Maropeng tackles healthy living and global sustainability

Maropeng has traced humankind’s journey through time, analysed the ground on which we strode and documented our interaction with the Earth as we evolved. But there is another vital topic they cover in their educational resource packs which carries just as much weight – the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle.

According to statistics released in 1998, about 56% of women and 23% of men over the age of 15 had drastic weight problems. These figures had not improved by 2003. In 2008, a report on Health24 revealed that South Africa was on its way to overtaking America as the fattest nation in the world, as almost half the population was overweight or obese.

The Maropeng resource pack explains that more and more South Africans are living westernised lifestyles, where fast-paced daily routines mean more fast food options and generally less time for exercise. Gone are the days of living off the land like our ancestors once did.

According to dietician Dr Ingrid van Heerden, “South Africans are facing an explosion in obesity because such a large segment of our population is rapidly moving to the cities and adopting western eating habits. Cultural practices and advertising play an important role in making people regard food items as desirable even if they are ‘fatal’ for weight gain.”

Studies have also shown that chronic weight problems can cause heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and high cholesterol. The resource pack asks learners to explain the cause behind each disease and its symptoms, shows them just how devastating each can be, as well as how to prevent them from taking hold.

Educators will also be able to show that while the many unhealthy choices that are open to us come with consequences, it is still possible to opt for a healthy lifestyle.

On the other side of the coin, our increasing food consumption has put strain on our planet. Global sustainability is also outlined in this section of the resource pack, with some interesting facts and statistics showing how sustainability and food relate to one another.

South Africans eat about 17kg of beef, 24kg of poultry and 4kg of mutton per year, while every day approximately 78-million servings of sugary Coca-Cola products are consumed in Africa. In 2007 it was estimated that if everyone on Earth lived a European lifestyle, we would need more than two-and-a-half planets worth of resources just to support us.

Therefore finding sustainable ways of providing food, water and energy with long-lasting effects and without posing a threat to the environment becomes important.

Meanwhile, every year hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger and malnutrition, with millions dying because of it. Of these deaths, more than 6-million are children under the age of five. The resource pack will help educators explain how global food production has become an increasingly political issue over the past century.

According to the resource pack, “Government subsidies paid to farmers in various countries such as the United States and the European Union help to provide them with economic stability, but undermine efforts by farmers in countries where government subsidies are not paid. This includes much of the developing world, like Africa.”

Ultimately, just as exploring our evolutionary footprint is important to our understanding of Earth and humankind, so is knowing how to look after ourselves now, discover solutions to global hunger and poverty, and at the same time ensure that our footprint does not engulf the planet along the way.

Make sure you book your school tour to Maropeng and discover other fascinating facts about our planet Earth. Contact Dorcas on (0)14 577 9045 or info@maropeng.co.za to book your school tour.