June 20, 2014
A TRIP TO REMEMBER
By Amanda Brasgalla
LONDON- This past week has been a wonderful way to end our trip. For months, we heard that the United Kingdom led the world in attempting to reduce food waste, and this week we got to see that effort first-hand.
On our last day, Friday, June 19, we kept ourselves busy by interviewing representatives of two organizations -- Rubies in the Rubble and Waste & Resources Action Programme, or WRAP, the government-sponsored initiative to reduce consumer food waste.
We were particularly excited to spend time with Jenny Dawson, founder of Rubies in the Rubble. Started in 2011, Rubies in the Rubble creates and sells chutneys and jams made from fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.
Dawson felt inspired to start the company when she heard how much food is wasted. According to government estimates, in the United Kingdom alone, citizens annually spend more than 12.5 billion British Pounds Sterling – or the equivalent of $21.3 billion in U.S. currency -- on food that ends up in waste bins.
This staggering number caused Dawson to think about the many implications, and what she could personally do to reduce food waste.
“In the end, we’re all in this together and all need to think about it,” Dawson said.
Increased consideration and awareness, said Dawson, would naturally lead to more innovations and solutions that would engage consumers on multiple levels.
“People can be their own solution to food waste,” said Dawson, who noted heightened awareness would go a long way.
Later that day, we met with Emma Marsh, the Community Partnership Manager of WRAP, which is sponsored at the national level by the United Kingdom governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
WRAP focuses on a wide variety of resource-related issues, most notably food waste.
In recent years, WRAP started a nationwide campaign called “Love Food, Hate Waste.” Since its inception, the campaign has prevented more than seven million tons of food from entering the waste stream in the United Kingdom.
The challenge, said Marsh, lies in changing the behavior of consumers.
“Many people just simply don’t recognize they waste food,” Marsh said, adding that once it is brought to their attention, they can follow simple steps.
Marsh said consumers can reduce food waste significantly by following five key tips:
- Plan meals;
- Watch portions;
- Follow the “use by” dates;
- Store food properly;
- Be creative with leftover food.
“We just need to do those simple steps and those become simple habits,” Marsh said.
As we have learned throughout our trip, simple habits can make a huge difference. Through all of our interviews, I learned the importance of simple actions leading to large scale changes.
This trip has impacted us all greatly. I think Olivia, Taylor and I view food and food waste much differently than we did before. Every location and person we’ve met has added to our knowledge and altered our perspectives.
The “Waste Not” journey will soon enter a new phase. But we will remember these past three weeks of research on the road for years to come.
A TRIP TO REMEMBER
By Amanda Brasgalla
LONDON- This past week has been a wonderful way to end our trip. For months, we heard that the United Kingdom led the world in attempting to reduce food waste, and this week we got to see that effort first-hand.
On our last day, Friday, June 19, we kept ourselves busy by interviewing representatives of two organizations -- Rubies in the Rubble and Waste & Resources Action Programme, or WRAP, the government-sponsored initiative to reduce consumer food waste.
We were particularly excited to spend time with Jenny Dawson, founder of Rubies in the Rubble. Started in 2011, Rubies in the Rubble creates and sells chutneys and jams made from fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.
Dawson felt inspired to start the company when she heard how much food is wasted. According to government estimates, in the United Kingdom alone, citizens annually spend more than 12.5 billion British Pounds Sterling – or the equivalent of $21.3 billion in U.S. currency -- on food that ends up in waste bins.
This staggering number caused Dawson to think about the many implications, and what she could personally do to reduce food waste.
“In the end, we’re all in this together and all need to think about it,” Dawson said.
Increased consideration and awareness, said Dawson, would naturally lead to more innovations and solutions that would engage consumers on multiple levels.
“People can be their own solution to food waste,” said Dawson, who noted heightened awareness would go a long way.
Later that day, we met with Emma Marsh, the Community Partnership Manager of WRAP, which is sponsored at the national level by the United Kingdom governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
WRAP focuses on a wide variety of resource-related issues, most notably food waste.
In recent years, WRAP started a nationwide campaign called “Love Food, Hate Waste.” Since its inception, the campaign has prevented more than seven million tons of food from entering the waste stream in the United Kingdom.
The challenge, said Marsh, lies in changing the behavior of consumers.
“Many people just simply don’t recognize they waste food,” Marsh said, adding that once it is brought to their attention, they can follow simple steps.
Marsh said consumers can reduce food waste significantly by following five key tips:
- Plan meals;
- Watch portions;
- Follow the “use by” dates;
- Store food properly;
- Be creative with leftover food.
“We just need to do those simple steps and those become simple habits,” Marsh said.
As we have learned throughout our trip, simple habits can make a huge difference. Through all of our interviews, I learned the importance of simple actions leading to large scale changes.
This trip has impacted us all greatly. I think Olivia, Taylor and I view food and food waste much differently than we did before. Every location and person we’ve met has added to our knowledge and altered our perspectives.
The “Waste Not” journey will soon enter a new phase. But we will remember these past three weeks of research on the road for years to come.