Posts Tagged ‘waste’
Last Minute Market – A 360° Action Against Waste
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on February 17th, 2010
Source: Food Climate Research Network
From the Current Interview on the Food Climate Research Network:
Last Minute Market (LMM) is a project where shops and producers who have unsold food which would otherwise be discarded are linked with people and charities who need food. Originating in Bologna, it is active in more than 40 Italian towns, with 2 new projects under development in Argentina and Brazil. LMM offers services to enterprises and institutions in order to prevent and reduce waste production at its origin. It also develops innovative services for the recovery and reuse of unsold goods. Since the introduction of the Italian anti–waste law in 2008, non-food items can also be recovered.
LMM has 6 different and interrelated areas of activities:
* Food- unsold food which is still edible
* Harvest- vegetables not harvested which would be rejected by retailers due to cosmetic reasons or weather damage
* Seeds- seeds that do not conform with market standards
* Catering- products not served by public and private catering
* Books- unsold books that would otherwise be destroyed
* Pharmacy- unsold pharmaceuticals which can be used to meet the health needs of socially disadvantaged people
LMM helps:
* companies to manage surpluses in innovative ways, which can reduce waste disposal costs and improve the company’s links with the local community
* public institutions and the community benefit from the reduction in the flow of waste to landfill and improve food availability for the sectors of society that need it
* the third sector reduce operating costs and release resources for other projects
Tags: behaviour change, consumption, waste
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How low can we go? Greenhouse Gas Reduction in the UK Food System
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on February 12th, 2010
Source: Food Climate Research Network
…the important point is that we are highly likely to need both technological and behavioural change to achieve reductions of this magnitude – and help avoid dangerous climate change.
From the report: How low can we go? An assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from the UK food system and the scope for reduction by 2050.
When it comes to environmental impacts, the usual suspects have been mobility (the way we get around) and energy (the way we heat and light our buildings). However, there’s an equally significant actor in the creation of greenhouse gases: food. Some 20% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to what we put on our plates.
The UK has its own legally-binding targets to reduce production emissions by 80% by 2050 under the Climate Change Act. In order to make a proportional contribution to these reductions, and taking into account the fact that we need to continue to eat, WWF-UK and the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) suggest food-related emissions need to be cut by 70% by 2050. Achieving this is highly likely to require significant changes throughout the UK food system – from production and processing to cooking, the kinds of food we eat and what and how much we throw away.
The aim of this study was thus to determine the feasibility of a 70% cut, where in the food chain cuts could be made, and by how much. In addition, the work estimated the emissions arising from direct and indirect land use change attributable to UK food consumption. This was done by calculating how much land, including forest, is converted annually to agriculture and the CO2 emissions that arise from this process, and attributing an appropriate amount of these emissions to UK food consumption.
As such, this study provides the most accurate inventory of greenhouse gases attributable to UK food consumption to date: the results were striking – and disturbing. As stated above, direct emissions from the UK food chain are estimated to be about 20% of the UK’s total consumption emissions. However, according the method and assumptions used in the study, including the emissions attributable to direct and indirect land use change lifts the proportion of UK consumption emissions attributable to food from 20% to 30% of all UK emissions – or from 152MtCO2 to 253MtCO2. Reducing emissions from food will thus be key to tackling climate change.
This study investigated a range of approaches to making the cuts, constructing three broad thematic scenarios:
The first was an energy-based scenario in which the focus was on (a) the decarbonisation of non-mobile processes, such as food processing, cooking and refrigeration and (b) the decarbonisation of energy used in transport. The result? Cuts of some 57% by 2050. Not enough.
The second was an emissions-led scenario which centred on (a) reductions in direct GHG emissions, such as methane from cows and sheep and nitrous oxide from fertilisers and (b) improved production efficiency, including increased crop yields and improved livestock genetics. The result? Cuts of some 55% by 2050. Again: not enough.
The final scenario considered (a) conservation, through waste avoidance and using wasted food to generate energy and (b) changes to consumption patterns in the UK. The result? Cuts of some 60%. Getting there, but still not enough.
Visit the website for the abstract or full report.
Tags: consumption, Food, greenhouse gases, report, waste
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Feeding the 5000: On the Day
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on February 5th, 2010
In the days and weeks before 16th December Feeding the 5000 received tonnes of generously donated fresh produce from farms, packers and markets – from the tonnes of produce that are ‘outgraded’ for being cosmetically imperfect and which would have been wasted though they are still good to eat.
From the original press release:
The produce will be delivered to the food depot of our main partner, FareShare. From there it will be taken to the commercial kitchens which have been kindly given over to us for the event. Here it will be prepared into soup and other food for the day by an army of volunteers trained in food handling and preparation. The food will be delivered by FareShare to Trafalgar Square on the 16th December and prepared in time for the free lunch, starting at 12 noon. Meanwhile, smoothies from fresh surplus fruit will be made by a team of bicycle-powered smoothie makers and handed out to passers-by.
For an insight into how the event turned out on the day, watch the Guardian.UK’s video of the event.
Tags: behaviour change, consumption, Food, waste
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BuilderScrap: FreeCycle for the Building Industry
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on October 14th, 2009
Source: Springwise
Image: Bryn Pinzgauer via flickr CC
More than 90 million tons of construction and demolition waste are generated each year in England and Wales alone, and at least 13 million of those tons are surplus new materials that could have been reused. Hoping to keep such waste out of landfills, BuilderScrap is a free site for the construction trade that aims to connect builders who have extra materials with those who need them.
UK-based BuilderScrap was established by builders for builders as a way to use up surplus new and high-quality second-hand material in the supply chain. Users begin by registering and then uploading any extra building materials they’d like to sell or give away. Allowable items include timber, doors, floorboards, stair components, joists, tiles, window frames and office furniture, to name just a few. Other users who are interested in an item then contact the relevant user via the BuilderScrap website, which in turn notifies the listing member, who can respond to work out the details. Once the item has exchanged hands, the original listing member then de-lists it from the site.
Read the full article on Springwise.
(What’s Freecycle?)
Tags: new systems/services, Resource, sharing, waste
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Update: Eco-Suburb Hammarby Sjostad
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on August 31st, 2009
Image: Sweden.Se
You might have seen the proposals for Hammarby-Sjostad, a waterfront district in the center of Stockholm, when the development won the World Clean Energy awards back in 2007. The district has followed a comprehensive sustainability plan as it redeveloped from a former industrial site into a residential area. This means that everything from the construction materials (and their transport) to the energy, water, transportation, and waste systems for residents was designed with environmental considerations in mind.
The CityFix is currently hosting a video interview with some of the residents and planners who live and work on the site now that it’s up and running. Check it out for a blast of good news.
Tags: Eco-City, innovation, Urban Design and Built Form, waste
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TapIt water bottle refill network
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on August 25th, 2009
Source: Springwise
New York’s water-toting crowd has a convenient new way to be sustainable while staying hydrated, as a tap water refilling service officially launches in the city. TapIt is a community program that enables people to refill their water bottles at participating cafés, completely free of charge.
TapIt aims to help people stay healthy and hydrated without relying on single-use plastic bottles. Any restaurant or café with a soda dispenser or tap that gives clean drinking water can sign up as a partner. Thirsty consumers can find taps online or via TapIt’s iPhone app, and are provided with information on the type of water that’s available, telling discerning customers whether the water’s filtered or non-filtered, room temperature or chilled.
But the TapIt network is not just about going bottle-less; less bottles, less recycling, less water privatization and extraction, it’s about understanding why those things are a problem and finding new and sustainable 21st century solutions.
Think your city is ready to start a local water movement?
Tags: networks, new systems/services, waste, Water
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Local Business Networks: Recycled Oil Candles
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on August 24th, 2009
Source: Springwise
Image: Filt candles via Springwise
Tokyo candlemakers Filt don’t have to travel far to source their raw materials: they’re located directly above Chubby, a cafe that’s happy to hand over its used cooking oil to Filt, which carefully filters the oil to remove odors and sediment. After adding pigments and a vanilla scent, the filtered oil is poured into glass jars that the company collects from local recycling bins. The candles come in various sizes and—despite their humble origins—sell for artisanal prices of JPY 2,000–3,600 (USD 20–36) at local boutiques and at Chubby, which also uses the candles on its own tables.
Bringing their recycling efforts full circle, Filt asks customers to keep their empty jars for storage, or to return them so that they can be made into new candles (no word on whether that entitles customers to a discount on their next purchase).
Source: Springwise
Tags: new systems/services, waste
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An Urban Dream Farm for London?
Posted in Models by Devin Maeztri on May 14th, 2009
The first community project in the metropolis to recycle food wastes into energy and fertilizer by anaerobic digestion Sam Burcher.
The organic muesli producer who keeps making history.
Alex Smith has been made a London Leader of Sustainability for 2009 by the London Development Agency (LDA). This appointment by the Mayor of London’s office is a far cry from thirty years ago when Alex was a squatter and started his food company Alara with two £1 notes he found in the street. Alara now produces up to one hundred tonnes of organic muesli each week, some sixty percent of UK’s total muesli production.
Tags: community, energy, Food, London, sustainability, waste
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Recent report by the UN on the Environmental Food Crisis
Posted in Research by fedwards on March 2nd, 2009
See an abstract of a review below about the United Nation’s report titled the “Environmental Food Crisis” from just-food.com, 18 February 2009.
The United Nations has warned that 2008’s food shortage could foreshadow an even bigger crisis to come, with food prices expected to rise substantially as production fails to meet demand. According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s latest report, The Environmental Food Crises, food prices could increase by 30-50% “within decades” as up to 25% of the world’s food production could be lost due to “environmental breakdowns” by 2050.
“A lot of the factors contributing to today’s food shortages are expected to get a lot worse,” a UNEP spokesperson told just-food. “These include drought, depletion of grain stocks, high oil prices, biofuels and speculation in food stocks.”
According to the study, climate change is likely to be a key factor undermining food production, with water shortages and the spread of pests threatening future yields.  The study calls for a re-examination of the way food is produced, handled and disposed of globally.
The UNEP called on governments meeting at the upcoming UN climate convention in Copenhagen to agree a “deep and decisive” new global deal.
More information can be found online at: www.unep.org/gc/gc25
Tags: Food, food shortages, global food crisis, waste
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Reminder to RSVP for Sustainable Cities Round Table!
Posted in Events by Devin Maeztri on September 14th, 2008
Dear Sustainable Melbourne readers,
This is a reminder that the RSVP deadline for the next Sustainable Cities Round Table on “Waste Not Want Not” are due this Friday, 19 September. Please remember to RSVP for this event so you don’t miss out! RSVP to rsvp@sustainablemelbourne.com. Find more details about the event below! It’s going to be fun!
What: The Sustainable Cities Round Table – Waste Not Want Not
When: 6:30 – 8:30pm, Wednesday 24 September
Where: Carrillo Gantner theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, the University of Melbourne
RSVP: by 19 Sept to rsvp@sustainablemelbourne.com
Tags: Sustainable Cities Round Table, waste, waste campaigns, waste management, waste resources
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