lacked the sufficient instruction to uphold such a discussion, â€Å"human sprit†, which is in every case expressed through the mind, (this would be why castes lower than Alphas cannot express this spirit) tells him certain things that are right and wrong which are subsequently the themes of discussion with Mustapha Mond. However this interpretation seems somewhat to forced and does not connect completely well with Huxley’s pessimistic view of the future evident in the ending, as the concept of the inherent quality for freedom in human spirit has something of an optimistic connotation.

Past Participles in English Grammar

In English grammar, the past participle refers to an action that was started and completed entirely in the past. It is the third principal part of a verb, created by adding -ed, -d, or -t to the base form of a regular verb. The past participle is generally used with an  auxiliary  (or helping) verb—has, have, or  had—to express the  perfect aspect, a  verb  construction that describes events occurring in the past that are linked to a later time, usually the present. In addition to the perfect aspect (or perfect tense), the past participle  can be used in a  passive voice  or as an  adjective. Past Participles of Regular Verbs To understand past participles, you first need to know how to make a verb  past tense, says  Study.com. To do so, simply add ed, d, or t, as in these examples that show the verb on the left and the simple past tense on the right: Help helpedWeep weptWork worked Turning these verbs into past participles is also simple: Make the verb past tense and precede it with an  auxiliary verb, as in these examples that list the simple past on the left and the past participle on the right: Helped have helpedVisited have visitedWorked have worked Though they may seem similar, there is a  difference between regular past tense and past participle. The regular past has only one part while the past participle always has two or more parts, and as noted, generally requires an auxiliary verb, says  Write.com. An example of a sentence with a regular verb (using one of the above sentences) would be: I helped my friend. You simply helped your friend at some time in the past, but you might continue to help her at some point in the future. The same sentence with a past participle verb would be: I have helped my friend. You began helping your friend in the past and completed the action of helping her in the past. Past Participle of Irregular Verbs The past participle forms of  irregular verbs  have various endings, including  -d  (said),  -t  (slept), and  -n  (broken). Irregular verbs are trickier to form in the simple past than regular verbs, says Study.com, which gives these examples: Run   ranSing sangGo went To form the past participle of these irregular verbs, again precede them with an auxiliary verb: Ran has run, have runSing has sung, have sungWent has gone, have gone Common Irregular Past Participles Viewing some of the most common irregular verbs, together with the simple past as well as their past participle forms, can be helpful in understanding how they are formed. Verb Simple Past Past Participle fly flew have flown rise rose had risen shrink shrank had shrunk feel felt had felt bite bit has bitten catch caught have caught draw drew have drawn drive drove have driven eat ate have eaten fall fell have fallen Additionally, the verb  wear  is a classic example of an irregular verb that can be complicated to use as a past participle. You might  wear  underwear today if you are expressing action in the present. You  wore underwear yesterday if you are expressing the simple past. To use the same irregular verb as a past participle, however, you might say,  I  have  worn my Superman underwear. This implies that you donned your Superman underwear in the past but you are no longer doing so. Meanings and Forms of Past Participles The past participle can indicate past, present, and future meanings, according to Essentials of English: A Practical Handbook Covering All the Rules of English Grammar and Writing Style, which notes that the past participle has both perfect and progressive forms, as in: Thus deceived, he will be outraged. [Both actions are in the future.]Baffled by your attitude, I cannot help you. [Both actions are in the present.]Baffled by your attitude, I could not help you. [Both actions in the past.] In the first sentence above, the participle acts like an  appositive  adjective, renaming the subject  thief. The two actions occur completely in the future: The thief will be outraged and he  (will be) deceived. Note how the past participle includes an implied form of a to be verb:  will be. In the second sentence,  baffled  is still a past participle but the action will have been started and completed entirely in the present. The past participle includes an implied auxiliary verb—having been—so the full sentence would read: Having been baffled  by your attitude, I cannot help you. The action of being baffled starts and is completed entirely in the present, as is the (non)action of not helping.   In the same way, the third sentence starts with a past participle describing an action that started and was completed entirely in the past. The past participle also serves as an appositive adjective, describing the pronoun (and subject of the sentence).  The full sentence would read: Having been baffled  by your attitude, I could not help you. The  subjunctive  mood in the second half of the sentence describes an action—could not help—that happened (or in this case did not happen) entirely in the past. Sources Hopper, Vincent F. Essentials of English: A Practical Handbook Covering All the Rules of English Grammar and Writing Style. Barrons Educational Series, Cedric Gale, Ronald C. Foote, et al., Sixth edition, Barrons Educational Series, April 1, 2010.