The aim of WED is to create ‘worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action.’ This year’s theme is ‘Think.Eat.Save’ which is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages you to reduce your so called "foodprint".
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1,3 billion tons of food is wasted. Think.Eat.Save encourages you to become more aware of the environmental impact of the food choices you make and empowers you to make informed decisions.
WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The main colours featured in promoting the event are colours depicting nature, the earth and its natural resources. The host country this year is Mongolia.
Follow these ten simple steps to reduce foodprint!
- Take a cloth bag to do all your grocery shopping. A reusable bag will last for years and only needs to be used 5 times to have a lower environmental impact than a plastic bag.
- Compost your organic food waste.
- Don’t buy more food than you really need.
- Engage in an environmental activity, like school or neighbourhood beautification or tree planting.
- Form a tree-planting group with family and friends and commit to planting and maintaining these trees together.
- Green your office: print double-sided, turn off monitors, start an office recycling program.
- Kick the habit! Don’t print unless it’s absolutely necessary. And when you do print – always print double-sided!
- Improve the insulation of your home
- Use rainwater for your indoor plants
- Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Spread the word on Twitter by tweeting a food waste tip #WED2013
Source: www.unep.org
