Would you eat food grown on top of a landfill? Your first reaction may not be the right one.
Right now, you're probably feeling a little grossed out. Who could ever imagine that food grown on top of a dump could be edible?
But here's something even more sobering to consider: one in eight Americans struggle with food insecurity.
Food deserts are a huge contributor to that statistic. These are remote places (often rural) where local produce isn't readily available. Few grocery stores sell fresh food there, they don't have farmer's markets (something many of us are used to in metropolitan areas) or community vegetable gardens.
That's where Joy Youwakim comes in. She discovered an innovative approach to growing produce while she was a senior at The University of Texas at Austin which could help solve the problem of food deserts across America (and maybe the world). And yes, it involves landfills.
There's no denying we need to change the way we grow food, and we have to do it quickly. Produce grown on landfills may be a solution.
Joy Youwakim. Photo courtesy of General Mills.
Youwakim's worked hard to create ideas for sustainable agriculture that will feed as many people as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible.
The idea to grow food on top of a landfill came to her when she spent a summer working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. When a colleague showed her an image of a local landfill, she was surprised by its appearance ā it looked more like a dirt hill than the piles and piles of garbage that we often see at the local dump. Her first thought was unorthodox to say the least: "We could grow food on top of it."
The response she got from her professors wasn't encouraging. In fact, Youwakin's idea was soundly rejected from the beginning. She was told that her project was untenable.
But Youwakim's drive to solve hunger helped her push forward, past the rooms full of "no's." Ā She spent the next 13 months making phone calls and writing proposals to make her landfill garden dream a reality.
In the end Youwakim was given permission to use the landfill as a test site for growing produce. And, eventually, she was able to harvest lettuce, onions, Calendula flowers, radishes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, bell peppers, and eggplants. Not a bad haul. And when you consider that one landfill (390 acres) is projected to feed up to 32,000 people with 1.7 million pounds of food, her results seemed like a significant step in the right direction.
Today, Youwakim's poised to take her work and education even further. General Mills and their Feeding Better Futures program helped make it possible.
Photo courtesy of General Mills.
In 2017, Youwakim was a finalist in General Mill's Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program, a competition that gives youths aged 13-21 a chance to solve today's most pressing food problems. They're partnering with young adults across North America to support in-action solutions for hunger, food waste, and sustainable agriculture.
Becoming a finalist meant that Youwakim could really propel her work forward. The industry leaders that General Mills connected her to helped her center and focus her motivation. And the money she was awarded allowed her to accept a USDA scholarship to work towards a Master's in Agriculture, Environment and Sustainability studies at UT Rio Grande Valley ā something she hadn't been able to consider before.
"Even with the scholarship for Graduate School, I don't think I would have been able to [go] without that financial security," she says.
Youwakim says that it's often hard for younger people to believe they can make a difference. "We think, 'Oh, I just can't. Everything is pre-decided for me,'" she explains. Her project is a testament to that being patently untrue. It's taught her to expect more from herself and push in even when the going gets tough.
"We have a ton of possibilities," she says. "If you're willing to fight for something, if you're willing to make enough phone calls and argue enough for it, it can totally happen, and probably be bigger than you."
Do you have a creative idea like this for ending hunger? General Mills wants to hear from you.
Photo by Bishka Nguyen on Unsplash
If you live in North America, are 13-21, and have a solution to fight hunger, reduce food waste and grow food more sustainably, you could win $50,000 to turn your dreams of affecting change into reality. One grand prize winner will receive the cash scholarship, mentorship from industry leaders, and a chance to present their project at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Two finalists will receive $10,000 to kick start their projects.
There's no question. You're needed in this fight:
"Hunger is very complicated. If hunger was easy to fix, it wouldn't be a problem today. It's really complex and political. It has many layers," says Youwakim.
"If you have an idea, and you want something badly enough, you truly can have it. Ā It was really just me and the landfill for a while until I applied for the scholarship, and then there was all of this response. It's important to believe in yourself and what you're doing. Everything else will follow."
To learn more about Joy Youwakim's project, check out the video below.
Overwhelmed with emotion.
Stressed at the desk, seeking a moment of calm.
Storytime circle with kids and teachers in the classroom.
Anchors aweigh! 
Case in point, not case and point. 
I've been through the desert on a horse with free rein.
Buzz Off Get Away GIF 
"Toe the line" literally means put your toe on the line.
Lena Dunham as Hannah GIF by Girls 
A scene from the film Reality Bites. 
Carol Anne gets in touch with ghosts in the movie Poltergeist. 
Kurt Cobain, the patron saint of Gen X. 
Communications expert shares the 7-word phrase to shoot down anyone being disrespectful
Try this method next time someone says something rude.
A woman can't believe what she just heard.
Getting caught off guard by a rude comment from a coworker, family member, or total stranger can throw you for a loop. You immediately start wondering how you should respond. Should I insult the person right back or play it cool without stooping to their level? Everyone is going to be thrown by a disrespectful comment at some point, so itās good to have a response in your back pocket for that moment when it comes.
Communications expert Jefferson Fisher provided a great response that we can all use recently on the Mel Robbins Podcast. Fisher is a Texas board-certified personal injury attorney and one of the most respected voices on argumentation and communication in the world. He is also the bestselling author of The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More.
How to respond to a rude or disrespectful comment
Fisher told Robbins that the first step in responding to the comment is nonverbal. You say nothing. āA lot of silence. So often, if you just wait 10 seconds that you're gonna add distance between what they said and how you're going to respond,ā Fisher said. āThey're saying this to get something out of you, cause in that moment, they're feeling something, whether it's a fear or an insecurity, whatever it is, you're not going to deliver on that same plane that they are.ā
The next step is to let the rude person know that their behavior will not be tolerated in a confident manner.
āSo somebody says something disrespectful, you give enough silence to make sure that it's a little awkward, and then you're going to say something to the effect of, āThat's below my standard for a response.ā All of a sudden, you're now making it clear that what you just said was beneath me. And I don't respond to things that are beneath me in that way.ā
Throw it back on them
If you prefer to put someone back on their heels instead of squelching the situation as Fisher recommends, John Bowe, a speech trainer, award-winning journalist, and author of I Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in the Age of DisconnectionI Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in the Age of Disconnection, says that you should respond with a question: āDo you really mean that?ā
āSay it with outrage or dripping sarcasm, with raised eyebrows or deadpan calm. It doesnāt matter. This phrase is quietly disarming and deceptively powerful,ā Bowe writes for CNBC. Bowe says the response does two great things for you. First, it gives them a chance to reconsider their words because most rude comments are said without thinking. āBy responding with curiosity instead of defensiveness, youāre holding up a mirror. Often, thatās all it takes for the other person to walk back their offense,ā he writes.
After the person is asked if they meant what they said, they can double down on their rude comment, but they are probably more likely to backpedal or apologize.
Unfortunately, itās a fact of life that, unless you live under a rock, youāll have to deal with people making rude comments. But the best thing you can do is to prepare yourself to confidently put someone in their place so theyāll think twice about ever being rude to you again.