Let’s Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by Eating Sustainably!

April 22, 2020

Author: Marissa Lustri, RD, MPH, Program Assistant at Nutrition Connections.

Today, April 22, 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. On this important day reserved for environmental activism and education, it seems appropriate to highlight the importance of our eating choices and their impact on our environment. Some refer to this as sustainable eating or following a sustainable diet. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines sustainable diets as “those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources”. This post was developed to provide our audience with actionable items, as well as educational resources on why there is a push towards sustainable eating and how every individual has a role to play in our current planetary health and that of the future.

Searching for a way to enact positive change? Look no further!
Looking back to early 2020, a group of Registered Dietitians including lead writers; Liesel Carlsson, Barb Seed, Fiona Yeudall and other members of the writing team and advisors including Lynn Roblin our Senior Policy Consultant at Nutrition Connections, convened and published a report on ‘The Role of Dietitians in Sustainable Food Systems and Sustainable Diets’. The report outlines how sustainable diets are inseparable from food systems sustainability and encourages Registered Dietitians to “balance client priorities, health outcomes, and planetary health outcomes in their decision-making”. Regardless of your area of practice or for those not currently working in the realm of dietetics, this report is a valuable reference in providing a variety of actionable items that can be taken on to affect positive change. To access the full report visit the Dietitians of Canada Resource Library.

Looking to further your education and awareness? Nutrition Connections has exactly the resources you need!
If you are looking for resources to increase or deepen your understanding on sustainable diets and food system sustainability please visit the Nutrition Connections resources below:

• Sustainability and the Future of Canadian Food Systems (podcast)
• Healthy and Sustainable Eating: Leading the Shift (forum ebook)
• Healthy and Sustainable Eating: Leading the Shift (forum bundle recordings)
• Environmental Sustainability and Dietary Guidance: Research, Policy, and Applications (webinar)

References

1. Earth Day Canada. Earth Day 2020 for a brighter future [Internet]. Earth Day Canada; 2020 April 7 [cited 2020 April 22]. Video: 30 seconds. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4PDQNQqch0
2. Canadian Broadcasting Centre. Earth Day comes to Canada [Internet]. CBC Archives; 1970 April 22 [cited 2020 April 22]. Audio: 5 minutes. Available from: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/earth-day-comes-to-canada
3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Dietary guidelines and sustainability [Internet]. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; n.d. [cited 2020 April 22]. Available from: http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/background/sustainable-dietary-guidelines/en/
4. Dietitians of Canada. The Role of Dietitians in Sustainable Food Systems and Sustainable Diets [Internet]. Dietitians of Canada; 2020 January [cited 2020 April 22]. Available from: https://www.dietitians.ca/DietitiansOfCanada/media/Documents/Resources/Sustainable-Food-Systems-Dietitians-Roles-(Role-Paper).pdf?ext=.pdf