Welcome to our weekly environmental newsletter focusing on trends and solutions driving sustainability efforts.
I first learned about TJ Conwi’s initiative, ReRoot Kitchen, years ago when he launched the project. I recently caught up with him to see how the venture has progressed.
This week’s highlights include:
– Vancouver chef creatively reusing surplus food to combat food waste
– Underwater operations on a large scale
– The increasing resistance towards AI data centers
Vancouver-based chef, TJ Conwi, has been actively repurposing surplus food to combat the issue of food waste. In his early culinary days, food scraps were discarded without a second thought. However, a pivotal moment came when he witnessed the extensive food wastage in his role as an executive chef at a prominent Vancouver hotel just before the pandemic hit.
He was troubled by the amount of perfectly edible produce, such as eggplants and tomatoes, being discarded due to minor imperfections. This realization prompted him to take action. Statistics reveal that a significant portion of food in Canada goes to waste, with a considerable percentage being avoidable.
In response to the pandemic’s impact, Conwi began preparing meals using surplus food to support those facing food insecurity. Collaborating with chef Sean McDonald, they founded ReRoot Kitchen to transform surplus ingredients into chef-prepared meals. To date, ReRoot Kitchen has provided over 500,000 meals to charitable organizations in Vancouver, sourcing surplus food from various suppliers.
Ana-Maria Tomlinson, from CSA Group, highlights the importance of measuring food waste accurately to address the issue effectively. The organization has introduced a national standard for measuring food loss and waste in Canada, aiming to guide organizations in better quantifying and reducing food wastage.
Conwi emphasizes that surplus food does not equate to poor quality. He shares examples of creatively utilizing surplus ingredients like mushrooms and prawn heads to create a variety of soups and sauces. Drawing from his own experiences of food insecurity, Conwi dedicates his efforts to giving back to the community, notably by providing nutritious meals to children at the Landing Youth Centre in Vancouver.
The newsletter concludes with a call to action to address the concerning rise in food insecurity statistics and emphasizes the importance of sustainable food practices.
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