This week we learned about new research on how tweaking cows’ diets can affect the amount of methane they burp into the atmosphere. In the classroom we watched a video about how the cow stomach works and how researcher Ermias Kebreab and his team at UC Davis found that the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis, when added to cows’ feed, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by a significant, measurable amount.
In the kitchen we made a seaweed soba salad, featuring wakame, dulse, nori, and furikake, a Japanese seasoning that contains bit of chopped seaweed. The finished result was bright and colorful from carrots, cucumbers, watermelon radish, and green onions, with a savory and tangy dressing made from soy, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, and fresh lime juice. Many students tried something new this week and loved it! We will all be keeping tabs on how well this particular climate change solution will transition from the pilot phase to wider adoption by the people who raise cows for food.
