Introduction
My 24 hours of consumption is explored and presented in the following format:
Part I. Calories Accounting
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Afternoon Tea & Reflection
The examinations of every important aspect are focused on one object.
Part II. Packaging: High Density Polyethylene HDPE
Part III. Production: Tea
Part IV. Delivery: Banana
Part V: Conclusion & Reflection
FollowBreakfast: Oatmeal and Earl Grey
Breakfast: Quaker Instant Oatmeal made with 1% Milk; Tetley Earl Grey tea, and a banana (Del Monte from Ecuador)
Breakfast:
Quaker Instant Oatmeal – Maple & Brown Sugar made with 1% Milk;
Tetley Earl Grey tea (tea bag)
A banana – Del Monte from Ecuador #4011
Nutritional Information:
Quaker Instant Oatmeal – Maple and Brown sugar
Calories Accounting:
170 + 110 Quaker Instant Oatmeal – Maple & Brown Sugar made with 1% Milk;
0 Tetley Earl Grey tea (tea bag)
89 A banana – Del Monte from Ecuador #4011 (according to USDA )
Total: 369
Lunch: Bread and Yogurt
Lunch: Astro drinkable Greek yogurt
Lunch: Pork floss + seaweed bread
Lunch:
Astro drinkable Greek yogurt
Pork floss + seaweed bread (from local bakery)
Calories Accounting:
160 Astro drinkable Greek yogurt
330 Pork floss + seaweed bread (from local bakery)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/pork-floss
Total: 490
Afternoon Tea & Reflection
A couple of friends and I went to a patisserie around 5pm. We traded sweets for dinner.
Afternoon tea at L’Opera: Tea (Empress), Croissant
Afternoon tea at L’Opera:
A pot of Empress – a black tea with herbal flavours imported from India, according to Richmond Review
Croissant
Strawberry Tart
Banana Mille Feui
Mille Feuille (the one with Raspberry)
Fresh berries (Blueberry, Raspberry – Pink & Black) + Mousse + chocolate wrapping
* Tasted only.
Nutritional Information:
Butter Croissant 406 calories
Strawberry Tart 312 calories
Calories Accounting:
0 Pot of tea (assuming no calories based on Tetley’s information) * did not add any creme or sugar
406 Large Butter Croissant
312 Strawberry Tart
Total 718
Reflection:
“Every single calorie we eat is backed by at least a calorie of oil, more like ten. In 1940 the average farm in the United States produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil energy it used. By 1974 (the last year in which anyone looked closely at this issue), that ratio was 1:1.”
“The grinding, milling, wetting, drying, and baking of a breakfast cereal requires about four calories of energy for every calorie of food energy it produces. A two-pound bag of breakfast cereal burns the energy of a half-gallon of gasoline in its making. All together the food-processing industry in the United States uses about ten calories of fossil-fuel energy for every calorie of food energy it produces.– Manning
In 1970s, I am ‘fuelled’ by the same amount of calories that I’ve consumed. Now, 1577 calories that I’ve consumed is produced from more fifteen thousands calories of fossile fuel, at least ten times the amount in 1970s. I am producing more carbon pollution than I’ve thought.
The scale of environmental degradation and related issues may be more substantial than the level that my brain can manage to process. This may be the reason why I used to have a rather optimistic view on the environmental matters.
Packaging: High Density Plastics
High density polyethylene with a density greater than 940kg/m. This type of plastic is used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags. [1] It is produced in low pressure reactors. The production starts with a chemical called ethylene, a hydrocarbon, also called as monomer. The final product is called polymer, consists multi-bonds of ethylene units. There are 2 main techniques in production 1) Slurry polymerization 2) Gas phase polymerization. Both procedures require relatively low temperatures [PlasticsEurope], in production terms, 70 to 110 Celsius degrees is “low”. This temperature level needs energy to be reached.
“Ethylene, the monomer of HDPE, can be produced from a petrochemical source or from alternative sources like syngas and biomass.”
According to a report Environmental Product Declaration by PlasticsEurope, fossil fuels and water use are the highest level inputs. The chart refers input parameters of 1 kg of HDPE polymer. 16% of 1kg of milk cartons is fossil fuels, 30% is water.
Input information of HDPE production: (link to report)
HDPE: High density polyethylene, used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags.
Only 1.8% of packaging plastic is recycled. [1]
Production: Tea in India
100kg of fresh tea leaf produces 22 – 25kg of dried tea leaf. [1]
The tea industry is energy intensive. It depends on energy sources for it manufacturing process and transportation [2]. Black tea variaties such as Earl Grey and Empress require: wilting, bruising, oxidation, rolling and drying. It is one of the “cheapest” tea in terms of energy use in production.
Tea processing
Please watch this 6 mins video on tea production in India. The video talks about Chai tea, which is also a variety of black tea.
In Taiwan, tea farmers are encouraged to use machinery instead of hand picking to harvest because of the increase in efficiency. The motor powered machines harvests more than 10 times the amount of traditional hand picking [3]. Machinery produces lower quality teas that are formulated for tea bags. The left over fluff or powdered bits are used to produce caffeine in soft drinks.
A google search of “tea harvest efficiency” gave me a website that sells harvesting machinery. Almost 200kg per hour for one person operating machine. A 3 persons machine harvest 700kg/hour, which is over 230kg per hour per person.
One person: Average Working Efficiency 193.6Kgs/Hour [link]
Average Working Efficiency 700Kgs/Hour
If every 100kg of fresh leaves produces 25kg of tea, which is 1/4 of fresh leaves weight, then 700kg of fresh leaves gives 175kg of tea. My Tetley is 160g of 80 sachets, 160 grams!
1.6kg = 10 boxes
16kg = 100 boxes
160kg = 1000 boxes
In one hour, 700 kg of fresh leaves gives 175kg of tea, which is more than one thousand boxes of 80 sachets… eighty thousand sachets, 4 zeros trailing…in one hour!
If i drink 3 sachets per day, 80,000 sachets last 26,666 days, which is 73 years. Assume I start drinking tea during childhood, one hour’s harvest by a 3 persons machine is enough to provide for my whole life span.
Due to limited technical knowledge, I cannot calculate gasoline efficiency and consumption of these harvesting machines. The important fact is the machines use on oil.
According to the study by the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka,
“The energy cost is about 30% of the cost of production at the factory level. The fertilizer component of the total cost of production of tea is about 15%. The cost of nitrogen will be about 50% of the fertilizer cost.“
The report concludes that the total energy requirement to produce 1 kilogram of black tea is about 25MJ, which is about 1kWh of electricity and 2kg of fire wood. The primary energy sources are imported petroleum and wood.
Energy Consumption in Tea Processing
Environmental issues are raised in the report as well. The report also looks at alternative energy sources from fire wood, to substitue for diesel. Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA) is also looking at other sources other than fossil fuel such as natural gas [4].
Climate change is a threat to tea production in India and neighbouring regions [5]. Measure have been taken to reduce pollutant emission and increase energy efficiency.
A project by UNPD India: Energy Conservation in Small Sector Tea Processing Units in Southern India, studies on the reduction of firewood usage in the energy intensive tea industry [6].
“Impact studies post implementation of 86 factories show that 263,952 tons of CO2emissions reductions has resulted from the energy efficiency measures undertaken. On an average, the tea produced with ENCON measures generated 0.266 kg CO2lesser (10 percent less) than earlier (3.81 kg CO2/kg of tea)”
Delivery: Banana
Hope you enjoy the Banana Song.
Please watch the short video on banana production in Costa Rica by Del Monte (click).
You will notice how organized the plantation is and the plantation resembles monoculture. There seems to be countless plastic bags and boxes, and significant water use.
The video shows planting the banana tree, fertilizing, fruit bag protection, harvesting, cable ways (transportation of short distance), packing (washing and soaking in chemicals?), quality control, research and development, transportation, plastic recycling, reforestation and employees benefits etc. Del Monte shows a sustainable practice.
Banana Del Monte Quality
One article online looks at the “banana wars” [1].
The problem with transporting bananas is that the freighters are equipped with refrigerated units to keep temperature low to prevent ripening before arrival. If the weather outside the ship is cold, the bananas are heated with steam [2].
This process of shipping contributed to 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Another problem is the use of chemicals. When bananas arrive, they are still green. They have to be artificially ripened using ethylene. After this, bananas are transported domestically by rail or road, which added to the carbon emissions.
As we’ve learned, monoculture faces a greater threat of extinction by a single disease. Thus, chemical use is increased under such production scheme. “It is estimated that 30 kilograms of pesticides are used per hectare per year on a banana plantation, whereas only 2.7 kilograms are used for the average European cereal crop [49].” This usage also includes quality control. It is estimated that over 400 types of agrochemicals are used. Heavy usage of these chemicals threatens human health and bio-diversity. Land that is saturated with chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) is not able to pioneer growth and turns into “dead” land. Underground water is also contaminated.
Moreover, banana trees only bear fruit once! Del Monte shows that they recycle these trees and make them into wood cartons.
“It is estimated that for every one ton of bananas produced, there are two tons of waste.” [1] What about calories accounting? If we look behind the curtains, one ripped is not a banana anymore. One banana consists plastic bags, boxes, water, refrigerators, wood, chemicals, gasoline, and electricity.
And…
This banana is not the same as the other bananas. Bananas has not escape the fate of being genetically engineered or artificially pollenated to become hybrids. Like tomatos, the new generations of bananas have characteristics of high fruit yield, resistance to pests, thicker skin for protection in shipping etc [2].
Conclusion & Reflection
Is the chicken local?
Yes, and his name is Calvin.
The file with a photo of this Calvin suddenly reminded me of those charity organizations with orphaned kids. I am uncomfortable thinking about either.
What I’ve learned in the process of this project is that consumption consists not only what we buy ie.clothing, what we eat, or the energy we use directly. In addition to the surface level, a higher living standard on the consumption basis includes the ability to enjoy “processed” commodities more than “raw” ones.
To save time, we eat instant oatmeal, which is rolled oatmeal cut into smaller bits. We transport bananas from the other side of the world and keep them in temperature controlled warehouses, so we can enjoy them at any time of the year. To keep up with the supply, we turn lands into plantations on massive scales and use significant amounts of chemicals. The machines to harvest in agricultural productions often require gasoline ie. tea harvest, trucks. What about the transportation of fertilizers and pesticides? To look at how much oil is used to produce one product, we have to look at the inputs as well – a similar depth , width and perception as the question “is the hazelnut used to feed the chicken local as well?”
I’ve considered myself as the type of consumer who is logical, reasonable with self-control. I had thought that because I buy less and I recycle, I don’t carry the burden of environmental depreciation. Through this project, I realize the calories that I thought I absorbed is only a partial of the total. I’ve consumed multiples of this amount. Suddenly, I feel “fat and bloated”. I feel that I have the over-consumed calories stuck inside of me.
I admit that changing my consumption habits will be hard. I still want to have instant oatmeal in the morning with a banana because it is quick. I would continue to drink tea and coffee, plus some sweets, to keep myself awake. From the individual level, I can see the difficulties in changing the values of society as a whole. With the root of environmental issues deep in our culture, change will be slow and difficult; the future looks gloomy and pessimistic.
However, if I can’t change the “necessities,” I can surely change the unnecessary consumption matters ie. Starbucks or new shoes. I can influence my family and enroll the household in the “green bin” program. *New connection in mind: how much gasoline is used in our garbage pick-up routine? By how much is the consumption of oil increased with the new green bin program?
From the bird’s-eye view, we are consuming primarily oil in this century. Through production to consumption to reduction (ie land fill, compost), oil is a necessity. We’ve indirectly consumed more calories from oil than from the actual consumption of food. We are the oil monster…or maybe we are the creator of this oil monster. Will there be Super Friends to save us?
Please enjoy this 7 minutes cartoon of Super Friends.
The End.
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