Abu Dhabi calls to reduce their 'foodprint'

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) is marking the World Environment Day (WED) by organising a number of activities to increase the community's awareness on the environmental impact of the food choices, and encourage public to make wise decisions when buying their groceries and when cooking their meals in order to waste as little food as possible. The theme for this year's World Environment Day celebrations is Think.Eat.Save, which is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages public to reduce their foodprint. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger. Fozeya Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Director of Environmental Outreach Division, EAD said: "Around 39% of all the Emirate's municipal solid waste is organic material. This is disposed of each year, contributing to landfills, carbon emissions and ultimately contributing to climate change, this is according to a report published in 2011 by The Centre of Waste Management - Abu Dhabi (CWM)". She added "There are many possibilities as for how we can change our unsustainable consumption habits while also improving our quality of life. To do more with less is essential for us to live within the resources the planet has to offer. Changing our current living standards requires us to adopt innovative and creative solutions on the way we use and dispose the products and services we own and consume. This could enable a transition to more sustainable activities and lifestyles while also protecting the world's natural resources". "Many of our priority areas (climate change, water resources, biodiversity and waste management) can be related to the campaign to reduce food waste and the food print. It is a serious global issue that can be tackled locally here in Abu Dhabi" Al Mahmoud noted. She said "While many food products are ultimately biodegradable, its non-consumption means that precious resources used in its cultivation and productions are wasted, such as energy, water and materials used for its packaging. Carbon emissions resulting from the food's transportation, storage and disposal also contribute to climate change". Al Mahmoud stressed that "Abu Dhabi is facing this issue especially in Ramadan, where tonnes of food are discarded. All residents in an Abu Dhabi can reduce their environmental impacts and still live comfortably. By reducing, reusing and recycling, we can all play a part in resolving the problem of our growing waste". In line with this WED, EAD has agreed with Saving Grace Project team and a Quattro Group to donate approximately 250 meals daily of their leftover food to needy people over the next five years. During this day EAD will increase its staff awareness through e-leaflets and e- collaterals. Also the Agency will organise interactive workshop for EAD's Environmental Ambassadors and a trip to the Emirates Environmental Technology - Al Ain in coordination with the Centre of Waste Management - Abu Dhabi. On Friday 7th June preachers at Abu Dhabi mosques will also highlight the theme of this day. To celebrate this day EAD have developed tools that can help government agencies and private companies and general public to facilitate World Environment Day, this include emailer with "Top 10 tips on how to reduce food waste", email signature, digital banner and pull up.