Kasey Clark

Kasey Clarkhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/about/contributors/kasey-clarkKasey Clarkhttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/zero-waste-diningEat up on your travels to support restaurants eliminating every bit of waste they can.2020-09-16T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/people/zero-waste-dininghttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>As concern for our planet increases exponentially, restaurateurs, chefs and consumers are looking for ways to reduce food waste. It’s no surprise, then, to see the gradual-but-determined global emergence of waste-free restaurants.</p> <p>Thanks to eyebrow-raising data from the <a href="https://www.unep.org/">United Nations Environment Programme</a>, we know that humans waste approximately 1.3 billion tons of food every year. That’s nearly a third of the food produced worldwide. And, roughly 40 percent of that waste – particularly in the developed world – comes from restaurants and other food businesses.</p> <p>Fortunately, these discouraging facts have spawned an encouraging and counteractive global trend: zero-waste restaurants.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#wins">Everyone wins</a></li> <li><a href="#Whittling">Whittling away at waste </a></li> <li><a href="#Creative">Creative thinking </a></li> <li><a href="#taste">Globetrotting for a taste of no waste </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="wins">Everyone wins</h2> <p>By using, consuming, recycling and donating everything in their establishments, no-waste restaurants and their teams are doing their part to reduce our landfills, helping to eliminate hunger, and, according to a recent <a href="https://champions123.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/report_-business-case-for-reducing-food-loss-and-waste.pdf" title="report">report</a>, recouping their investment in food-waste reduction and even earning more money.</p> <p>“As consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, they want to support businesses who are doing the same,” says chef Wayan Kresna Yasa of Bali’s <a href="https://potatohead.co/seminyak/eat-drink/ijen" title="ljen restaurant">Ijen</a>, a zero-waste, line-caught-seafood restaurant. “People are caring about the planet more, and diners are interested to know they can help to reduce their own carbon footprint by eating at restaurants that follow a zero-waste philosophy.”</p> <p>These cutting-edge establishments have managed to eliminate all waste – from food and packaging to other disposable products, such as napkins, paper plates and <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/how-to-reduce-plastic-use-while-you-travel" title="How to Use Less Plastic When You Travel">plastic</a> cutlery.</p> <h2 id="Whittling">Whittling away at waste</h2> For restaurants, going zero-waste is a daunting and ambitious task. Reaching zero-waste status involves meticulously – and creatively – examining every aspect of the business, from food and menu planning to delivery and disposal options and even technology. <p>Despite its challenges, restaurants like Ijen and their teams are proving they can do it. With food, they’re using every bit of the animal and vegetable. Think not only nose-to-tail but also flesh-to-fin and roots-to-leaves dining.</p> <p>“At Ijen, we use the fishbones for stock and the fish scales to make crackers, which are complimentary for guests upon being seated,” says Kresna Yasa. “This allows us to minimize the fish waste and send the rest for animal feed or compost.”</p> <p>Zero-waste restaurants are carefully designing menus based on in-season ingredients and how they can make use of every piece; plus, they’re often opting for set menus to ensure they don’t overorder food. When there is leftover food, these restaurants are championing the resurgence of the (recyclable) doggie bag, or they’re composting the waste to send home with customers for their gardens or giving it to local farmers.</p> <h2 id="Creative">Creative thinking</h2> <p>“One of our biggest challenges was how to get rid of the hard shells from oysters and clams,” says Kresna Yasa. “We had to get quite creative … after talking to consultants, they advised us that chickens were generally calcium-deficient in Indonesia, so we started powdering the shells to add into chicken feed to increase the nutritional value.”</p> <p>As for deliveries, packaging and other waste-making items, no-waste dining means working with suppliers to change the packaging in which they deliver goods, eliminating one-time-use options, and, in some cases, packaging altogether. Instead, restaurants and suppliers are looking to eco-friendly alternatives, such as reusable wooden crates, leaves used to wrap herbs, and biodegradable containers.</p> <p>Technology also plays a role, with software that can track which foods go to waste (so restaurants can better plan menus) and machines that do the composting.</p> <h2 id="taste">Globetrotting for a taste of no waste</h2> <p>Though by no means ubiquitous, these no-waste eateries are little by little popping up across the world. Kresna Yasa hopes to keep the momentum going: “We have started an initiative with a group of chefs on the island to help lead by example and show them through our operations to inspire and support them in their own zero-waste quest.”</p> <p>So, if Bali, New York, London, Brighton, Helsinki or Berlin, for example, are on your <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/6-ways-to-be-a-better-traveler-in-the-post-pandemic-world">upcoming itinerary</a>, embrace the zero-waste Zeitgeist and add one of these destinations’ environmentally friendly eateries to your travel plans.</p>Getty Images / Svetikd 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/eat-like-a-local-when-you-travelEating locally produced food on your travels may seem like small potatoes, but the benefits are far-reaching. 2020-09-16T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/eat-like-a-local-when-you-travelhttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>Eating local is good for you as a traveler, for the communities you visit, and for our planet. Given that we’ve now faced this world-changing event – we’re glaring at you, coronavirus – supporting local producers, eateries and communities is more important than ever.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#food">Familiarize through food</a></li> <li><a href="#greet">Meet, greet and eat with the locals </a></li> <li><a href="#Mother">Make it up to Mother Earth </a></li> <li><a href="#Seize">Seize the seasonal </a></li> <li><a href="#favor">Do the farmers a favor </a></li> <li><a href="#taste">Get a taste for traveling the slow-food way </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="food">Familiarize through food</h2> <p>A ‘dirty-water’ hotdog from a cart on a busy street corner in New York City, the blare of taxis nearly drowning out your order. A hawker armed with a small blowtorch gently searing some octopus at the Ningxia Night Market in Taipei. The textures of creamy camembert on a crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside freshly baked baguette wrapped in wax paper as you stroll the Champs Élysées in Paris.</p> <p>These are the moments that color your travel, titillate your tastebuds and make a mark on your memory. According to a survey from Booking.com, 35 percent of travelers take vacations specifically to try local delicacies. And sure, these experiences are about the local food, but they’re also about the personality of the place you’re visiting.</p> <p>By eating at locally owned restaurants, visiting food stands, tasting unique street foods and strolling through (and sampling from) fresh food markets, you not only get to enjoy new gastronomic experiences, but also to communicate with the locals, learn what they’re proud of (and known for) and take in the area’s vibe.</p> <h2 id="greet">Meet, greet and eat with the locals</h2> <p>What’s more, by eating local and traditional foods, you’ll gain an understanding and appreciation for a region’s customs, its history and its regional ingredients. It’s even better when you can do this in the company of the locals themselves, who can share their insider’s knowledge, answer your questions, and, with luck, maybe even become your friends.</p> <p>But connecting with locals doesn’t happen through a guide book. Instead, tap into your social networks for friends – or friends of friends – who’ve been where you’re going or, even better, know someone there. Ask them where to go to eat where the denizens eat – and the places to avoid to prevent a bout of gastro interrupting your travels!</p> <p>Browse through websites, such as <a href="https://www.eatwith.com/" target="_blank" title="eatwith.com">eatwith.com</a> and <a href="https://www.bonappetour.com/" target="_blank" title="BonAppetour">BonAppetour</a>, which are devoted to experiences that facilitate eating with locals. Share a meal, take a food tour with a local guide or book a traditional cooking class. Maybe cheese is your ultimate vice? Find a cheese-making class. Visit a winery’s cellar door and indulge in a tasting – or six! – of this year’s special vintage. Embrace the mud and participate in a rice harvest.</p> <h2 id="Mother">Make it up to Mother Earth</h2> <p>In addition to the culinary, cultural and personal benefits you reap from eating locally, our environment likewise stands to gain. The fewer food miles food travels, the better, because transport won’t use as much fuel or generate as many greenhouse gases.</p> <p>The average item of food in America has traveled 1,500mi [2,400km] from the farm to your plate,” says Michael Pollan, food journalist and author of <em>In Defense of Food</em>. “It’s burned up an incredible amount of fossil fuel just to get there … For the consumer to understand how much energy goes into their food, I think all they have to understand is, if it’s local, it’s less.”</p> <p>It’s also better for you. Because it spends less time traveling from point A to point B, local food is fresher, loses fewer nutrients in transit and sustains less spoilage.</p> <h2 id="Seize">Seize the seasonal</h2> <p>The same is true for eating seasonally when you travel. “Fresh food tastes better when it’s in season for two reasons,” says Judy Davie, <a href="https://www.thefoodcoach.com.au/" title="The Food Coach">The Food Coach</a> and author of <a href="https://www.thegreengrocersdiet.com/" title="The Greengrocer’s Diet">The Greengrocer’s Diet</a>. “It hasn’t been kept in storage for months, and it hasn’t been sprayed, atmospherically controlled and packed to survive long-distance travel. The further food travels and the longer it is stored, the more flavour and nutrients are lost. It also costs more.”</p> <p>So, while you’re on the road, find a local farmers’ market if you can. You’ll enrich your experience, save money and help local producers. And every season, there’ll be something new to try. “Plus, aren’t farmers’ markets fun!” says Davie.</p> <h2 id="favor">Do the farmers a favor</h2> <p>Pollan is on the farmers’ bandwagon, too. “There are a great many other benefits to eating locally, besides conserving energy,” he says. “There is the very important benefit of keeping farmers in business.</p> <p>By buying local food when traveling and keeping that money in the area, you’re supporting local farms and producers; enabling employment for farm workers and those in the local food-processing plants and distribution centers; and generally buoying the community’s economy.</p> <p>Also, if the region is trying to build an agritourism following, as is becoming increasingly popular, you’re doing your part to help while you’re there. Plus, your positive word of mouth post-visit can encourage more travelers to the area.</p> <h2 id="taste">Get a taste for traveling the slow-food way</h2> <p>All these tips and practices illustrate that the slow-food movement isn’t just an at-home crusade; it’s just as important when you’re traveling. A slow-food mindset encourages travelers to connect with a new place in a more sustainable way.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.slowfood.com/" title="Slow Food">Slow Food</a> Manifesto offers sage advice on how to keep this front of mind when you’re eating on the road: “We can begin by … advocating historical food culture and by defending old-fashioned food traditions.”</p> <p>Do some research on local dishes and what’s in season when. Avoid supermarkets and convenience stores, opting instead for your vacation spot’s local and farmers’ markets. When you do dine out, avoid tourist traps and patronize local restaurants that showcase homegrown cuisine and are passionate about what they serve.</p> <p>To end on another astute note from the Slow Food Manifesto: “Let us rediscover the rich varieties and aromas of local cuisines.” Let us, indeed.</p>Getty Images / Nigel Killeen 1 Getty Images