February 6 - February 12, 2023
The third and final principle of circular economy is to regenerate nature. By moving from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, we support natural processes and leave more room for nature to thrive. In this final week, we challenge you to go beyond by taking steps to regenerate nature and replenish your life!
Food systems are responsible for 70% of the water extracted from nature, cause 60% of biodiversity loss, and generate up to a third of human greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to nature´s regeneration, there’s no better place to start than with the food we eat. In this challenge, we ask you to adopt a new habit of eating more “circularly” that you either have never done before or don’t do regularly. Here are some ideas to do the entire week (and beyond!)
[ ] 🌏 Start composting! Here are some tips, including composting in apartments. 🇦🇹 Wurmkiste offers worm composter bins.
[ ] 🌏 Eat vegetarian (or vegan) the entire week. Lacking creativity? No worries, Planet Based Meals' Planner makes it fun and simple. Their personalized digital recipe plans start at just $1.90 a week!
[ ] 🌏 Buy regionally grown foods and support agriculture in the city (aquaponics, vertical farming, community urban gardens)
🇦🇹Read about the regional quality of food in Austria and tips for buyers on the website “ Das isst Österreich” and check Blün, a company that combines elements of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (plant farming with controlled systems), find out about their products here or buy at Hofladen im 22. Bezirk (address: Schafflerhofstraße 156, 1220 Wien)
[ ] 🇦🇹 Eat oyster mushrooms produced by Hut und Stiel using coffee grounds collected from gastronomy in Vienna. They also offer Viennese organic mushroom sausage, BIO Viennese mushroom goulash, and sauces (pesto, mustard, tomato sugo)
[ ] 🌏 Support initiatives that are working on food waste prevention, i.e.:
🇩🇪🇦🇹In Germany and Austria: Foodsharing, FoodLoop, and Slow Food
🇮🇹In Italy: Nextdoor; 🇪🇸In Spain: Yo No Desperdicio, 🇳🇱In Netherlands: Afgeprijsd
🇩🇰In Denmark YourLocal
🥨 You can order Hearty rescuers: Soups, stews, jams, and dehydrated in jars from Community Kitchen Munich to support their efforts towards preventing food waste.
🇦🇹 you can buy rescue Jam, chutney, and syrup at Unwerschwendet online shop or at Schwendermarkt in Vienna or bread 🥖 from Brotpilot at:
-yppenmarkt in front of schellhammergasse 15, 1160 Saturdays from 8 am- to 1 pm
Other companies rescuing food from surplus on the field and turning it into healthy soups, drinks, and kimchi are KRUT (sources vegetables from surplus and preserve them through fermentation) and ISS MICH (provides soups, stews, sauces, and sweets from bio-surplus).
In Austria the initiative **"Lebensmittel sind kostbar!" (Food is precious!)** has been running since 2013 and has established a program with measures until 2025 to prevent and reduce food waste like "Tafelbox" and "GenussBox.” 💡If you attend an event, in the end, rescue food from the buffet by taking home a Tafelbox.
[ ] 🌏 Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables; refer to this site for a good guide.
👪 Baby porridge recipes in winter: delicious seasonal porridges with winter vegetables.
[ ] 🇩🇪 Sign up for a bio-box of fruits and veggies, for example, from etepetete or oekokiste or Querfeld (Querfeld offers “Krumme”/”Crooked” produce) 🇦🇹 ADAMAH
[ ] 🌏 Rescue some food: Eat food that would be wasted - try Too Good To Go in Austria 🇦🇹www.toogoodtogo.at or Together-Foodsharing
[ ] 🌏 Cook a new recipe using leftovers; check for some inspiration from the recipes at Die besten Restl-Rezepte published by the ****Federal ****Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management of Austria.
How many new circular eating habits did you try this week? __________
Regenerating nature may seem difficult to do as a city-dweller, especially during winter. Take time during this challenge to explore how you can regenerate nature through gardening or consider alternative energy sources such as solar. Make a plan to take action and regenerate nature.