Food Waste May 7

So, food waste, how do you rank?

Here is the podcast.



The sad reality is food waste is a huge issue.

FOOD FACTS

1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year.

300 million barrels of oil and 25 per cent of all fresh water is used to produce the

food that is wasted globally.

198 million hectares of land are used to produce food that is lost or wasted each year — the size of Mexico.

33 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste comprises food, according to a 2009 study by the Centre for Waste Management – Abu Dhabi.

5,600 megatonnes of greenhouse gases are associated with producing food that is

ultimately lost or wasted.

- See more at: http://fridaymagazine.ae/features/the-big-story/food-for-thought-1.1246739#sthash.jpcqBkrm.dpuf

Here are some of the other articles we looked at during the chat.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uneaten-food-makes-up-half-of-waste-in-dubais-landfills-each-day-during-ramadan

http://fridaymagazine.ae/features/the-big-story/food-for-thought-1.1246739

And here is what you said on the SMS.

• Foodwaste is a faux pas in our house, if anything is left, we bokashi it. Nabil

• Food waste is a proof that world famine problems is not a issue of short production , but of inefficient distribution .... Therefore no need for geneticmodified crops .... Leonardo

• I share the food which left over with bird and chickens in our garden. Rice, fruit and vegetables all audible by birds. Zaki

•  I love the initiative taken by a restuarant in Saudia. If you leave the food then you'll be fine, but here's the best part the fine goes as the charity for countries with famine. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2038519/Saudi-Arabian-restaurant-Marmar-fines-diners-leave-leftovers.html

• I think the up size meal at the fast food restaurant its a way to make more money thats why its required by there staff

• just got in in car so catching tail end of conversation but heard you say bokashi - saw those compost bbins in the change initiative this morning, look quite good. and make compost too! hannah

• Bokashi is Japanese form of composting that releases less CO2 and preserves more nutrients than traditional composting, nabil

• Kudos to mr. Cooper and I am part of his Ramadan strategy and u have spotted it - thank you to him again - respect. Praveen

• I take 7 meals instead of 3 but 80% smaller in size frm normal. Mansoor

• Foodwaste in Sweden is converted to biogas to run the city busses

• Rest in Singapore with great buffet charged u by weight left on your plate. Stops all that wastage. Great idea for fri brunch here. Craig

AVERDA on Waste as Good

We spoke to Walid Shaar of Averda about the new paradigm of thought needed with waste today. By William McDonough & Michael Braungart
North Point Press, 2002

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William McDonough's book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value. In Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart argue that the conflict between industry and the environment is not an indictment of commerce but an outgrowth of purely opportunistic design. The design of products and manufacturing systems growing out of the Industrial Revolution reflected the spirit of the day-and yielded a host of unintended yet tragic consequences. Today, with our growing knowledge of the living earth, design can reflect a new spirit. In fact, the authors write, when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems—the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun's energy—they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist. Cradle to Cradle maps the lineaments of McDonough and Braungart's new design paradigm, offering practical steps on how to innovate within today's economic environment. Part social history, part green business primer, part design manual, the book makes plain that the re-invention of human industry is not only within our grasp, it is our best hope for a future of sustaining prosperity. In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality—in cradle to cradle cycles.

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