Food Matters Action Kit
Publication year
Resource type
UNCCD Library
Material Type
Book
What’s the big deal about food waste? Did you know that about one third of all food produced for people around the world goes to waste? That’s huge. Food waste is what happens in our homes and in stores, restaurants, schools and
communities when we throw out perfectly good food. There’s nothing wrong with this food, but it’s ending up in the landfill, instead of our stomachs, because of decisions we make.
Why does food waste matter?When food waste ends up in a landfill, it creates a potent gas called methane—a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change. Food waste also wastes all the resources—water, energy, labor— that are used to produce food. Food waste is a global problem. In 2015, the General Assembly of the United
Nations committed to cut per capita customer and retail food waste in half by 2030.1 Countries all overthe world are taking action to help reach this goal.
How can we prevent food waste? You can start today by using this Food Matters Action Kit—it’s loaded with informative resources andnhands-on, creative activities to inspire kids of all ages to prevent food waste at home, at school and in the
community. Activities in the kit are designed for youth across North America, from ages 5 to 25, to start making a positive difference right now to prevent food waste—from small initiatives at home to more ambitious efforts that involve the whole community.
Activities in the kit are arranged in two groups—
Part 1: Kids Action Kit for ages 5–13, and Part 2: Youth Action Kit for ages 14–25. There are dozens of inspiring ways for you to explore and discover how to prevent food waste—from organizing a Disco Soup party and learning food
preservation techniques from elders, to building worm composters and solar dehydrators. Get started today. Register as an individual, with a group of friends, a class, school or club to share your food waste actions. Challenge others and earn great shareable Food Waste Hero badges. Find out more at www.cec. org/FoodMattersActionKit
The CEC’s “Engage North American Youth to Prevent, Recover and Recycle Food Loss and Waste” project goal is to develop learning tools that will engage and empower North American youth from diverse backgrounds to prevent, recover and recycle food waste at home, school and in their communities.
About:
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the environmental side agreement to NAFTA. An intergovernmental organization, the CEC brings together citizens and experts from governments, nongovernmental organizations, academia and the business sector to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable economic development. Find out more at: www.cec.org.
communities when we throw out perfectly good food. There’s nothing wrong with this food, but it’s ending up in the landfill, instead of our stomachs, because of decisions we make.
Why does food waste matter?When food waste ends up in a landfill, it creates a potent gas called methane—a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change. Food waste also wastes all the resources—water, energy, labor— that are used to produce food. Food waste is a global problem. In 2015, the General Assembly of the United
Nations committed to cut per capita customer and retail food waste in half by 2030.1 Countries all overthe world are taking action to help reach this goal.
How can we prevent food waste? You can start today by using this Food Matters Action Kit—it’s loaded with informative resources andnhands-on, creative activities to inspire kids of all ages to prevent food waste at home, at school and in the
community. Activities in the kit are designed for youth across North America, from ages 5 to 25, to start making a positive difference right now to prevent food waste—from small initiatives at home to more ambitious efforts that involve the whole community.
Activities in the kit are arranged in two groups—
Part 1: Kids Action Kit for ages 5–13, and Part 2: Youth Action Kit for ages 14–25. There are dozens of inspiring ways for you to explore and discover how to prevent food waste—from organizing a Disco Soup party and learning food
preservation techniques from elders, to building worm composters and solar dehydrators. Get started today. Register as an individual, with a group of friends, a class, school or club to share your food waste actions. Challenge others and earn great shareable Food Waste Hero badges. Find out more at www.cec. org/FoodMattersActionKit
The CEC’s “Engage North American Youth to Prevent, Recover and Recycle Food Loss and Waste” project goal is to develop learning tools that will engage and empower North American youth from diverse backgrounds to prevent, recover and recycle food waste at home, school and in their communities.
About:
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the environmental side agreement to NAFTA. An intergovernmental organization, the CEC brings together citizens and experts from governments, nongovernmental organizations, academia and the business sector to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable economic development. Find out more at: www.cec.org.
Keywords
food waste prevention
food loss
environmental education
education
children
food wastage footprint