ZeeWaste4EU – Interview for Information Recipients (Students) #1

March 7, 2024

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This interview refers to the ZeeWaste4EU project which can be found in our Good Practices section.

GOOD PRACTICE OVERVIEW, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

What did you like the most about this practice?

One of the strengths of this challenge was to organize my mindset to meet the needs of food and it created a passion to prepare and consume food as much as I need to have the least amount of waste.

What did you like the least about this practice?

Forgetting, without a doubt, for the person who participates, forgetting was one of the characteristics that was repeated despite all the reminders, especially during the time of photographing the plates.

How can this practice be improved in the future?

By holding such projects along with ceremonies that include short-term and long-term challenges with prizes, it can increase people’s attention and awareness of the current issue.

Do you think your understanding of Food Literacy and sustainable food systems has been improved after implementing this practice?

It is definitely so, during these challenges, our awareness of our need for the amount of food we prepare and consume has increased, and this has made us prepare and consume as much food as we need, even after the end of the challenge.

Have you made any changes to your diet yet after implementing this practice?

As I said in the answer to the previous questions, after the end of the challenge, I unconsciously pay more attention to my own amount and needs to prepare daily food.

Do you have any ideas, how can sustainable food systems be promoted among young people/children?

One of the ideas that I have in my mind, this can be provided for university and school students by charging three meals. With this method, proper nutrition is created and food is consumed as much as needed.
Also, by holding such challenges and repeating them and appropriate advertisements, this trend can be spread among the youth.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Actual reduction of food waste, as students become more aware about FW problem at the end of this practice.
Use of newly developed software to assess the amount of food waste on students’ plates.
Implementation of a learning-by-doing approach to enhance critical and analytical thinking among students.

Weaknesses

It was challenging to encourage student participation in the challenge due to its relatively lengthy duration (1 week) and the substantial effort required (capturing at least 6 pictures each day).
The voluntary nature of participation possibly introduced bias, as students already environmentally conscious were more likely to participate in the challenge compared to those less concerned about their environmental impact.
The research results might lack neutrality due to some participants intentionally altering their food waste production habits as a result of their participation in the research.
The human factor posed a significant issue as participants frequently forgot to take pictures, despite consistent reminders.
The analysis did not extensively address the potential impact of different types of food waste (e.g., vegetables or meat) on the outcomes.

Opportunities

This activity has increased awareness and promoted behavioral changes to reduce food waste, encouraging students to make more sustainable decisions in their daily lives.
This activity can be easily replicated in other regions/countries and adapted for different stakeholders.
The activity might be further developed, for example, a “sustainable diet challenge” could educate young individuals about environmentally friendly food choices, contributing to their knowledge of sustainable consumption.

Threats

When replicating this practice, analyzing the collected data might require the use of licensed software, which could pose difficulties due to limited accessibility.
The activity requires some (at least minimal) funding.

Case Study Info

Good Practice Title:

ZeeWaste4EU

Meeting Date and Place:

–

Name of the Interviewee:

Behzad Bashiri

Gender and Age of The Interviewee:

Male, 30 years old

Position or Role of the Interviewee:

Master Student as a Partner