Your Leftovers is a Waste
In fact, it is undeniable that we have thrown away food scraps without even realizing the impact on the environment around us. Often, we unconsciously leave two slices of cucumber, half a plate of rice, or even a quarter of a kilogram of meat on our plates even though we know that many people out there were facing hunger & food insecurity. We also forget that the food waste problem exists and is happening all around us.
Indonesia is the second-largest contributor to food waste in the world. Based on a study from The Economist, it is estimated that every person in Indonesia can produce food waste up to 300 kilograms per year. Our behavior in food consumption plays a big role in the amount of food waste on Earth. Food Waste is a type of waste with the largest amount in the environment all around the world. This number continues to increase, but this phenomenon is not followed by great food waste processing. This inadequate food waste processing causes a lot of waste that make a bad impact on the environment and society. Starting from the unpleasant smells until being the largest contributor to the production of greenhouse gas emissions.
The words ‘Global Warming’ and ‘Climate Change’ must be familiar in our ear yet we don’t do anything about it & mostly we don’t really care about what it is. Did you know that foods that are left behind and thrown into the landfill can produce methane gas and cause a greenhouse effect? In fact, food production accounts for 1/4 of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Surprisingly what we ate really affects our environment. Frankly speaking, the food that is served on our plates has an important role in reducing the impact of global warming and climate change.
However, it is not impossible for us to stop this problem. There are several efforts that we can do to help reduce food waste. Start with small steps, such as responsibly finishing the foods that are already served on your plate can help to reduce food waste that is thrown into landfills. By knowing yourself as find out what you like and how much your portion is an important thing to consider so you may know whether you could finish your food or not. Restrain your lust when it comes to eating in a buffet or occasion, try to keep the right amount for you. It’s better to eat in the right amount or less than you can add up than you made leftovers. Composting would also be one of the solutions to reduce food waste.
If it is hard to do it, you can try by starting to follow a campaign which is conducted by Zero Waste Indonesia to #HabiskanSudahMakanmu which urge us to finish our food and to consume food more consciously & reducing the consumption of foods that are the biggest emitters, such as red meat with #MeatLessMonday campaign. By implementing these small steps, we can create big changes for a better environment.
After implementing a zero-waste lifestyle, I began to realize that everything I do in life is meaningful. I began to live more consciously, and my conscience says that introducing this lifestyle to the wider community can help them live a better life and give a good impact on our earth. To make this happen, I start by taking the role to be of Social Media Manager at ZWID to make great and informative content so many people could interest to implement this lifestyle.
To sum up, starting from today I hope many people are concious on their consumption, so we could be a better us, live a healthier life, and serve better for the better environment.
