Written by Ann-Kathrin Kiehn, Primary Teacher, Sustainability and Environmental Centre
Did you know the average family wastes almost $4000 every year throwing food away?! That’s $10 billion worth of food binned by NSW households every year. Throwing food away not only wastes the food itself, but also the energy, water and natural resources used to grow, package, transport and sell it. Don’t be tricked like Ms Kiehn and buy asparagus from Mexico. What a waste of resources. The food miles on those must be horrendous. Be alert!
We have discussed that saving food means saving money. And it’s one of the easiest things we can do to tackle climate change. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Imagine what a huge global impact we could have if we all made small changes at home!
We all have a part to play in reducing food waste and looking after the planet. The time is now, and the answer is simple: love food, hate waste.
It is wonderful to hear that many of our students are already involved in packing and making their lunch, ensuring they enjoy a nutritious lunch and keeping it out of the bin!
We also learnt about our big supermarkets offering the ‘Odd Bunch’ and ‘I’m Perfect’ fruit and vegetables. We recognise, just like people, we are all different, the same goes for fruit and vegies. Just because they have few blemishes, or are too small… it does not mean that they need to be discarded. They need to be rescued instead. Let us all play our part to reduce food waste. Stage 1 provided the canteen and Cafe with all their ‘imperfect’ sweet potatoes and pumpkins – there is now soup on the menu!
? Kids will love the Journey of a Carrot video showcasing the adventures of a carrot from paddock to plate!
? And follow one sweet little strawberry’s big journey from the farm to the fridge Life of a Strawberry
