About This Book
Purpose of This Book
This book aims to give Dietitian-Nutritionists (D-N), students, and dietetic educators a thorough understanding of sustainability and Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) and to support incorporating SFS into practice. This toolkit includes a range of practical, evidence-based, and context-specific tools and resources to support positive contributions to sustainability.
Our Objectives
- To provide accessible, relevant, and transferable information on the interconnections of SFS and human health.
- To provide practical, evidence-based tools for incorporating sustainability into dietetic practice in a diversity of roles and cultural contexts.
How to Use This Book
For the best experience, we recommend using a computer, laptop, or tablet to read this textbook.
Recommendations for Educators and Students
When using this book in a university classroom setting, we recommend using the reflective questions as discussion questions in class and making a hypothesis group to share annotations. We also recommend saving the additional resources to use in your future practice and practicum.
Note Taking Templates
Below are three optional note-taking templates, one for each part to follow along with as you read.
- Part 1 Checklist and Notepad [Word File]
- Part 2 Checklist and Notepad [Word File]
- Part 3 Checklist and Notepad [Word File]
Structure
This book consists of three parts, each containing chapters that answer a specific question. Each chapter of content includes a brief summary at the beginning, followed by learning activities that include videos, readings, and reflective questions, and finally an optional section of materials and resources to extend your learning. The end of each part consists of a summary, a test, and suggested assignments. Additionally, the back matter features extra resources and a glossary for further reading and education.
Textboxes
This book uses text boxes to organise the information. At the beginning of each part, a green text box outlines the chapters within that part and how long each chapter takes to read. Each chapter has a purple text box to outline learning activities and a blue text box to outline the optional section to extend your learning. See the example textboxes below:
Part
A downloadable document will be available in this section for you to follow along and take notes.
- Chapters and the length of chapters will be here.
Learning Activities
Videos, readings and reflection questions will be here.
Extend Your Learning
Additional resources will be presented here.
Interactive Content
We use H5P to integrate interactive content into this text. H5P stands for HTML5 Package. It is an open-source framework that allows creators and educators to make interactive content, including interactive videos, quizzes, presentations and more. The H5P activities are embedded throughout the book to enhance and reinforce learning.
The Results function is enabled in this textbook to allow educators to use H5P activities and Pressbooks Results with Learning Management Systems, including Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, and Blackboard. To learn to use Pressbooks results, visit Support Effective Learning with Pressbooks Results available online.
Discuss With Peers
This text allows the use of Hypothes.is to annotate and highlight the text and share with peers.
What is Hypothes.is?
Hypothes.is is an annotation tool used to annotate, comment, and highlight sections of a textbook when reading to save for yourself or to share with others. The Hypothes.is function is enabled on this Pressbooks textbook. We recommend creating a private group for a class or for nutrition and dietetics professionals to avoid the public page being overused and cluttered. The Hypothes.is annotations sidebar is automatically turned off and must be turned on by the reader to display annotations, highlights, and comments. The highlight tool is a great way to bookmark and help you find where you left off.
For this textbook, we have used an asterisk (*) to recommend where to use annotations with Hypothes.is. You will find asterisks (*) predominantly before reflective questions.
How to use Hypothes.is?
- Start by opening Hypothes.is in the Pressbook by clicking the arrow in the sidebar in the top right corner. See Figure 1.
Figure 1 - Once you have opened the sidebar, click “Sign Up” or “Log In”, and create an account or log in.
- Once you have created an account or logged in, we recommend that you create or join a private group. To create a private group, click the downward-pointing arrow (see Figure 2), then select “create new group.”
Figure 2 - Once your group has been made, you can share the link with peers, students, and nutrition and dietetics professionals.
- Now you can annotate, comment and highlight.
How to Comment?
- To comment using Hypothes.is, click the square logo. See Figure 3.
Figure 3 - Write out your comment, then choose if you would like to post publicly, “Post to group” or privately, “only you”.
- Once your comment has been posted, you can go back and edit if needed.
How to Annotate and Highlight?
- Using your cursor, highlight a section of the text, and two options will be presented: highlight and annotate. See Figure 4.
Figure 4 - Click the action you would like to continue with, and it will appear in the sidebar. A highlight with no annotation/comment will be posted privately. An annotation can be posted publicly, “Post to group,” or privately, “only you”.
How to See Annotations and Comments While Reading?
- Start by activating Hypothes.is. To activate or turn on Hypothes.is, click on the oval with a slash (see Figure 5). Hypothes.is will now be activated, and the logo will look like an oval with a dot in the centre (see Figure 6).
Figure 5 
Figure 6 - With Hypothes.is turned on and activated, text that has been highlighted and annotated will be highlighted in yellow.
- Another way to view annotations while reading is to open the sidebar (see Figure 1).
Media Attributions
- Figure 1 © Hypothes.is
- Figure 2 © Hypothes.is
- Figure 3 © Hypothes.is
- Figure 4 © Sustainability, Food Systems, and Health
- Figure 5 © Hypothes.is
- Figure 6 © Hypothes.is
We recognize our audience is a combination of all protected terms and therefore are using the title Dietitian-Nutritionist as per ICDA’s definition: “A Dietitian-Nutritionist is a professional who applies the science of food and nutrition to promote health, prevent and treat disease to optimise the health of individuals, groups, communities and populations.” -ICDA, 2014
Sustainability is conceptualized in many different ways that vary by discipline and culture. We provide here a few concepts that may help you.
Netukulimk is the Mi’kmaw (First Nations, Canada) concept for “the use of the natural bounty provided by the Creator for the self-support and well-being of the individual and the community at large.” In this case community refers to the interconnectedness of all things—land, animals, water, human beings, plants, customs, laws. For Mi’kmaw, this understanding comes out of wejisqalia’timk, which means literally “we sprouted from the earth” and this speaks to the generations and generations of Mi’kmaq who have lived in Mi’kma’ki. — Sable, T. & Francis, B., 2012, p. 17.
For a detailed understanding, see Part 1 What are Sustainable Food Systems and Diets, which explores the question What is Sustainability? According to the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, sustainability can be defined by adherence to 8 sustainability principles (three environmental and 5 social). They are:
In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing …
1. … concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust. This means limited extraction and safeguarding so that concentrations of lithospheric substances do not increase systematically in the atmosphere, the oceans, the soil or other parts of nature; e.g., fossil carbon and metals;
2. … concentrations of substances produced by society. This means conscious molecular design, limited production and safeguarding so that concentrations of societally produced molecules and nuclides do not increase systematically in the atmosphere, the oceans, the soil or other parts of nature; e.g., nitrogen oxides and chlorofluorocarbons;
3. … degradation by physical means. This means that the area, thickness and quality of soils, the availability of fresh water, the biodiversity, and other aspects of biological productivity and resilience, are not systematically deteriorated by mismanagement, displacement or other forms of physical manipulation; e.g., over-harvesting of forests and over-fishing;
and people are not subject to structural obstacles to …
1. … health. This means that people are not exposed to social conditions that systematically undermine their possibilities to avoid injury and illness; physically, mentally or emotionally; e.g., by dangerous working conditions or insufficient rest from work;
2. … influence. This means that people are not systematically hindered from participating in shaping the social systems they are part of; e.g., by suppression of free speech or neglect of opinions;
3. … competence. This means that people are not systematically hindered from learning and developing competence individually and together; e.g., by obstacles for education or insufficient possibilities for personal development;
4. … impartiality. This means that people are not systematically exposed to partial treatment; e.g., by discrimination or unfair selection to job positions;
5. … meaning-making. This means that people are not systematically hindered from creating individual meaning and co-creating common meaning; e.g., by suppression of cultural expression or obstacles to co-creation of purposeful conditions.
From a Strategic Sustainable Development perspective, a sustainable society does not contribute to violation of the above principles. Within these parametres, myriad possibilities exist. — Broman and Robert, 2017
Sustainability means being capable of being maintained over the long term in order to meet the needs of the present without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. — American Dietetic Association, 2007
From a Strategic Sustainable Development perspective (see Sustainability definition), a sustainable food system does not contribute to violation of the 8 Sustainability Principles. Within these parametres, myriad possibilities exist. — Broman & Robert, 2017
Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations High Level Task Force on Global Food and Nutrition Security define “a sustainable food system [a]s a food system that delivers food and nutrition security for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised.” — FAO
Dietitians of Canada also recognizes the importance of a Food Justice perspective in achieving such “social bases”: “Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly. Food justice represents a transformation of the current food system, including but not limited to eliminating disparities and inequities…” and that “key to achieving food justice is to have communities who have experienced injustices empower themselves to participate in the political process.” — Dietitians of Canada, 2020
See Part 1, Chapter 1, which explores the question: What are Sustainable Food Systems and Diets?
