Hard to believe but we have already completed 1 month into 2022… this week marked the start of the Lunar New Year which was celebrated across Asia and other parts of the world. Did you, or will you make any resolutions? How good are you at sticking to them?! Whatever the answer, we’re not here to judge - but there are plenty of sustainable behaviours we can all try to adopt, that will make us healthier and help preserve our planet for a better future. Whether it’s the 1st of January or Lunar New Year’s Day on 1st February.
What we eat matters: For our own health and the planet’s health! By adopting diets that have high volumes of plants and minimally processed foods, we’ll not only improve our own nutrition but also help our planet. It is no secret that the food we eat and the diets we follow have a direct impact on the climate crisis. By simply opting for more plants and vegetables, less processed food and by perhaps even growing our own produce, we can help make a small but massive change.
Sign up for a food-sharing app
We all know good food is often the icing of the cake to a good party. The next time you’re meeting friends or family, why not take the opportunity to fight food waste by using a food-sharing app like Olio or Too Good To Go? With services like this, you get great food that is at risk of being thrown away - a win-win for people and the planet! And of course, if you don’t use all the ingredients, you could pay it forward by donating to someone else!
Eat local Buying from local farmers and food producers is a great way to build our local economy and help you feel connected to your community, but it can also be a way to reduce our carbon footprint and the amount of packaging. Food miles aren’t the biggest factor in the greenhouse gas released from food production - but every little helps! Buying fresh produce and using our own bags or containers can cut down single-use plastic. Of course, we might not be able to get all our favourite things locally. That doesn’t mean we have to cut them out, but just by thinking about where our food comes from, we are empowered to make positive changes.
Volunteer at a food bank
Volunteering at a food bank is a great way to contribute to the community. These non-profit organisations collect excess food, which would have otherwise gone to waste and share the donations with less fortunate households. Seeing this process firsthand puts into context the problem of food waste and how you can be part of the solution.
And of course, let’s minimise personal food loss and waste
Globally about 40% of all food produced goes to waste. That’s a huge chunk of carbon emissions and nature loss that can be easily avoided. Food waste is a massive problem across the world, not only because of the ethical implications of perfectly good meals hitting landfills instead of someone’s plate but also because of the carbon footprint and pollution impacts of that trash. So what can you do?
Try out recipes that minimise food loss and waste by including the scraps and the peels! Yes, you can eat peels as well! These recipes maximise on flavour and minimise on waste by keeping the scraps away from the bin and on your plate. Head to the link here to start rustling up some of these delicious and sustainable recipes this year.
Start composting those rotting fruit and vegetables! Rotting food releases an estimated amount of 10% of methane into the atmosphere. This can easily be curbed by using our food scraps as natural fertilizers for our plants.
Sustainable storage solutions are the key to maximising the shelf life of your food and your money too. Options like beeswax food wraps, silicon covers and eco-friendly produce papers are a great way to conserve leftover food and ingredients the sustainable way! Learn more about sustainable storage solutions in our blog here
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