“How much Earth is on my plate?” A challenge game about food ecological footprint

Alessandra Beccaceci¹ & Eleonora Paris^1
1School of Science and Technology, Geology division – UNICAMearth group, University of Camerino, Italy.
Corresponding author e-mail: alessandra.beccaceci@unicam.it

“How much Earth is on my plate?” is a didactic activity that aims to address students to the topic of food’s ecological footprint and, in a broader view, to encourage them in taking action towards sustainable consumption. The activity, based on a team challenge to organize a daily menu with the lowest ecological footprint (considering the products analysed), aims to focus the attention on the evaluation of water consumption and CO2-equivalent emissions related to food and agriculture. The game activity, planned for 12 years-old students, allowed pupils to evaluate, discuss and think critically about Geoscience topics such as georesources exploitation and environmental impacts due to food production, including packaging. Pre-activity and post-activity questionnaires were administered to evaluate students’ level of awareness about sustainability of the food chain. Results were very satisfying in terms of students’ involvement and awareness about the tremendous environmental impact of food production and consumption. Pupils were also engaged in thinking critically how they could change daily behaviors in an eco-friendly manner.

Education for Sustainability, ecological footprint, responsible consumption.