Category: Ethical Eating

Tips for Reducing Food Waste this Festive Season

Laura Trotta: “Every time we throw food in the bin we’re not just wasting our money. We’re discarding the vast amounts of resources, energy and water that it took to produce, process, store, refrigerate, transport and cook the food.

Coco Confusion / Credit: New Gastronome

Reducing food waste is one of the top five solutions to climate change listed in the New York Times bestseller “Drawdown…

While animal agriculture creates an estimated 18% of greenhouse gas emissions.

As we move through the December Solstice and into the New Year… let’s remember to reduce food waste and to include vegan and vegetarian dishes in our Winter season feasting.

Suggested Links

Food and Climate Action

Tips for Reducing Food Waste

Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes

Giving Food Back the Value it Deserves

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reducing food waste: photo of mushroom hunters in a Maple Ridge forest

reducing food waste: photo of mushroom hunters in a Maple Ridge forest

Foraging for Wild Mushrooms in Maple Ridge

Credit: Slow Food Vancouver

In the photos above, we find a group of friends engaging in an ancient (even timeless) human activity …foraging for wild mushrooms. They’re members of the Vancouver chapter of the Slow Food movement, and they’re foraging for mushrooms in a forest near Maple Ridge.

You might ask: What is Slow Food? And what does it have to do with climate action and reducing food waste?


According to Slow Food: “the key to fighting food waste is to give food back the value that it deserves.”

At a personal level, this includes buying local and seasonal foods, throwing away less food, eating out less, eating less, purchasing food that’s been fairly and sustainably produced … and eating at least once a week with someone you love. … Commend­able choices and more so during the Winter festive season.

Slow Food calls for tackling the climate crisis through the adoption of environmentally-friendly practices, at all stages along the food supply chain, following a seed-to-landfill trajectory.


The roots of the Slow Food movement are found in Italy, when Carlo Petrini and a group of activists came together in the 1980s to “defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life.”

Petrini a centre-left journalist and food critic who wrote for Communist daily newspapers came to prominence, in 1986, as the leader of a protest in Rome against the opening of the first McDonald’s in Italy.

Located near the Spanish Steps, in the heart of Rome, the 400 seat fast-food outlet was the largest McDonald’s in the world to open at the time.

Petrini and his friends brought gastronomy and the weight of Italian food and wine culture to the front line in the battle against fast food and industrialized food production.

The international Slow Food movement was launched, in 1989, when delegates from 15 countries gathered in Paris to sign the Slow Food Manifesto.

The movement has since evolved and spread (mushroomed so-to-speak) to more than 160 countries.

The mission of Slow Food includes defending local food traditions, promoting artisanal foods and preserving food biodiversity.

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Net Fishing for Wild Salmon / Credit: Okanagan Nation Alliance Fisheries

Closer to home, this time in the Okanagan Valley, a Slow Food presidium is assisting in the recovery of traditional fishing systems for Okanagan Sockeye salmon, which travel up the mighty Columbia River to spawn in the indigenous lands of the Syilx people.

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Join the DECEMBER Food Eco‑Challenge

Enviro Page  →  Zero Waste Team  →  ZW Notebook → December EcoChallenge

It’s a beautiful idea to remind ourselves in December to feel gratitude for our food, and to be aware of food waste and the impact this has on our planet

Come join the Metro Vancouver Unitarian Food Ecochallenge in December by changing your habits and reducing food waste. Check-in to see how we’re lowering food waste during the challenge

*If you missed the start date, you can join any time. Just sign up below, or

eMail unitarianmary@gmail.com to connect with the Zero Waste Team

Food Waste in Canada

the facts

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Sign up at → Drawdown Ecochallenge

Join anytime this December

The UCV Zero Waste team proposes December as a “love food / hate waste” month for Unitarians and friends, to set food-related goals and foster mutual support during a time of traditional feasting.

Our Zero Waste Team has for many years — indeed before “zero waste” was used as a term — coordinated an event to encourage people to resist the pull towards consumerism and waste during December.

We all need support when society pushes us towards purchases and activities that aren’t in alignment with our values.

Sunday, January 9, 2021, 1pm – Join Mary for the Ecochallenge Wrap‑Up on Zoom at ucv.im/coffee

Sunday, November 28, 2020, 1pm – Join Mary on Zoom at ucv.im/coffee to learn about setting goals related to food waste during December through the Drawdown Ecochallenge. The People’s Ecochallenge is a great platform to support us in setting goals and developing new habits.

Recommended links
Project Drawdown
Top 10 Vegan Holiday Recipes (Earthsave Canada)
Leftovers Recipes (National Zero Waste Council)
Youths Take Action Against Food Waste

Here are some of the food-related goals suggested in the Drawdown challenge

*The first three challenges are suggested for everyone who joins

1 KEEP TRACK OF WASTED FOOD
I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food prep
2 REDUCE ANIMAL PRODUCTS
I will enjoy _____ meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge
3 LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPIRATION DATES
I will spend at least _____ minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates

SMALLER PORTIONS
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food

SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS
I will source _____ percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmers market, visiting a food co‑op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients

PRACTICE THE 5 Rs
I will practice the 5 Rs — Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone

SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean

TEND A GARDEN
I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices

EAT MINDFULLY
I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper

MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding _____ cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day

Food Synergy – the Zero Waste Food Forum

← Zero Waste Team


Link to crowd funding video for the Food Synergy Movie

By Mary Bennett


The UCV Zero Waste Team proclaims: December as “Love Food Hate Waste” Month


Register Here

https://vancouver.breezechms.com/form/zerowaste

  • Thursday, December 2nd, 2021
  • 6:30 – 8 pm
  • Fireside Room (or zoom)

*For in person events, must be fully vaccinated if over 12


Above: Ben Liegey and Vivian Davidson, producers and hosts of the Food Synergy Movie

Agenda

  • 6:30-6:45: Mary will welcome people, introduce Zero Waste team (what it does, could do) and explain the Drawdown Ecochallenge – Metro Van Unitarians team.
  • 6:45-7: Cynthia Lam and Karl Perrin will talk about the Drawdown project highlighting issues related to food waste and/or IBPOC
  • 7-7:30: Vivian will talk about the Food Synergy film as a focus for various issues around food waste e.g. the 7 stages. Your questions and comments welcome
  • 7:30-8: Mary will facilitate a discussion on your goals re: food waste and ask for feedback on “next steps” for Zero Waste sub-team. (Mary is now UCV Board President and will be stepping down as Zero Waste chair after the end of the Drawdown Ecochallenge (December 31)

Food Synergy Movie — from Farm to Plate

Vivian Davidson, one of the producers of the Food Synergy Movie, will talk about what she’s learned exploring the 7 stages from farm to plate.


Drawdown EcoChallenge — Metro Van Unitarians

Mary Bennett, Zero Waste Team lead, will encourage you to join her and other Unitarians in a month-long Drawdown Ecochallenge to explore food waste and possibly develop some new habits.

From Zero Waste Canada comes this initiative: Love Food Hate Waste: https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/

UCV Zero Waste Team proclaims: December as a “love food; hate waste” month for local Unitarians to set some food-related goals and check in with each other. For many years (indeed before “zero waste” was used as a term) there’s been an event at UCV to encourage people to resist the pull towards consumerism and waste. I remember Peg Woods and Joyce Griffiths giving tips.

We all need support when society pushes us towards purchases and activities that aren’t in alignment with our Unitarian values.

Youth Kit: https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/use-it-up/youths-take-action/

From Mary

If you know me, you know that I do, indeed love food. I love growing it, cooking it, chopping it, fermenting it and, most of all, sharing it.  My approach to lowering food waste might not work for you, but you might enjoy hearing some of my tales of using my Buy Nothing group to give and receive food that might otherwise go to the landfill; my current jar painting project to make purchasing bulk dry goods work better and my cupboards look more interesting or being introduced to the free herb garden at UCV – Please don’t buy plastic-wrapped sprigs of sage or rosemary for $5 ever again!

Our Goals – Your Goals

Here are some of the food-related goals suggested in the Drawdown challenge. Are there some here, you’d like to challenge yourself around? 

Sign up here:

The first three challenges are suggested for everyone who joins

1 KEEP TRACK OF WASTED FOOD
I will keep a daily log of food I throw away during Drawdown Ecochallenge, either because it went bad before I ate it, I put too much on my plate, or it was scraps from food preparation
2 REDUCE ANIMAL PRODUCTS
I will enjoy _____ meatless or vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge
3 LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPIRATION DATES
I will spend at least _____ minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates

SMALLER PORTIONS
I will use smaller plates and/or serve smaller portions when dishing out food

SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS
I will source _____ percent of my food from local producers each day. This could include signing up for a local CSA, buying from a farmers market, visiting a food co‑op, foraging with a local group, or growing my own ingredients

PRACTICE THE 5 Rs
I will practice the 5 Rs — Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle — to reduce my waste more than I can with just recycling alone

SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES
I will visit seafoodwatch.org or download the app and commit to making better seafood choices for a healthier ocean

TEND A GARDEN
I will tend to a garden, or prepare for one, each day using sustainable gardening practices

EAT MINDFULLY
I will eat all of my meals without distractions, e.g., phone, computer, TV, or newspaper

More Fruits and Veggies
I will eat a heart healthy diet by adding _____ cups of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve at least 4 cups per day

Food Waste in Canada

the facts

graphic
graphic

Climate Justice and Food Sovereignty

What can we do individually and collectively to reduce harm and bring about climate justice?

Our food system has a huge impact on climate. Food production is fraut with racism and oppression of the people who grow our food. It is also a very complex system. Eating less meat, particularly red meat, has clear health and climate benefits. Large scale change needs to come from good policy and public pressure to create system change. The following organizations are working to create real change for those who produce and harvest our food as well as the impact of agriculture on our planet:

These are good places to start for information and action. Stay tuned for more!

Vegan Cooking with umami

Twelve people participated in our (first?) vegan cooking zoom call.
There seems to be enthusiasm so we may pursue this further, possibly with a monthly “ethical eating” zoom call, sharing our questions, answers, recipes. If you’d be interested, let me know at connect@vancouverunitarians.ca.

Possible topics

  • vegan desserts
  • environmental effects of the animal industry
  • nutrition issues
If you want to review the recording (technology glitches and all!) just click here:
Access Password: ucvucv1!

Resources

Denise has sent me a lot of information that I’ve pasted below.

If you’re on Facebook, do join us at the Unitarian Ethical Eating Group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/unitarianethicaleating/

Goals of the Ethical Eating Group:

  • build education and awareness around the importance of food choices
  • respect individual choices and diversity – provide support and information for people wanting to shift their eating choices
  • encourage congregational engagement on ethical eating and action.
  • provide information on Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist initiatives related to ethical eating and encourage people to engage as individuals or as congregations

Approved by the Environment Committee of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver on October 13, 2013.

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Oak Street Farmers’ Market

Contact the Enviro Team | Join Enviro Email Group

Oak Street
Farmers’ Market

by Mary Lage

It was a grand adventure. The best of times. A crazy idea. A proud part of our Unitarian history. We started Vancouver’s first all-organic farmers’ market on the UCV parking lot.

To paraphrase Joni Mitchell:

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They paved paradise … so we put up an all‑organic farmers’ market

Don’t miss this short documentary film by Jen Rashleigh and Rob Dainow on Opening Day at the Oak Street Farmers’ Market.
Tomato Meter 91% 4 stars rating

It Was a Grand and Crazy Idea

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Back in 2011 a group of intrepid UCV members came up with an idea: Why not start an all-organic farmers’ market in our parking lot? What’s not to like? Under the direction of our sustainable food guru, Grant Watson, we began to make plans for the Oak Street Farmers’ Market.

We bravely climbed a steep learning curve of city permits, farm visits, grant applications, and logo choosing, among a panoply of other tasks. One of our most debated tasks was deciding whether to put the apostrophe before or after the ‘s’ in farmers market. We had our grand opening in June with music, city officials, inspirational speakers, and a ribbon cutting ceremony – and we were off!

We spent the next five years creating a strong community built around delicious organic food, great music, artisan stalls, stone soup making with donations from all our farmers, and even a massage chair.

Exciting Times

Highlights included being the first market to feature wine and spirits, zucchini races, cooking demos and even a film series on ethical eating. We were proud to nurture first time farmers’ market vendors and musicians, and we welcomed volunteers from the deaf community.

Along with physical and financial backing from the church, UCV volunteers provided a considerable amount of sweat equity. Challenges included the weekly erecting of a huge and heavy piece of equipment that came to be known as the “Frankentent”, dragging multitudes of boxes out of the church’s narrow crawlspace, and keeping the electricity flowing to the parking lot by means of extension cords, covers, and ingenuity.

Navigating the challenges of starting and running the first all-organic farmers’ market in Vancouver proved difficult. Midway through operations, the city decided to enforce its sign bylaw not allowing us to put up signs in the neighbourhood. As well, several other farmers’ markets opened soon after ours in the area.

In spite of having incredibly dedicated members on the Oak Street Farmers’ Market board, after 5 years of operation, we had to close due to our continued financial instability. Our grand adventure came to an end but the memories and the community continue on.


Plant Based Eating and Respect for Animals

Contact the Enviro Team | Join Enviro Email Group

Nearly 30 years ago, Denise Swanson and the Environment Committee began to promote plant based eating to respect animals, protect the environment and support healthy eating

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Left: Plant based Sunday brunch 2008
Right: Photo by Keith Wilkinson — Apple tree in community garden at UCV

By Denise Swanson

One of my strongest lifelong interests has been the protection and promotion of respect for animals. In 2007, there wasn’t any committee at UCV with that particular mandate, and the Environment Committee seemed a good choice to work with on this pursuit. Especially so, given that animal agriculture is one of the top industries responsible for environmental destruction.

One of my strongest lifelong interests has been the protection and promotion of respect for animals

Most people have goodwill toward other species and the individual members of them. The overwhelmingly largest number of animals in need of protection are those on factory farms. Many are aware of the routine horrors behind factory farming (quite apart from their link to zoonotic diseases). An obvious way to protect them is to refrain from supporting their abuse by not buying – by boycotting – their ‘products’. Thus, I turned my attention to what is fast gaining momentum as an environmental as well as animal protection movement: plant-based eating.

I learned from reliable sources that balanced plant-based diets are nutritionally sound for all life stages. Not only that, they are significantly protective against some of our society’s most significant chronic health problems: heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and various cancers.

I saw the UCV committee lunch fundraisers as an opportunity to raise awareness of the issue and show that entirely plant-based meals were not only possible but delicious . For the next several years, the Environment Committee collaborated to produce dozens of lunches for the congregation. I also worked on smaller-scale plant-based food service projects for other UCV events, such as workshops at the farmers market, a Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale in Hewett Hall, and put on cooking classes to show that preparing these foods is easy and fun.

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The warm and energetic support of the UCV Environment Committee is a fond memory!

Another project I worked on with the Environment Committee involved developing some new church policies: using coffee that is organic and fair-trade, and providing plant-based milk options at coffee times.

During this time, I had been involved in several film festivals, and decided to host one at UCV focused on food and the environment. This was another great learning experience for all of us.

The warm and energetic support of the UCV Environment Committee is a fond memory!

image of fruits and veggies

Denise Swanson and David Steele led a forum, in 2019, on plant based eating. … Feel free to explore the links below they provided, for in-depth information and delicious recipes