National Food Waste Action Week takes place on 7-13 March and here at the College pupils and staff are being encouraged to discuss ways we can all help to tackle this problem in our everyday behaviours.
The week will hold various events raising awareness about the issue of food waste. The good food we throw away has an impact on our environment and contributes to climate change because we are wasting not only the food but the valuable resources that have gone into creating it too – from the land, fertilisers and water that was used for growing it, to the greenhouse gases created from its production and transportation. If food waste were a country, it would have the third biggest carbon footprint after the USA and China. Wasted food accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions globally than all of the commercial flights we take each year. Alongside the impact on the environment, wasting good food feels morally wrong when food poverty is a growing problem.
The awareness building and charitable activities at College are being led by Upper Sixth pupils Celia C and Ophelia K who will be speaking in assemblies and leading discussions on how the Marlborough community can minimise its own personal food waste. They have also organised a charity raffle in aid of the Felix Project, a food redistribution charity that fights both food waste and hunger in London. 1.5 million adults in London struggle to afford to eat every day and 400,000 children are at risk of missing the next meal. The Felix Project collects fresh, nutritious, surplus food and delivers it to charities and schools so they can provide healthy meals and help the most vulnerable in our society.
In organising the raffle, Celia and Ophelia contacted a large number of companies both in Marlborough and beyond and we are very grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response with a large range of amazing prizes being donated. Raffle tickets will be on sale at events on campus across the week and they will also be available to buy on Saturday at matches. Please help support this important cause by buying raffle tickets if you can.
The draw will take place on Thursday 10th March.
