Hello. My name is Birke Baehr and I'm 11 years old.

我叫柏克∙貝爾,今年11歲

I came here today to talk about what's wrong with our food system.

今天我想要談談食品系統的問題

First of all, I would like to say that I'm really amazed

首先,我真的覺得很不可思議

how easily kids are led to believe

小朋友這麼容易被牽著鼻子走, 輕信那些廣告和行銷手法

all the marketing and advertising on TV, at public schools,

電視也好,學校也好

and pretty much everywhere else you look.

廣告行銷幾乎無所不在

It seems to me like corporations

商人們想方設法

are always trying to get kids, like me,

試圖誘導我們這些小孩子

to get their parents to buy stuff

讓我們求父母買東西

that really isn't really good for us or the planet.

而這些東西對人和環境都有害

Little kids, especially, are attracted by colorful packaging and plastic toys.

小小孩特愛彩色包裝和塑膠玩具

I must admit, I used to be one of them.

我承認自己以前就是這樣

I also used to think that all of our food

我也曾經天真

came from these happy little farms

還以為食物都來自快樂農莊

where pigs rolled in mud and cows grazed on grass all day.

那裡的小豬滾泥巴,小牛吃青草

What I discovered was this is not true.

但後來我發現這些都不是真的

I began to look into the stuff

於是我開始關注相關議題

on the Internet, in books, and in documentary films

上網查資料,讀書,看紀錄片

in my travels with my family.

和家人旅行時也會留意

I discovered the dark side of the industrialized food system.

我看見工業化食品業的黑暗面

First, there's genetically engineered seeds and organisms.

首先是基因改造過的種子或生物

That is when a seed is manipulated in a laboratory

意思是在實驗室裡對種子動手腳

to do something not intended by nature.

做一些不合乎自然的事

Like taking the DNA of a fish

比方說拿一隻魚的DNA

and putting it into the DNA of a tomato.

放進番茄的DNA裡

Yuck! Don't get me wrong,

好噁! 別誤會我的意思

I like fish and tomatoes, but this is just creepy.

我喜歡魚和番茄, 但這種組合讓人很不舒服

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

The seeds are then planted, then grown.

這些種子被種下,然後成長

The food they produced has been proven to cause cancer

動物實驗證明,基改食品會致癌

and other problems in lab animals.

還會造成其他疾病

And people have been eating food produced this way since the 1990's.

從1990年開始, 人們吃的就是這種食物

Most folks don't even know they exist.

很多人甚至不知道有基改這回事

Did you know that rats fed genetically engineered corn

你知道嗎? 餵老鼠吃基改玉米

have developed signs of liver and kidney toxicity?

結果牠們的肝和腎就驗出毒性

These include kidney inflammations, and lesions and increased kidney weight.

症狀有腎發炎,病變,重量增加

Yet almost all the corn we eat

但是,我們吃的玉米

has been altered genetically in some way.

卻幾乎全都是基改過的

And let me tell you, corn is in everything.

更何況一堆食品原料都有玉米

And don't even get me started

也別忘了

on the confined animal feeding operations called CAFO's.

還有集約化飼養(CAFO)呢!

(Laughter)

(CAFO就像這樣!)

Conventional farmers use chemical fertilizers

傳統農夫會使用化學肥料

made from fossil fuels

化肥的來源是化石燃料

that they mix with the dirt to make plants grow.

混在土裡可促進作物生長

They do this because they've stripped the soil of all nutrients

會這麼做是由於土壤缺乏養分

from growing the same crop over and over again.

因為每年都種植同樣的作物

Next more harmful chemicals are sprayed on fruits and vegetables

接下來噴灑更毒的農藥和除草劑

like pesticides and herbicides to kill weeds and bugs.

殺光雜草和蟲蟲

When it rains, these chemicals seep into the ground

一下雨,化學物質就滲入土壤

or run off into our waterways poisoning our water too.

或流進水道造成水汙染

Then they irradiate our food trying to make it last longer,

最後用輻射照射延長保存期限

so it can travel thousands of miles

食物才能跨越千里

from where it's grown to the supermarkets.

從原產地抵達超市

So I ask myself,

所以我問自己

"How can I change? How can I change these things?"

"我該怎麼改變現況?"

This is what I found out.

結論是這樣的:

I discovered that there's a movement for a better way.

我發現其實有更好的做法

Now a while back, I wanted to be an NFL football player.

以前我夢想成為NFL橄欖球員

I decided that I'd rather be an organic farmer instead.

現在我決定改當個有機農夫

(Applause) (Cheers)

(掌聲)(歡呼)

Thank you.

謝謝

And that way I could have a greater impact on the world.

這麼一來,我就有實質的影響力

I learned from this guy named Joel Salatin.

我效法的是這位喬∙薩拉丁

They call him a lunatic farmer

大家都叫他"瘋癲農夫"

because he grows against the system.

因為他不甩主流做法

Since I'm home schooled, I want to go hear him speak one day.

我自學,很希望有天能向他討教

This man, this lunatic farmer,

而這位"瘋癲農夫"呢

doesn't use any pesticides, herbicides,

他不使用殺蟲劑或除草劑

or genetically modified seeds.

也不用基改過的種子

And so for that he's called crazy by the system.

因此以主流眼光來看,他是個瘋子

I want you to know that we can all make a difference.

其實,我們每個人都能改變現況

By making different choices.

只要心念一轉

By buying our food directly from local farmers

直接跟在地農夫買菜

or neighbors we know in real life.

或者跟你認識的鄰居買

Some people say organic or local food is more expensive.

有人說有機或在地的食物比較貴

But is it really?

但真的是這樣嗎?

With all these things I've been learning about the food system

根據我對食品系統的研究

it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer

我們要嘛付錢給農夫

or we can pay the hospital.

要嘛就付給醫院

(Cheers) (Applause)

(歡呼) (掌聲)

I know definitely which one I would choose.

我很確定哪一個才是正確選擇

I want you to know that there are farmers out there

我想告訴大家,其實有很多好農夫

like Bill Keener in Sequatchie Cove Farm in Tennessee

比如田納西一間農場的比爾∙基諾

whose cows do eat grass,

他的牛真的能吃到青草

and whose pigs do roll in the mud just like I thought.

豬也真的能在泥巴裡打滾

Sometimes I go to Bill's farm and volunteer,

我有時會去比爾的農場幫忙

so I can see up close and personal where the meat I eat comes from.

因此能親眼看到我吃的肉從哪來

I want you to know that I believe kids will eat fresh vegetables and good food

我相信要是能知道食物的來源

if they knew more about it and where it really comes from.

小朋友們會選擇吃新鮮的好食物

I want you to know that there are farmer's markets in every community popping up.

其實每個社區都有新興農夫市集

I want you to know that me, my brother and sister

其實我和我的兄弟姊妹

actually like eating baked kale chips.

都愛吃脆烤羽衣甘藍

I try to share this everywhere I go.

我到處宣傳正確觀念

Not too long ago my uncle said

前陣子我叔叔跟我說

he offered my six-year old cousin cereal.

他拿穀片給我六歲的表弟

He asked if he wanted organic toasted oats

問他要有機烤燕麥片呢

or the sugar coated flakes.

還是糖霜玉米片

You know the one with the big striped cartoon character on the front?

就是包裝上有卡通角色的那種

My little cousin told his dad

小表弟跟我叔叔說

that he would rather have the organic toasted O's cereal,

他要吃有機烤燕麥片

because Birke said he shouldn't eat sparkly cereal.

因為柏克叫他別吃閃亮亮的穀片

(Laugher)

(笑聲)

And that my friends is how we can make a difference.

而這就是我們能改變現況的方式

One kid at a time.

循序漸進

So next time you're at the grocery store,

下次去雜貨店時

think local, choose organic,

買在地,選有機

know your farmer and know your food.

了解你的生產者,了解你的食物

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause) (Cheers)