User:JayeBrew/sandbox

January 30th, 2020
The preparation for writing our contribution has taught me quite a few things about Wikipedia. I have learned more about the way knowledge is spread through Wikipedia to any everyday persons. My eyes have been opened to see how many people look to Wikipedia for quick knowledge, and how powerful of a tool it is for people. It is good that this resource is able to form bodies of information from reliable sources and really cool it is a bunch of volunteers. The community of Wikipedia from what I have seen is really accepting of new editors, and I think it is great these articles can be revised by a large group of contributors.

I am hoping to contribute new information on a topic in sustainability. I have not yet decided what particular page I would like to add to, but some of the subjects I have been looking at are agriculture and sustainable eating. The particular article I am currently leaning towards is “Sustainable diet,”​ (​Wikipedia Contributors)​. I am drawn to this topic because food is one of our greatest basic needs. Without food, we are unable to live a fulfilling life because we ourselves are not full. So to ensure our survival, a sustainable food system is needed, preferably one that is conscious about its consumption.

The ​“S​ustainable diet​”​ page right now is considered a start article by four WikiProjects in its Talk page. It is labeled top priority to the “Food and drink” project, as well as rated of high-importance in the “Climate Change” project. Personally, I think this page has some valuable information about sustainable diets, but I think it could be expanded on in a few areas.

One of the subheadings that stood out to me is the “Reactions and policies” section that could use more text. It talks a little about how dietary guidelines are not regulated by the government, and I think this, in particular, could be explored more. As we talked about in class, policies are what makes things “the normal” in our lives. If we are able to change our government’s view on sustainable eating, it could help influence the millions of people living in America to eat healthier and lighten the harmful byproducts of our current food culture.

The subheading “Currently held beliefs regarding food consumption and environmental impact” could show both sides of the issue, people who are skeptical of the link between food consumption and global changes, and those who do believe there is a link. Right now it is focused on skeptics and their reasons why they are skeptical, but there should also be information on why people will actively change their habits because they recognize their behavior is affecting the world around them.

I am also looking in the “Climate Change” WikiProject to find more guidance on how to improve the ​“S​ustainable diet​”​ article to their standards. Some of the headings they would like to see more of in the articles are “Impacts on people,” “Impacts on the natural environment,” and “Mitigation and adaptation,” (​Wikipedia Contributors​). I think if I reorganized the “Sustainable diet” page to use these headings, it could help bring more consistency amongst the Climate Change’s pages, and maybe help bring up its quality rating in the project.

I am overall pretty excited to add to Wikipedia. Years ago, before I started high school and we were told Wikipedia is completely unreliable, I used Wikipedia a lot to find out information on something totally random. Now it will be an honor to contribute to this community, and help improve someone else’s understanding of a topic. I am a little nervous though as well, mostly about having to find relevant and reliable sources.

Works Referenced

Wikipedia Contributors. “Sustainable Diet.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Jan. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_diet. Accessed 31 Jan. 2021.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Wikipedia:WikiProject Climate Change/Style Guide.” ​Wikipedia​,

Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Climate_change/Style_guide#High-quality _secondary_sources. Accessed 31 Jan. 2021.