World Environment Day Celebrations at UOW
World Environment Day is all about reminding ourselves and others of the importance of caring for the environment. This year's theme focuses upon the issues surrounding food waste and good loss and encourages people to consider their ‘foodprint’.For more information about World Environment Day 2013 see the official website. Throughout the last week of session the Environmental & Sustainability Initiatives Unit has a myriad of fun, food-related sustainability events. See the table below for information.
Day? | What’s on? | Where? | Time? | RSVP? |
Monday 3rd | Tour of SoilCo’s commercial composting facility | SoilCo, Kembla Grange (bus from Wollongong campus provided) | 12pm – 1pm | |
Tuesday 4th | Composting Workshop | Botanic Gardens Discovery Centre, meet outside UniShop | 12-1pm or 1-2pm | |
EnviroFilm: TBC By ESI & Enviro Collective | Building 11 lounge area, level 1 | 5.30pm | ||
Wednesday 5th | Nature walk By ESI & Wellbeing Centre | Meet at Wellbeing Centre, Building 11 Ground floor | 8.00am | |
Sustainable Transport Brekky | Duckpond Lawn | 7.30am – 9.30am | ||
Green comedy debate By ESI & SWORDS Club | McKinnon Lawn | 12.30pm | No. | |
Green trivia | Unibar | 5.30pm | No. | |
Thursday 6th | Food Swap | Duckpond lawn | 12.30pm | No. |
Friday 7th | Balcony garden workshop | B25 Creative Arts, patio garden | 12.30pm | |
Throughout the week | World Environment Day Book Display | Library Foyer (B16) | Library opening hours | No. |
‘Think. Eat. Save.’ is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day which is being celebrated on Wednesday 5th June. One in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger. Meanwhile global quantitative food waste per year is roughly 30% for cereals and fish; 40-50% for root crops, fruit and vegetables; and 20% for oil seeds , meat, and dairy. As part of UOW’s commitment to the environment, we encourage you to become more aware and make informed decisions regarding the environmental impact of your food choices. If food is wasted, it means that all the resources and inputs used in the production of all the food are also lost. For example, it takes about 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk and about 16,000 litres goes into a cow’s food to make a hamburger. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from the cows themselves, and throughout the food supply chain, all end up in vain when we waste food. Additionally, selecting organic foods that do not use chemicals and local produce also minimise the environmental impact of food. So think before you eat and help save our environment!
Over the first week of June, UOW is hosting a suite of lunchtime activities for staff and students based around food waste and the environment. ESI has collaborated with a few student groups to host a number of the events. Come along to a composting and worm farm workshop and learn how to make your food waste into something useful or laugh your heart out at our green comedy debate for an interactive and entertaining take on the issues of food waste and sustainability. Not your thing? Join in the nature walk and get your steps up or transport sustainably to campus on World Environment Day and be rewarded with a free breakfast!