Plant Based Diets: Food for a Sustainable Future

Module 1: Introduction to the Global Challenges & Systems Thinking
Introduction to the current state of the three challenges this MOOC focuses on: climate change, infectious diseases, and chronic diseases. You will learn about systems thinking and how a holistic, bottom-up consumer approach can bring about system change.

Module 2: Food Choices and the Environment
Learn about the food-climate connection and understand how food choices can contribute to current climate emergencies. How can plant-based diets benefit the environment?

Module 3: Food Choices and Viral Pandemics
Find out how western food choices are connected to the emergence and propagation of infectious outbreaks such as COVID-19. Learn about ways to (collectively) reduce the future risk of communicable diseases.

Module 4: Food Choices and Chronic Disease
Learn about the food-disease connection and understand how dietary habits are directly linked to the majority of the top 10 causes of death globally. Find out what plant-based diets can do in the prevention and reversal of some of the most common chronic diseases.

Module 5: Food Choices and Consumer Engagement
Learn about how you, as a consumer, can leverage your food choices and create bottom-up food system change.

Module 6: Proposed Holistic Solution
Learn about the total interconnected system impacts associated with a shift towards mostly plant-based diets. Also find out what other food system actors can do to mitigate the impacts on both planet and people.

Week 7: assignment
In this capstone assignment you will combine the knowledge of the previous modules to formulate your informed perspective of what healthy and sustainable food choices look like on an individual, local, or national level. This assignment can be applied to a practical case of your choice.