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SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN ON FOOD
Updated: Sep 7, 2020
By Diya Padhi
The goal of sustainable development is to meet the needs of today, without compromising our tomorrow. This means we cannot continue using current levels of resources because at this rate, not only will we exhaust the resources today, we’ll reduce not just the opportunities for a better life, but also the chances of survival.
It’s not hard to believe that nearly 3000 people die in our country everyday of starvation. It is pertinent to realise that 34 out of 1,000 children born in the country die in their mother’s wombs. It is deplorable to see the number of people dying due to starvation. ‘Food’ is the basic requirement of all human beings. Wastage of it is certainly despicable.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), up to 40% of the food produced in India is wasted.
Indians alone waste as much food as the whole of United Kingdom consumes.
The Concept of Sustainability on food concentrates on the decrement of food wastage and usage of resources in a more sustainable manner. Sustainable food takes into account environmental, health, social & economic concerns as well.
The following are a few ways through which we can use food creatively and reduce consumption instead of throwing it away:
1. Food left untouched? Rather than throwing the surplus food out, give it to people who need it. You can find rickshaw pullers or daily wage workers and give them a wrapped meal.
2. A no-meat Monday? WHY NOT? Isn’t #MeatlessMondays an amazing idea? If you switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet or reduce your meat and dairy consumption, you can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, pollutants, land use and diseases linked to your food.
3. Stop throwing vegetable peels - make bags and plates out of them! Who said it’s impossible? Stop using plastic bags; everyone knows the contribution of plastic to climate change. Using paper, jute and now peel bags is an opening to a more eco friendly world.
4. Instead of throwing away vegetable seeds, sow them in cotton or mud to make your very own tiny vegetable garden. What can be more blissful than growing your own vegetables?