TODAY -

Think before you eat and save the environment

Jeffrey Reneau *

World Environment Day 2013 Think. Eat. Save
World Environment Day 2013 :: Think. Eat. Save



Today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of World Environment Day. It is one of the principal vehicles through which billions around the globe raise awareness to take positive environmental action. Corrective action and a global commitment to climate change, global warming, good environmental governance, ecosystem management and resource efficiency is not just important but inevitable for ensuring a better and more sustainable life for future generations.

The theme for this year's World Environment Day as earmarked by the United Nations is Think. Eat. Save
– an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages us to reduce our global "foodprint."

The message is simple: select foods that have less of an environmental impact, such as organic foods, choose
to buy locally-produced foods and plan meals in order to avoid wasting food.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year.

This is the same amount of food produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. FAO estimates that a third of global food production is either wasted or lost, which is an enormous drain on natural resources and negatively impacts the environment. If food is wasted, all the resources used to produce the food are also lost.

At the same time, one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die from hunger each day. Both our governments and NGOs have been working on reversing this situation.

According to US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell, "Ending preventable child deaths means, first, giving children a healthy start by promoting good health and nutrition among adolescent girls – India's future mothers. Reducing child deaths means children must be properly nourished to avoid stunting and other diseases magnified by under-nutrition."

But no country can boast sustainable development and environmental action without channeling the youth towards positive change. Young people comprise more than half the world's population and I am always impressed by the innovative solutions they are finding to address the many challenges affecting them, their communities and the world.

The US Consulate Kolkata works with these young students, NGOs, youth wings of local chambers of commerce, business organizations and community groups in their ongoing green initiatives. From park clean-ups, to sapling donations, to green walks to raise awareness – we have joined together to save our planet.

In September 2010, USAID and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India (GOI) signed a bilateral agreement to promote scientific and technical collaboration and exchange between India and the US in the forestry sector. Sikkim has been identified as one of the states where USAID will work with these stakeholders to adapt cutting-edge innovations and practices in India, and build the capacity of local stakeholders to better manage India's forest resources.

And this week we will host well known American urban planning expert Robert Brosnan in Kolkata and Guwahati to share best practices on green buildings and sustainable development models to mitigate the environmental challenges posed by rapid urbanization.

This year's World Environment Day theme – Think. Eat. Save – encourages us to be more aware of the lifestyle choices we make. What we choose to buy. What we choose to eat or not eat. It asks us to be mindful of the environment impact of our choices and encourages us to make more informed decisions.

This World Environment Day let's think before we eat, waste less and work together to save our planet!


* Jeffrey Reneau wrote this article for The Sangai Express
The writer is Acting Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata, @USAndKolkata
This article was posted on June 05, 2013.



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