While not as well-known as Earth Day in April, World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5. Organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, World Environment Day raises awareness about the need for positive environmental action.
The theme for the 2013 World Environment Day is Think.Eat.Save. reminding us to think about the impacts of food waste and food loss.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is equivalent to the same amount of food produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger.
Prior to implementing the GreenCart composting program in 2008, the average garbage bag in Halton contained 45% food waste and compostable papers. Even with all houses in Halton now able to use the GreenCart, we still find that 23% of the average garbage bag is food waste and compostable papers.
Everyone needs to ensure they put all of their food waste in their GreenCart for composting. In addition, we need to think about ways we can reduce our food waste in the first place:
- Make a grocery list and stick to it.
- Don’t buy “two-for-one” deals if you won’t be able to eat all the food.
- Eat all of your leftovers, instead of throwing them away.
- Pack a waste-free lunch every day for school and work.
- Try growing your own fruits and vegetables — this is a wonderful experience the entire family can enjoy together.
So on World Environment Day, let’s celebrate this amazing environment that sustains us with nourishing food. Let’s conserve and protect the environment to help keep us — and the rest of Earth’s biodiversity — healthy. And let’s not waste food.