Cebuanos urged: Eat fresh, recycle food

EAT fresh, not processed food and recycle, rather than throw everything away in the garbage bin.
These were some of the advices given by ecology advocates and Cebu City officials to the public amid the celebration of World Environment Day, which carried the theme “Think, Eat, Serve.”
A forum entitled “Developing Food Sustainability for a Healthy, Green Life” was sponsored last Wednesday by the Cebu City Council’s environment committee chaired by Councilor and waste segregation proponent Nida Cabrera.
“This year’s theme is so timely since we are promoting food security and sustainability,” Cabrera said.
She said this is achieved by preventing food wastage and raising awareness on the environment’s impact on a person’s food choices.
Councilor-elect Nestor Archival said wasting food meant everything used to produce it including water are wasted as well.
He encouraged people to eat food plucked from a tree or stem rather than consume canned and processed food.
He also said it’s better for people to plant vegetables in their yards like malunggay, alugbati (Malabar spinach), pechay (Chinese cabbage) and tomatoes.
If one were to plant vegetables, it’s better to go organic, said Roberto Bajenting, chairperson of the Cebu Coalition for Food Security.
He said composting is one way of recycling food waste by using it to preserve the soil’s fertility.
The forum attended by barangay environment Officers (BEOs), students, barangay officials and environmental volunteers was part of the city’s activities to mark World Environment Day.
World Environment Day was launched by the United Nations on June 5, 1972 to raise global awareness and action to address environmental problems. CNU Intern Jeanymae Ardiente