Nowadays, 7.7 billion people inhabit our planet. ONU predicts that this number will reach 10 billion in 2050. This population growth also implies an increase on food production. Industry plays a major role in this production since most of the food that we eat is made at an industrial level which has major consequences environmentally. Industry by itself is responsible for 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions, besides that one third of food production is wasted not only on transportation but also on retail establishments and inside our houses. 

“Sustentabilidade al Dente” arose with the purpose of educating on the urgent need to fight food waste and change people’s eating habits and alert for the impact that they have on the environment. Likewise, this project also seeked for demystification of alternative types of diets more environmentally friendly. This event took place in the Avenida Café-Concerto,  on the 29th of November, at 9 PM and involved a forum to share experiences and opinions, with the participation of members of entities engaged on the subject, such as Elisa Mendes from Refood Aveiro, Nicole Vaz from Phenix Portugal, Luísa Nascimento from Restaurante Raiz - O Vegetariano do Bairro, and Daniela Correia Marques, nutritionist (professional card 4760N). The very tasty talk was broadcasted on the facebook page of Agora Aveiro and the public left a mark of their presence not only online but also presential with pertinent questions and doubts. In general, questions raised were based on “How to reduce food waste on major events?” and “What type of diet should we have when initiating sporting activity?”.

Within the project, we also took action in Agora Aveiro style on the 1st of December. Our volunteers took to the streets of Aveiro to glue stickers on the trashcans with alert sentences about the food waste like “Did you know that one third of food production ends in the garbage container?” or “Did you know that 25% of the freshwater (of the world) is used to plant food that is never consumed?”.

As we know “little strokes fell great oaks” so, as individuals, through our eating habits, we can make the difference in our life and health, and at the same time have a positive impact on the environment. No matter how little and gradual are the changes, the differences that they cause in us and who surrounds us are huge.

“Sustentabilidade al Dente” was a project of Agora Aveiro in collaboration with Avenida Café-Concerto that had as Main Sponsor Glicínias Plaza and involved the partnerships of Refood Aveiro, Phenix Portugal and Restaurante Raiz - O Vegetariano do Bairro. It also had the support of Câmara Municipal de Aveiro and Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude I.P..