Let’s keep it realistic though: unfortunately nobody will ever manage to eliminate food waste entirely but we can strive for it. On september 21st our presenters introduced their ways to reduce food waste on the first GreenSocial - KIK CliMates #4 co-organized networking event for lovers of sustainable, environmentally councious living.
Speakers from Food Bank Association, Natura Hill, Biofilter Co. and noPack introduced their solutions.
Food Bank Association
Balázs Cseh, founder of the Hungarian Food Bank Association, Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület, a non-profit organization working to make a link between surplus food and people in need in Hungary in order to help reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
“We decided to establish this Food Bank because Hungary didn’t have a food bank before although there had been strong demand for it. Fortunately, it seems to be working very well. I work here in the biggest part of my free time and still find it hard to believe how much satisfaction and motivation one can get from working as a volunteer in an excellent team.”
In 2006, just one year after the foundation, it became a full-fledged member of the European Federation of Food Banks. The core activities of the Hungarian Food Bank association are non-profit wholesale and express distribution of surplus food from supermarkets.
Biofilter Zrt.
Anita Simon, COO of Biofilter Zrt., an environmental social company specialized in bio-energy sector. It was founded in 1990, and for now, has a national collection and international processing network. Their core activity is the production of energy from waste and secondary raw material.
The main profile of the company is supplying second-generation bio-energy sector. They are representing Hungary in an organization headquartered in Belgium which brings together EU Member States’ environmental businesses.
Natura Hill Zebegény
Adrienn Hodik from Natura Hill Zebegény, member of Heroes of Responsible Dining is running a family business with her husband. Natura Hill Zebegény is an eco-friendly small boutique hotel with a fine dining restaurant in the heart of the Danube Bend just an hour drive from Budapest.
As the hotel is situated on a hilltop, in the middle of nowhere, the panorama is breathtaking, and the relaxation is guaranteed. We are paying special care to run our hotel in a sustainable way. We are using local, fresh and organic ingredients in the kitchen, some of them are grown in our own organic garden. Heating and cooling is managed by geothermal heat-pumps, we have tempered walls and ceilings, and a heat recovering ventilation system. We are using biological treatment of wastewater. Rainwater from the roofs are collected and used as greywater.
noPack
Hungary's first zero waste product shop will open soon. Founder Márk Monostori-Kalovits presented on the event.
Nearly two million tons of food waste is generated in Hungary per year, which means 180 kilograms of wasted food, labor and energy per person. Not to mention the immense pollutant emission caused by global trade. We at noPack would like to change this. That is why we created our shop, which runs ethically and responsibly, takes the needs and possibilities of the producers and the customers into account, and pay attention to social and environmental values. Our products come from the producers as close as possible, which saves a lot of CO2. Almost everything is unpackaged at noPack, this way you can reduce your household waste, and protect the environment at the same time.
"Since I was a little boy, I have always dreamed about finding harmony between society and environment. During my university studies, I faced the real environmental problems, such as food wasting. One of the biggest challenges of our time is finding the sustainable way of producing and consuming food, as well as the usage of packaging materials. As a founder of noPack, I’m really proud that zero-waste shopping has started in Hungary. Our team would like to offer an alternative to the Hungarian people, so they can finally purchase, consume and live in a more sustainable way."
Thanks for the great presentations, and thanks everyone for coming! We hope you enjoyed the GREENWILL and Climate-KIC co-organized @GreenSocialBudapest and @KIK CliMates event on reducing food waste. Stay tuned, KIK CliMates #5 is coming soon! Our next topic is Sustainable City Solutions.
KIK Members can access the presentations HERE.
Event photos on our Facebook Page