This article has been slightly amended and was originally written by ISKL’s High School (HS) Service & Sustainability Team.
Let us think about food in terms of sustainability!
During the Movement Control Order (MCO), we were allowed to go shopping for food and other essential items, and in general, the shops were well stocked with supplies.
However, agricultural sectors were affected. Like so many business enterprises, many vegetables and fruits were wasted due to transportation restrictions. Some farmers took it upon themselves to arrange deliveries of their produce directly to their customers. Such efforts remind us that we can rethink traditional business models to adapt to the ‘new normal.’
Another ongoing initiative that we need to be aware of is the ‘climatarian diet.’ Global warming and climate change have not disappeared as environmental challenges. So, as we rethink the supply and demand chain, we should also think about the impact of what we choose to consume and how we choose to procure it.
Related to the above is also the kind of work done by the Lost Food Project to distribute unconsumed food items to those who need them through their food bank network.
Some of our students and their families have been volunteering at different locations in Kuala Lumpur. Should the COVID-19-related travel restrictions continue, families can undertake this type of service work during the school semester and holidays. It was impressive to hear from some students that their whole family helped out through the Lost Food Project and other organizations during this past long school holiday.
Finally, composting is ongoing on campus and at home for some ISKL families.
HS Mathematics teacher and HS Service & Sustainability co-ordinator Amy Popovich recently reminded the ISKL Composters that “food waste that decomposes in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.“
Here is her question to all of us: Did you know that ISKL has a program that allows you to dispose of your food waste by composting it rather than sending it to a landfill? Some ISKL families have been loyal activists in our school’s Blue Bin home composting program and the program has just started up again for the year, and there are still some empty blue bins waiting to be picked up!
This can be done through the following steps:
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Pay RM150 to the Panther Hut.
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Pick up an empty blue bin from the recycling center building located inside the ecological pond area (opposite the Elementary School).
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Fill that bin with food waste but remember to avoid meat or dairy products.
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Return the full bin to the recycling center. The company we work with will pick up and return the bins approximately at the times listed on the calendar.
If you would like more information, please get in touch with Amy Popovich or Izyan Nadirah Rezali, our Grounds Manager. They would be happy to answer all of your composting questions.
Lots of food for thought – let us digest what we know and start acting on what we can do to make a difference!
