Beyond Rivalry

News today from the International Association of Agricultural Economists meeting in Australia:

"The number of overweight people in the world has overtaken the number of malnourished for the first time, with a billion people considered heavier than advised.

"While almost one in six of the estimated world population of 6.5 billion is now overweight or obese, about 800 million people do not have enough to eat, an international conference in Australia was told yesterday.

"'The reality is that globally far more obesity than under-nutrition exists,' said Prof Barry Popkin, a nutritionist from the University of North Carolina." And he added that the trend is accelerating. ...

"'Obesity is the norm globally and under-nutrition, while still important in a few countries and in targeted populations in many others, is no longer the dominant disease,' he said."

Point graphically made ... If those of us who are overfed and overweight and those of us who are underfed and underweight could just somehow balance ourselves out, no one would go hungry and die of malnutrition and starvation, and health problems and early death associated with obesity would steeply decline.

WHY ARE WE FATTER? Singled out by Popkin are:

• a change in diet to more fatty foods
• a decline in physical work
• the growth in car ownership
• and more hours spent in front of the television set.

 
He suggests that "governments should subsidise fruit and vegetables and impose higher taxes on soft drinks and sugary foods to address the obesity epidemic."

U.S. VS. JAPAN -- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

"The United States, with one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, was compared with Japan, with one of the lowest. Prof Benjamin Senauer, of the University of Minnesota, said that the average Japanese man walked four miles a day while almost a quarter of American adults might walk only between 1,000 and 3,000 steps a day.

"'Japanese cities are based on efficient public transport -- and walking,' he said."

 

I can imagine that many Americans will see the 4 miles walked per day, on average, as evidence of an inefficient transportation system; an efficient one would of course eliminate walking.

"'The average American commutes to work, drives to the supermarket and does as little walking as possible.' Physical activity was no longer part of the everyday lives of many Americans, who instead had to make a special -- and often costly -- effort to engage in exercise, such as playing golf or using a gym."

Imagine the resources and human energy that would become available if we didn't spend that money, time, and energy on feeding and medically caring for the hungry, medically caring for the overweight (who are more prone to heart disease, type II diabetes and its complications, and some cancers), the excesses of the fitness and fitness clothing industry, diet regimes, excessive food additives, packaging and advertising to make processed foods appealing, etc. 

To effect such a change, based on the Japan/U.S. comparison, seems like it would require:

• A concerted effort to incorporate a lot more exercise into our daily routines -- not, preferably, with a special trip to the gym but as part of our commuting, as part of our actual jobs, as the way we run errands and spend time with friends and family. As it is now, many people work during most of the daylight hours and have to carve out time in already overloaded schedules for any physical exercise they might desire. Jobs and job expectations might need to be arranged differently -- for starters, more telecommuting, so people aren't driving great distances to work; and showers at work, so people who bike, walk, or run to work can clean and change; and the expectation that most people will take a shower when they get to work. Towns and cities might need to be arranged differently -- for starters, infrastructure that allows for downtown walkability might be key; and safe, maintained, well-lit, dedicated bike paths.

• Much less reliance on cars and individuals driving alone, and much more reliance on coordinated, reliable, and speedy public transportation. And bike paths (see above) and sidewalks, with critical destinations (such as grocery stores, drug stores, banks, libraries, schools, jobs, post offices, farmer's markets, etc.) that can be reached by bike paths and sidewalks. Bikes with large, balanced baskets or pull-behind carts to carry groceries.  

• A change in attitude (personally and systemically) about the place of exercise in our lives, from a belief that it's undesirable (hence I should park as close to the store as possible, to limit the need to walk), or that there's just no time for it (hence I should park as close to the store as possible, to limit the time I have to spend walking), or that it's got to be a special project -- in a special place, at a special time -- to be effective (hence, the gym or runners' clubs -- not that there is anything inherently wrong with these forms of exercise)  ...  to an understanding that exercise is a normal part of everyday life, not something to be avoided but an organic part of the key aspects of life -- career (and, if applicable, commuting); time family and friends (I'm guessing eating together, shopping, and watching TV together are the more usual activities); community and civic life (more baseball and soccer games for all ages, hiking and biking ... and fewer sitting-down meetings); hobbies, learning and exploration of new things; perhaps even spiritual life (anyone for labyrinths? pilgrimages?).

• A change in attitude (personally and systemically) about food. How can we recalibrate our desire so that red, orange, yellow and green fresh foods look yummy? Are we physiologically addicted to processed sweets, saturated fats and grease, salts, and processed food tastes and textures? Even if we want to change, I wonder if we actually can. If we could desire fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates ... and/or if they were subsidised and poor food choices were taxed, as Popkin suggests ... then we could shop at local farmer's markets every day and easily carry home enough for a day's food requirements. That is, if there were farmer's markets within walking/biking distance or accessible by public transport, and if they were open every day. Winter might pose growing and walking/biking problems in colder climes for those without enough sun and warmth for efficient greenhouses ....

Here are links to some folks who are thinking about and experimenting with these kinds of societal and personal changes:

• World Changing: Another World is Here; this essay and comments might be a good start
  

• CoolTown Studios, including articles in categories of Placemaking, Community Building, and CoolTown process.

• Planning Livable Communities, focusing on Framingham, Mass., but including other cities and towns, too.

• Walkable Communities, Inc.: "How Can I Find and Help Build a Walkable Community" and Bicycling Issues

• Walking Info.Org: Includes Community Problems and Solutions;  Health and Fitness; and Rails and Trails.

• Sustainable Communities Network, which makes the links among creating community; smart growth; a sustainable economy; protecting natural resources; sustainable government; and a healthy life. Some specific topics: civic engagement; justice; agriculture; the environment and biodiversity; taxes; public-private partnerships; and health, nutrition and recreation.

Your ideas and dreams welcomed (in comments).