Day #4: Ending Food Waste

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Welcome to day #4 of the 2023 Billion Acts Earth Day Countdown! You can visit the main campaign page here! Let us know how you joined today's call-to-action by clicking on "Share and Earn Peace Points" on the right side of the screen. We also welcome you to add your own Earth month events and calls-to-action to the campaign page as well. We're on a mission to reach 1,000 acts by April 22nd!

You can also follow along with our campaign on our Facebook group. We will be reaching out each day with messages from our incredible Nobel Peace Laureates and youth-leaders working to build a healthier environment for us all.

*The resources, links, and calls-to-action in this act do not represent official endorsements of the PeaceJam Foundation.

I ask you to close your eyes for a second and think of a strong childhood memory. Chances are, that memory relates to food. Maybe it is a memory of preparing food for a holiday event, or a favorite holiday treat. Some of our most vivid recorded memories are tied to foods - likely because they often connect to times of community and can engage almost all of our senses.

There is no doubt that food holds special significance to us beyond the simple necessity of it. Foods can represent love, care, family, culture, tradition, and even faith. Despite this “significance”, the wasting of food is a pervasive problem around the world. A shocking estimate of ⅓ of all food produced for human consumption is wasted each year. These numbers are especially high in countries with well-established food systems and markets.

In some countries, around 20% of such food waste comes from problems arising during the harvesting, storing, and transporting of produce. Food waste can happen at every stage of the food-system though - including storage at markets, tossing of blemished/imperfect produce, confusion around and unnecessary disposal of un-expired foods. The collective impact of this food waste shows deficits between a food-systems ability to meet human needs and environmental sustainability.

Inspiration:

It’s clear that global and local change in our food-systems is possible - and there are some incredible youth leaders involved. 2021 Billion Acts Awardee Detroit Feedback Loop was founded by college medical students Nicholas Ang and Camilla Cascardo after they noticed high levels of both food insecurity and food waste coming from local universities and businesses. This led them to create Detroit Feedback Loop, a student-run, nonprofit organization, which aims to relieve hunger in Detroit by collecting leftover, unused food from local restaurants, grocery stores, events and more.

They then mobilize volunteers to redistribute this food to community soup kitchens and homeless shelters. In addition to helping those in need attain a source of food, they aim to provide them with nutritious options to better their health. One of their newest projects involves an urban community garden that will provide fresh produce into the same existing routes.

Education:

• Explore this interactive activity on how to “upcycle foods”.

Action:

Let us know how you are taking action today! Let us know under "Share and Earn Peace Points".

• Take the "Fridge Reality Check" to discover what is causing food waste in your household.
• Make one new commitment towards ending food waste. Use this quick guide from the FAO to conserve food all week long!
• Take the Detroit Feedback Loop "Food Ambassador" pledge here!
• Sort-out unexpired food items that you do not want and donate to a local pantry or shelter.
  
• Download an app like No Waste for guidance in reducing food waste - or Food Rescue Hero (US) for giving away food to those in need.
• Volunteer with an organization like Detroit Feedback Loop or Swipe Out Hunger solving food waste in your school or community.