Contact Me
Hello! My name is Charlie Schiappacasse. I created this webpage as part of a school project my sophomore year in college. We were tasked with finding an organism that could be utilized by humans as a food source and creating an informational webpage for the public. I chose M. differentialis or the grasshopper, because I felt that insects in general were a highly underutilized/appreciated food source.
As primates, we humans should have insects as a staple food in our
diets. As the world population continues to rise, so to do our problems
as a species. Many methods of modern food production are inefficient and
unreliable for a growing population. Rearing large species of animals
for livestock and a primary source of protein is not a sustainable
practice for a growing population. Insects provide a cheaper and
healthier alternative protein source and can potentially become an
inexpensive and sustainable form of livestock. Logically speaking it is
remarkable that insects haven’t been mass-produced as a food source
already. The only factor preventing this from happening are peoples
preconceived notion of insects being disgusting creep-crawlies.
In fact many cultures around the
world already use insects as a food source. It’s funny to think that in
the United States lobster and crab are expensive delicacies when they
are arthropods just like insects.
I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone that helped provide the pictures and information for this website!
If you need to contact me please feel free to email me at schiappa.char@uwlax.edu.
If you would like to learn about more exciting organisms please visit our campus archive Multipleorganisms.net. Or if you would like to learn more about The University of Wisconsin La Crosse, please click here.