Jamila Pomeroy was a cook when she discovered how much food is wasted in the restaurant sector.
According to the federal government, 21% of dairy, eggs, and field crops, 38% of fruit, and 20% of meat purchased for hotels, restaurants, and other facilities are discarded.
“The food waste was really really weighing on me,” she told The Early Edition’s, Stephen Quinn. “Even if you’re doing a fantastic job composting and setting up processes, that’s still a really wasteful sector.”
Pomeroy, now a writer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, has channelled her passion for sustainability into A Happier Planet, a series of films for CBC’s Creator Network showing ways British Columbians may be more eco-friendly.
“Legitimizing sustainable habits early on is a very fantastic method to guarantee that our future generation [thinks about the world] when they do things,” Pomeroy said.
Second Life
According to a CBC Marketplace study, the total amount of textile waste in the United States is roughly 12 million tonnes, and Pomeroy wants to help reduce it as well.
That includes shopping at thrift stores and supporting environmentally friendly products.
She spoke with fashion designer Kristen Ley on how the fashion business is changing to accommodate consumers’ need to be more ecologically conscious.
New Growth
Agriculture is critical to human survival, yet there may be better alternatives to manage land while producing less pollution.
Furthermore, climate change is influencing agricultural growth and agricultural land management.
Pomeroy went to CubicFarm, which has created commercial-scale, automated indoor growing systems that allow people to grow large amounts of food locally while using little water, energy, and labour.
Unhooked
According to Oxford University research, a global shift to a plant-based diet may cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70% by 2050 – just another way Pomeroy has changed her life to be more sustainable.
Pomeroy discovered the fish business, in particular, to be highly wasteful while in culinary school, and began exploring for methods to enjoy the flavours of seafood while eating a plant-based diet.
She shared her carrot lox recipe, which she claims replicates the smoky, fresh flavours of salmon.
Outspoken
Moss-covered trees, shrubs and wildlife all make forests beautiful, but in the fourth episode of A Happier Planet, Pomeroy learns there’s more to a forest’s ecosystem than what we see as we wander through them.
She met with nature educator Ross Reid to talk about how deforestation impacts not only the trees we see above the ground but also the root system and other life below.
CEOforLIFE – We promote life. We support the SDGs
