Food waste, billions in search for ideas

This year was difficult, challenging for all of us. Covid19 is so small but extremely powerful. Is estimated that the total amount of the virus equals 1 gram. However, this 1 gram, triggered existential fears that actually united the world. We mobilized an unprecedented amount of resources, global coordination for saving human lives. 

The origin of the virus is not an issue, nature is the ultimate inventor of lifeforms. 

Is about the speed of contamination and corrective actions, our reflexes, our systems reacting on planetary events. Such events will occur more frequently in the future, triggered by overpopulation, bad consumer behaviours, global warming. Mitigation plans needed for expected problems, the full list is on UN global compact agenda.

Was happy that we performed, collectively, from state levels to individual responsibility, rather very well. With the usual entertaining conspiracy theories around Bill Gates, 5G and the Illuminati.

To control the contamination, pandemic policies were enacted such as face mask, limitations in gatherings, curfews and lockdowns. Measures targeted human rights based on the argument that collective benefit outweighs individual rights. I understand the reasoning.

Algorithms and technology helped the government to apply the right measures, at right time with precision calculated by advanced statistical theories. Contact tracing apps contained the spread by informing citizens to self isolate. In absence of a vaccine, our leader's options were limited to control citizen behaviour, in real-time..We adapted fast, reactively, we changed behaviour by understanding the criticality. An area to improve is our proactivity on known issues.

Worrying and thinking about the next 50 years, what else should expect?

We are blind to outside threats like comets, slowly waking up to Global warming and our contribution to it. But do we connect the dots to predict the outcome?

Our lands are polluted with chemicals, we cannot drink water from rivers as our grandparents. Soil erosion and desertification are real problems. Food quantity had an impact on quality, tasteless caused by bad & overused soil. The great Pacific reef is made of plastics, big enough to be seen from space. Air is contaminated with toxic particles to the level that we issue news alerts to warn citizens. A big part of Amazon was converted to billions of paper books ordered in Amazon.com.

However, we created an abundance of food in supermarkets that gave us a wrong feeling of security. In the west, because globally, 1.9 billion people don’t have enough food, going hungry to sleep.

Is ethically correct to have food thrown away when others are hungry? 

Major religions have “food sharing” practices or feasting. The Muslims, Christians have traditions to encourage sharing extra food. Feeding people for free creates dependencies thus not a good long term practise. A man needs to learn also how to fish as the Chinese say. On the other hand, many families with kids don't have time to cook, or they are price-conscious thus there is market demand. A niche, but large enough for business.

Beyond the Ethical question, there is also an environmental one. The 1.3 billion good food disposed annually at landfills creates around 30% of methane gas contributing to Global warming. Those are deadly numbers that push humanity to difficult situations.

Can you imagine a total collapse of our ecosystems triggered by Climate change?

Households do not know how to grow food in their backyard, nor composting organic waste. Self-sufficiency is not part of our educational curriculum. Role models like Michele Obama that started food garden at White House, got rejected as not cool. Old traditions of food preservation are not transferred from parents to kids. We trusting Capitalism and demand-supply networks unconditionally. We are acting egoistically, guilt-free and careless, like a child in need of a big brother.

You can find more conclusions in the slide deck, presented firstly on a virtual IETI event, 6th of December. Lots of my inspiration comes from a nation with Green policies and citizens with environmental consciences, Finland. A country with 1000s lakes and vast green forests that everyone recycles or reuses, a pioneer in Circular economy.

Merry Christmas to all of you and if you have food leftovers, don’t throw them away. Think a clever way to give it, maybe a Facebook post? Maybe by visiting that annoying youth in your building, probably marginalized, alone and hungry? 

Do the right thing, start thinking about what can you do to achieve zero food waste. Humanity collective consciousness, if aware, can dream and achieve the impossible.

Wake up