Because food waste is a pervasive problem worldwide, it can feel individually insurmountable — but two Ontario teens who decided to act locally proved otherwise by making a drastic difference at their school, CBC.ca reports.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, as much as 40% of the American food supply is wasted each year. Hunger relief charity Second Harvest estimated Canada's food waste percentage at 46.5%, 41% of which the organization deemed "avoidable."
Dyanne Jiang and Myra Datta were in Grade 11 at Appleby College in Oakville when they participated in a Climate Action Accelerator Program during the 2023-2024 school year. It inspired the girls to take action against climate change, starting on campus.
On the surface, food waste and rising temperatures might sound like wholly unrelated issues, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Per the Environmental Protection Agency, uneaten food "is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S.," and over 85% of emissions from that discarded food are generated before it lands in the trash — for instance, from being shipped around, refrigerated, and cultivated in the first place.
Dyanne and Myra set out to tackle the problem in their cafeteria, and they were shocked to discover it produced "more than 600 kilograms [1,323 lb.] of food waste each month," largely the result of unfinished portions. The figure was eye-opening.
"I was really, really surprised. I knew food waste was a huge issue because I could see other students throwing out food, but I didn't expect that number," Dyanne explained, adding that the scope of the issue motivated the duo.
As part of their efforts, Dyanne and Myra gave presentations to classmates, advised fellow students on how to prevent food waste, consulted with cafeteria staff on portion size, and set goals with enticing incentives.
When students met or exceeded a food waste prevention goal, the pair rewarded them with ice cream sandwiches. Helming the project allowed the girls to identify the approaches that motivated their classmates firsthand, which influenced their strategy overall.
"People believe you more when you have the numbers. If you want to start a zero waste program, make sure you find a way to measure your progress. It will help you get people on board," Dyanne observed.
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Not buying food I don't need 🧐 Ultimately, their efforts slashed food waste by a stunning 57%, and Dyanne had advice for students considering similar projects.
"The waste zero project was created, I'm not joking, in 30 minutes. Sometimes you have to stop thinking, stop doubting yourself, and just do it," she said.
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