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The American College of Greece

The American College of Greece

Member: Society Premium
Since: 27.11.2017

6 Gravias Street, Aghia Paraskevi, 153 42 Athens,
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THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE: Loves food, but hates waste.

04.11.2021 Share

Kicking-off the campus-wide “ACG Food Waste Campaign: Reduce your FOODprint!”, the Office of Public Affairs, in collaboration with the NGO Boroume and Dipnosofistirion Catering, organized an interactive discussion on the importance of reducing food waste on Thursday, October 14.

In this insightful event, expert speakers from ACG, Boroume and Dipnosofistirion delved into the critical issue of food waste and loss and provided the audience with hands-on tips on how to minimize it!

Alexander Theodoridis, Chief Food Saving Warrior from Boroume, spoke about the grave importance of eliminating food waste, the NGO’s consistent work since its founding in 2011 which has resulted in saving over 500 tons of fruits and vegetables from the landfill and offering 46.000.000 meals to people in need, In addition he elaborated on the more recent establishment of the national Alliance for the Reduction of Food Waste, operating under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment & Energy, as well as the strategic focus they have in changing individual behavior to cut off food waste at the consumer level.

Rania Assariotaki, Senior Sustainability Manager, Office of Public Affairs, The American College of Greece, revealed ACG’s strategic 360o approach on this issue, bridging the academic, research, operational, and community engagement components in all our activities. Ms. Assariotaki shared the College’s dedication to reducing food waste through hands-on initiatives, such as the ACG Farmers’ Market in collaboration with Boroume since 2018, its membership in the Alliance since 2020, and the College’s commitment to contributing more through the “ACG Food Waste Campaign: Reduce your FOODprint!”, launched this academic year in tandem with the EU Directive 2018/851 and subsequent national law. Another key collaborator in the ACG’s efforts to tackle food waste is Dipnosofistirion – the College’s main catering provider – who launched the half-portion option among other sustainability-related initiatives, of their own drive regardless of any legal framework. “An integral part of all of our initiatives are our students who choose to offer their free time – a time when they could relax and drink coffee with friends – on a weekly basis to volunteer at the ACG Farmers’ Market!”, mentioned Ms. Assariotaki at the closing of her intervention.

George Papazacharias and Thanos Feskos, Head Chefs at the Dipnosofistirion Delta Restaurant located at SNFCC, spoke about the restaurant’s holistic “nothing lost – nothing wasted” approach drawing from their extensive experience in Greece and Scandinavia and educated participants on how to cut down on food waste while cooking.

Dr. Stella Apostolaki, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program Coordinator, Chair of Academic Advisory Board of Center of Excellence in Sustainability, The American College of Greece, moderated the discussion.

Parallel to the discussion, two booths were placed outside the Deree Student Lounge with informative material and videos created by the ACG Sustainability Leaders, the ES Society and ACG SDG Student Hub.

Click here to watch the recording of the event.

 

Photos