Dear all,

The holiday season is officially over. In my region, it was time of great celebrations, whether it was for Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Such events are usually accompanied by a festive dinner and usually too much food is prepared for such events. They increase the phenomenon of food waste, which is not only typical to holiday season. It happens all the time. And it is important to point out that it has a detrimental effect on the environment. In addition, in my region, although food for Christmas Eve dinner does not contain meat, the rest of the Holiday Season meals usually include loads of animal products. Unfortunately, a consumption of animal products also has negative impact in the environment due to their high carbon footprint[i], huge water consumption for their preparation[ii], as well as release of methane to the atmosphere[iii]. The observation of holiday season and how it is celebrated made me realize that the way we eat should be changed. Therefore, I think the campaign to raise awareness in the sustainable food consumption should be encouraged.

One of its components should be lectures which will show the effect of food waste and animal product consumption on the environment. Firstly, it is necessary to point out that when food is stored on landfills, then when it decays it produces methane, a greenhouse gas, with a higher potential than carbon dioxide[iv]. In addition, agriculture requires substantial amounts of water. Therefore, if food is wasted, then it actually means that fresh water is lost, as well[v].

In addition, the meeting can also raise the issues connected with meat consumption. It has been proved by many researches that vegan diet it the best when it comes to its impact on the environment[vi]. Meat production requires 83% of farmland, but provides only 13% of calories from produced food[vii]! Large area required for keeping the livestock bring deforestation and a loss of habitat for many animals.

Actually, in my local community, we were really concerned about the food waste. Therefore, we organized a meeting with the director of the canteen and we set up a rule that if someone is not going to dinner, this person should write an email. As a result, the canteen will not prepare a portion for this person, and food will not be wasted. Moreover, I requested a reduction of use of cheese for vegetarian dishes, since this product has higher carbon footprint than pork[viii]. In addition, in order to reduce meat consumption, for our family Christmas dinners, I prepared alternative dishes, which replicate traditional meal, but without animal-based products. I would call this my little campaign, because all my family really enjoyed the meals, and actually preferred them from the original versions.

I think January is a really good time to start that change: in your family, in your school or just do it yourself! Veganuary is a global initiative to go vegan for a month of January[ix]. It is encouraged that one of the new year’s resolutions is reducing a meat consumption, and Veganuary might be a great way to start! Whether you waste less food or consume less animal products, it would be fantastic to start thinking about eating sustainably!