All Saints Young Climate Bloggers reflect on food waste
Throughout this year we have been blogging for CAFOD about climate change. When I first started I thought it would be mostly just about global warming and saving energy, but I have learnt it is so much more than that. I have never really stopped to think about how the actions of people in this country affected the lives of those in poorer countries.
As well as saving energy, we need to think about how much of the earth’s resources we use and how wasteful we are.
Watch our Laudato Si’ animation and be inspired
Everyone talks about how we, as a country, need to save money and learn to live on less but I never really stopped to think about the big difference each family can make. Last week I watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s programme on food waste.
I realised how much food my family throw away and the really big difference recycling can make. Here is a shocking fact I learned from watching his show: a third of food in the UK never gets eaten yet 13 million people in this country are struggling to afford to eat.
I had a look in our bin and to be honest I think my mum is also guilty of over shopping. This week, we wasted:
- Three yoghurts
- Half a salad bag
- Two bruised apples
- A bag of clementine’s that had gone mouldy
- Two cooked sausages and a burger
- Two pints of milk
- A portion of meatballs and spaghetti
Make, wear and share a green heart on the run up to valentine’s day
If this is one family’s waste think about how much an entire city throws away, for example in London or Sheffield. As well as being careful with our own waste we could also campaign for organisations and restaurants to be less wasteful. They could just donate it to food banks and charities instead.
This is what the Pope is calling on us to do when he says we need to care for our common home in his encyclical, Laudato Si’. Sometimes it feels like there is so much we need to do to save the planet, that we alone can’t make a difference.
If we each live wisely in our own way and come together to campaign for organisations and governments to change their ways we can get there. I am going to start by trying to recycle more and watching what I throw away.
What could you do? Take action to care for our common home today.
So true! Food waste issue is growing up every day! Families around the world has to think and find a way to reduce and minimize their food waste. It is vital for the future generations too. It has been reported that estimated 89m tonnes of food are wasted every year in the EU, which is expected to rise to around 126m tonnes by 2020 if no action is taken, with significant costs to the environment, economy and society. Can you imagine what are the number about the entire world? Every single person should have an impact by trying to support the sustainability of our planet. Together we should think green today for zero-waste tomorrow.