Nicole Arsenault is an Interdisciplinary PhD student and Killam Scholar whose research asks the question, “How can Canadians eat more sustainably?”
@jn_arsenault
Nicole Arsenault and her son, Miles (photo credit: Nick Wilkinson) What do we owe each other? It’s a question that I’ve grappled with in different ways at different times, since childhood. And I’ve been circling around this question a lot lately, struggling my way through this crazy year of compounding crises, feeling like my heart […]
Buy local! Eat with the seasons! Reduce your food miles! These slogans are commonly used by groups who promote a more ethical and ecological approach to eating. And, at first, they seem like uncomplicated, good advice. Why wouldn’t I be alarmed to hear that much of the food in the grocery store travels hundreds, and […]
Modern agricultural science has changed food production systems in dramatic ways, and this green revolution has yielded much to be grateful for. Globally, crop yields have increased dramatically over the past 50 years. We’ve also seen a steady decline in global hunger and undernutrition, despite the fact that the human population doubled between 1950 and […]
On our journey through the food sustainability landscape, we’ve had an introduction to what the food system is and to some of the major social and environmental impacts which make it unsustainable. Our minds naturally turn to the question, “Well, we all have to eat! How can we address these problems and make our food […]
My first blog introduced the thorny questions facing food sustainability scholars who want to inform food policy and everyday decision making. The second blog then examined the food system through the lens of COVID-19 to discuss some of the socioeconomic, health, and justice dimensions of food sustainability. This month, I’m going back to basics a […]
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food system sustainability are being discussed in a myriad of ways. These diverse narratives expose the complex mix of understandings and priorities that we bring to discussions about sustainability, and they also shine a light on the complexity of both local food systems and global food supply chains. This month’s blog teases out and explores some of the many ways that the pandemic is intersecting with, and shining […]
Food: It’s literally and figuratively on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Concern about food sustainability has exploded over the past 10 years, as we come to understand better the impact that food systems have on the planet. We are devastated by the scale of the extinction crisis and grieve that loss of diversity, but we […]
