Hog Farming Has a Massive Poop Problem
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Provided by: Vox|Published on: April 27, 2021
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Synopsis
- This video is about the environmental and social justice issues surrounding industrial hog farming practices, focusing on pig farms in North Carolina.
- Students will learn how industrial hog farms and contract farms "manage" the waste, how these practices impact the health and quality of life in the surrounding communities, the lack of regulations on the industry, proposed solutions, and why things are not yet changing.
Subjects: Biology, Economics
Authors: Vox
Region: North America, USA - South, USA - Midwest, United States, North Carolina
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video is a great, in-depth introduction to the systemic problems in the hog farming industry.
- Multiple perspectives are included, which showcase the myriad of ways that this problem is impacting communities in North Carolina.
Additional Prerequisites
- Ads play before and during this video.
- Scientific concepts are explained, but students should have prior knowledge on environmental justice issues and the impacts of farming and dietary choices on the environment.
Differentiation
- Language arts classes could use this resource for a debate about the environmental regulations that should be required for businesses to operate, or to analyze different points of view around a common issue.
- This video can be used to think about and discuss how personal and household choices can impact larger and systemic problems. What can individuals do that could impact this type of farming? Why aren't more people making that choice?
- As an extension to that discussion, students can make informational fliers that detail the high environmental cost of these hog farming practices and what individual consumers might do to influence large livestock corporations.
- Biology, ecology, environmental science, health, and Earth science classes could use this video to introduce topics such as water pollution, air pollution, environmental causes of human health conditions, the nitrogen cycle, buffer zones, organic farming, regenerative farming, or plant-based nutrition.
The impact of a hog farm on the health of North Carolina citizens is demonstrated in this video. It also endangers surface and groundwater, as well as livelihoods, the environment, and the climate. This is an issue of environmental justice, and immediate action is required to alleviate the consequences. This video is ideal for classroom use.
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Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
