Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!
Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.
Do I Trust Pollan?
I think I do. I think one of the reasons why I trust Pollan is because of the way he writes: he has a particular style and voice. I think this helps him relate to his readers -- so they feel like they know him and like him, and thus trust what he says. Another reason why I trust what he writes is because of the amount of sources and information that are backing up what he says -- it's obvious he has done all his research. As some people mentioned in class, it was also nice to see him second-guessing himself, as well as showing us some of the questions HE had (and later on answered).
One of the main reasons why I trust him is because I already had some similar ideas from previous classes/experiences. I took an APES class in high school, and we learned all about the benefits of organic farming vs. commercial farming, the carbon footprint of our foods (because they need to be transported such great distances, that even if they're 'organic', the fuel used to transport the goods offset any environmental benefits of organic farming), treatment of animals etc. So many of the things Pollan discussed in the chapters were topics I had learned about -- so it made me predisposed to believe it (since i learned about it!)
One of the points that Pollan brought up that I definitely agree with is the idea that if we were 'closer' to the animals that end up on our dinner table, then we would be more 'bothered' by the idea of slaughtering them (and more involved in the humane treatment of them). Last year I watched a youtube video called 'The Truth about the Meat Industry' and since I haven't been able to look at meat the same way. Before watching the video, I had NO idea about the atrocities that occur in the raising/slaughtering of Chickens, Cows, Pigs, etc. I didn't think much about the meat I was eating. After watching that video, it makes it a lot harder to eat meat because I think of the unnecessary pain/suffering the animals went through (I only eat chicken now -- I would cut it out, but it's been a staple in my diet, so I'm not sure how to yet)