Food Studies Matter, Meaning, Movement Creative Food Waste, Pamela Tudge

CREATIVE FOOD WASTE PAMELA THE EAT , WASTE , MAKE PROJECT Pamela is a candidate at University , exploring critical design and public pedagogy as a methodology to respond to waste . Her academic and creative work is driven by design , which makes her think differently about critical issues in food and the environment . Over 15 years , her writing and teaching has spanned environmental science , food studies , new media , and social movements . Pamela has worked in the fields of cartography , climate science , education , and the arts . Learning Outcomes PAMELA 465

After reading and discussing this text , students should be able to Describe waste and why it is an issue in our society . Articulate ways critical design can increase the visibility of waste . Identify variation in the waste in their own homes . EXPLORING MY DOMESTIC WASTE THROUGH CRITICAL DESIGN LEARNING ENCOUNTERS We all produce and manage waste to varying degrees , across our living environments and daily life . Discarded edible gaining significant attention globally as a contributor to climate change , through the production of methane gas in landfills . The United Nations ( UN ) estimates that , globally , humans waste about one third of all food produced , a resource that could be used to alleviate global hunger . Imagine you are preparing a meal at home . Think of all of the materials that you might throw out . All of the food remnants , like vegetable peels , is waste , but so is food ing . Few government policies limit the types of materials can use to package their foods . Instead , most policies target consumers , through efforts such as banning or limiting the use of plastic bags . Packages remain important because they protect food in transportation and enable promotional messaging , branding , and the communication of critical consumer information ( nutrition values and ingredients ) However , the environmental impact from plastic pollution is significant , luting oceans and threatening species . Little ( less than 10 ) of 466 FOOD WASTE

our discarded plastics are ever recycled . How can we reduce our waste ?

For most of history , women knowledge of food and their labour in the kitchen determined what became domestic waste . temporary studies show that responding to waste remains women work . Previous generations valued the tion of household waste , as it was essential to the economics of North American households . A cultural shift in the 19505 , however , redefined waste as a sign of privilege and modernity . The implication of this change in values and is the loss of knowledge , this critical work . Today , there is little monetary incentive for households to engage in the labour needed to reduce waste instead , a renewed ethical value of care for the materials of waste is called for . Through the Eat , Waste , Make project , I explored my relationship to food and waste and extended my findings to teach others through public workshops . As a food studies scholar and a woman , I began researching my topic through my own practices . Designers are experts in materials , and critical design is an approach to design that focuses on making things that challenge the role of products in everyday life . Identifying my waste through the food I eat , and exploring the materials through cal design methods , provides a different kind of attention to what I discard , allowing me to develop a mindful relationship that extends taking care of the materials I encounter . The learning encounters I create ( and depict in the below ) form a method for developing care and enabling material visibility . Caring for materials means doing things differently , such as composting peels , repurposing glass , or limiting the use of tics . Achieving a better practice with these materials requires enhancing my attention and acknowledging the individual waste materials that I encounter . Finally , through the learning PAMELA 467

, I can identify the significance of labour and on the unique care Women held for generations to repurpose materials , food waste , and ultimately prevent Waste from entering the environment . animated GIF of a pair of hands tearing up food packaging waste 468 FOOD WASTE

Exercise Learning Encounters at Home For this activity , you will conduct exploratory research and respond to the questions in each step . At the end of the learning encounters , use your responses to write a paragraph on your research , noting any new questions or ideas from your based waste exploration encounters . Have ready the following material Construction paper , poster board , or anything similar ( but not foam core ! Wood glue Scissors Step One Collect Waste Identify and collect ten pieces of material from your recycling bin , compost , and garbage that is are forms of waste . Lightly clean any packages and arrange the waste on a large piece of paper . Question What types of waste materials are in your home ?

Step Twa Document Waste Document the waste using a digital camera take a single picture of all the materials together and separately . Create a portrait with one chosen piece of material ( eg , a banana peel , a yogurt container ) PAMELA 469 Question What material did you choose for your portrait , and why did you choose it ?

Step Three Break down your waste Break down each piece of waste into smaller pieces , using scissors or your hands . Mix the materials . Questions What colours , textures , or shapes can you identify with the materials together ?

What food products can you identify from the pieces ?

Step Four Make a Collage Using the paper and glue , arrange all the pieces , including food waste , onto your paper . Make any design you choose with the pieces , and allow glue and materials to dry . Questions How do the materials in your collage reflect your food practices around cooking and eating ?

What transformations to food practices do you feel you can make in your home to reduce waste ?

Additional Resources News . People waste way more food than thought , UN finds . Here is how Canada compares . March , 2021 . 470 FOOD WASTE Dunne , and . Critical Design . Environment and Climate Change Canada . Taking Stock ing food loss and waste in Canada . June 2019 . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( Food Loss and Food Waste . Plastic Frontline Documentary . Produced by Rick Young , Laura Sullivan , Emma Schwartz , and Fritz Kramer , USA . PAMELA 471