Talk to Francis Carter
Ph.D. Candidate in Transition Design at Carnegie Mellon
I have talked to Francis Carter about my master study of building knowledge and skill to create sustainability awareness and empower actions. While I choose food as a subject to explore my idea, he is a good interviewee to talk to.
His self-introduction
Designer, manager, and food justice advocate focused on bringing design thinking practices into locally beneficial non-profit settings. I use my training as a designer to develop more efficient local food distribution systems, strengthening relationships between rural family farms and urban communities with limited access to fresh, affordable produce. I strongly believe that good design can have a positive impact on local and global societies.
While I talked to him, he mentioned several projects that I could start with.
Don’t buy food from strangers
One of his projects is making a D.I.Y. local food guide connection urban culture with local agriculture. It provides tips for urban gardening, infographics about how the local food system works … etc. It is a one complete visually designed, accessible resource for people who care about health and environment and want to start to do something.
Healthy Cooking for your Congregation
Healthy Cooking for your Congregation is a six-week program that provides information on selecting, preparing and serving healthy versions of favorite meals in church kitchens.
- Less fat and salt in prepared dishes.
- Selection of foods richer in fiber and prepared with more whole grains.
- More vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods available to congregants.
- Limiting or eliminating sugar sweetened beverages.
- Reduced portion sizes.
By improving the health of congregants through nutrition education, healthy cooking, and responsible food policies, Bronx Health REACH provides the information and tools for members of the community to make healthy food choices at church and at home.
Hazelwood food documentary
I worked with Center of Life, a community in Hazelwood to deal with their air quality problem last semester. During the process, I realize food desert is also a serious problem for them. There is a documentary talks about the problem.
Although there is a historical reason why Hazelwood eventually become a food desert, I still can see there is social dimension in it. It is not about using a magic wand to come out with a grocery store to solve the problem. Do people need education about food? Or do they need to learn about food? Food desert situation force people to come out with different solutions and become their everyday life. That is hard to change.
Pittsburgh Made Food
Pittsburgh amazingly have many local food options. For example, sunfresh farm, East End Food Coop and many others.
- Sunfreshfarm (https://www.sunfreshfoodservice.com/)
- East End Food Coop (https://www.eastendfood.coop/)
- Others (https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/features/8-made-in-pittsburgh-foods-we-cant-live-without/)
Suggestions
- 250 miles of range is defined as local food. (one day drive)
- I should find a community to test.
- Six week is a good chunk of time to have behavior change.
- What I am talking about is actually food literacy.
- Health is a good frame for personal motivation, trying to align health with environmental impact.
- For people, it is about easy, cost-effective and convenient.
- In terms of the problem in the Bronx, there are many immigrants that don’t know how to deal with American food culture and end up with the cheapest and convenient option which makes them unhealthy.
