Eating to Save the Planet: The Role of the Integrative RDN

This product is free for DIFM members.

This webinar was presented live on August 5, 2020.

With the growing concerns around climate change, the role of the RDN is as important as ever. Recent reports from organizations like the United Nations, World Resources Institute, and The Eat Lancet Commission have indicated that the food system plays a huge part in our current environmental crisis and that major shifts are necessary in order to combat the rapidly changing climate. Whether working with institutional, agricultural, or individual dietary changes, Dietitians have the opportunity to be leaders in the creation and implementation of strategies that will have a positive impact on future generations. This presentation will outline the well-researched impacts of our current food system on climate change from production to consumption, highlight current programs working towards effective advances, and provide ways in which dietitians can make a difference both in their workplace (as well as on an individual) and on a policy level. Participants will walk away with big picture concepts, resources for further education as well as practical tools they can put into play immediately to improve both planetary and human health. By connecting with each other around this topic, simple yet profound, we can all spread awareness, increase knowledge, and provide inspiration.

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2
Performance Indicators: 12.2.3, 12.2.5, 4.2.1

Learning Objectives

1. Identify three ways the food system contributes to climate change (OR Identify three ways the food system and climate change are interconnected).
2. Describe three possible shifts in the food system that have the potential to better support the environment and mitigate climate change.
3. Implement three strategies to help institutions/organizations or individuals reduce their carbon foot or "food print".
4. Describe resources for further education on and participation in food systems and climate change.

Speaker

Mary Purdy, MS, RDN

Mary Purdy, MS, RDN is an Integrative and Eco-Dietitian, with a Master's Degree from Bastyr University where she is currently adjunct faculty. She has been in clinical practice for over 12 years in both private practice, and as a clinical supervisor at Bastyr's Teaching Clinic and with the Wellness Company, Arivale, using personalized medicine and functional nutrition approach. She has given over 100 nutrition workshops, speaks regularly at health and nutrition conferences, and was the keynote speaker at Bastyr University's Commencement Ceremony 2019. She was DIFM Chair 2017-2018 and has served on the board since 2012. She also serves on the board of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. She is the co-author/creator of the revised "Environmental Toxins, Exposure, and Elimination" Module of the Certificate of Training Program offered by The Academy Center for Lifelong Learning and co-authored the Diet Appendix for The Anti-Inflammatory Diet chapter for the 14th& 15th ed. of Krause's Food & The Nutrition Care Process. Additionally, she hosts the podcast "The Nutrition Show", authored the books "Serving the Broccoli Gods" and "The Microbiome Reset Diet", and is a tireless advocate for a sustainable food system that supports our environment and helps to mitigate climate change.