ZERO WASTE project’s partners focused on: introducing the problem of food waste to school educators; raising awareness regarding the dangers of food waste among teachers, students, parents; teaching the target groups in order to be the transmitters for a new way of life based on the proper management of the daily food consumption, thus eliminating food waste with the motto ‘use wisely, reduce, recycle’. Aware of the crucial role teachers play in shaping the students’ behavior and attitude towards food, partners aimed to inform and educate, first of all, the teachers, by designing a useful training material about the impact food waste has at social, environmental and financial level, and then by offering examples of best practices to reduce it. The introduction of food waste management concept in class and the organization of different activities based on the didactic resources created in the project was another main objective of ZERO WASTE, so that the knowledge and skills acquired by the teachers will be passed to their students. Partners aimed that teachers, other school staff, children and their families, whose attitude and actions have changed due to ZERO WASTE activities, will impact their communities and reduce food waste.
Protection of the environment and minimalization of risks to climate, human health and biodiversity represent priorities of the EU policies, for whose fulfilment we need to deal with a major issue-food waste. This happens at all levels, starting from the food industry up to the meal cooked by the final consumer; consequently, tons of food are wasted, while a significant number of people are deprived of nutrition; moreover, dumping food creates environmental pollution, increasing the emissions of the greenhouse gas, thus contributing to global warming. Partners agreed that the best way to prevent food waste is to educate, inspire and encourage the public, especially young generations, to take action. Through the “ZERO WASTE” project, we addressed the need for teachers to be informed and educated, through a useful training material, about the social, environmental and financial consequences of food waste and the best practices for reducing it; we also addressed the need for teachers to include the training material in their class, in order to raise the awareness and pass the knowledge to their students. Another need addressed was for parents to act as transmitters for a new way of life based on the cyclical economy.