THE VOLUNTEER ACTIVIST - Be conscious, be responsible: another way to consumption: Food matters

FOOD MATTERS

“La salud de todo el cuerpo se fragua en la oficina del estómago.” - Miguel de Cervantes

Food is one of the most basic, fundamental human needs, and the right to food is recognised as a human right under international law. As the old saying goes, you are what you eat; the food we eat essentially affects our health and wellbeing. Besides directly affecting our personal health, food production and consumption have various impacts on ecosystems providing our food. Food needs to be produced, processed, packaged and distributed before it reaches our plates. Afterwards it also needs to be disposed of. Different production methods, supply chains and demand patterns are parts of complex set of networks that together form our global food system through which different people, places and processes around the world are interconnected. Every part and step in this global food system uses up natural resources and at the same time generates pollution and waste as well. [1]

Agriculture is one of the most pervasive human induced impacts on environment and ecosystems. Around the world food systems have become largely industrial and commercial which has enhanced productivity and efficiency.  During the last 20 years, food production has increased by 45 per cent mainly due to the intensified farm production. For many consumers there is a diverse range of affordable foods available all year round. However, the impact of intensification and especially the use of agrochemicals have created a heavy burden on ecosystems for example by causing contamination of soils, rivers and lakes and by aggravating biodiversity loss. Concerns are mounting about our current production and consumption patterns that are ever more unsustainable. Especially in high-income countries, we are consuming more and more all the time. Rising personal consumption is one of the main drivers of growing demand on natural resources and contributor to unsustainable consumption. [2]

Food is thus closely linked to sustainable development. There is growing recognition that our current food systems have negative impact both on public health and environment. Food production systems need to be managed in a more sustainable way for example by reducing the negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Additionally, consumption needs to become more sustainable. FAO links sustainable consumption with the concept of sustainable diets: “Those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources.” [3] Consumer choices thus have an essential role in determining sustainability.

Consumers can take action to support a more sustainable agriculture. By being conscious of what you eat, you can make more environmental friendly consumption choices. For example you can pay attention to where the ingredients you are buying are coming from and favour sustainably and locally produced ingredients. You can also make changes to your diet and for example eat fewer processed foods and favour organic, fresh seasonal ingredients. 

ALIMENTACIÓN

La comida es una de las necesidades humanas más básicas y fundamentales, y el derecho a la alimentación está reconocido como un derecho humano en virtud del derecho internacional. Como dice el viejo refrán, eres lo que comes; los alimentos que comemos afectan esencialmente a nuestra salud y bienestar. Además de afectar directamente nuestra salud personal,  la producción y el consumo de alimentos tienen diversos efectos en los ecosistemas que proporcionan nuestros alimentos. Los alimentos deben ser producidos, elaborados, envasados ​​y distribuidos,  antes de llegar a nuestros platos. Luego también tienen que ser eliminados. Diferentes métodos de producción, cadenas de suministro y los patrones de la demanda son las partes del complejo conjunto de redes que conforman  nuestro sistema alimentario global , a través de la cual , diferentes personas, lugares y procesos de todo el mundo están interconectados. Cada parte y paso de este sistema alimentario mundial,  utiliza los recursos naturales y al mismo tiempo genera la contaminación y los residuos, así. [1]

La agricultura es uno de los impactos inducidos por el hombre más poderosos y  pesados,  sobre el medio ambiente y los ecosistemas.  En todo el mundo los sistemas alimentarios se han convertido en gran medida, tanto industrial como  comercialmente,   mejorando la productividad y la eficiencia. Durante los últimos 20 años, la producción de alimentos se ha incrementado en un 45 por ciento, debido principalmente, a la producción agrícola intensificada. Para muchos consumidores hay una amplia gama de alimentos asequibles, disponibles todo el año. Sin embargo, el impacto de la intensificación y especialmente el uso de agroquímicos, han creado una pesada carga sobre los ecosistemas, por ejemplo, al provocar la contaminación de los suelos, ríos y lagos, y agravando la pérdida de biodiversidad.  Preocupan nuestros patrones de producción y consumo que son cada vez más insostenible. Especialmente en los países de altos ingresos, estamos consumiendo más y más todo el tiempo. El aumento del consumo personal, es uno de los principales motores del crecimiento  y de la  demanda sobre los recursos naturales,   contribuyendo a un consumo insostenible. [2]

La comida está estrechamente relacionada con el desarrollo sostenible. Existe un creciente reconocimiento de que nuestros sistemas alimentarios actuales,  tienen un impacto negativo,  tanto en la salud pública como en el medio ambiente.  Los sistemas de producción de alimentos,  deben ser gestionados de una manera más sostenible, por ejemplo, mediante la reducción de los impactos ambientales negativos de la agricultura. Además, el consumo tiene que ser más sostenible. FAO vincula el consumo sostenible con el concepto de dietas sostenibles: "Esas dietas con bajo impacto ambiental que contribuyen a la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición y la vida saludable para las generaciones presentes y futuras. Las dietas sostenibles,  tienen un efecto protector y respetuoso de la diversidad biológica y los ecosistemas culturalmente aceptables, accesibles y  económicamente justos y asequibles,  nutricionalmente adecuados, seguros y saludables ;  mientras que la optimización de los recursos naturales y humanos". [3] El consumidor decide, por lo tanto y  tiene un papel esencial en la determinación de la sostenibilidad.

Los consumidores pueden  tomar  acciones,   para apoyar una agricultura más sostenible.  Al ser consciente de lo que comes, puedes tomar decisiones de consumo más respetuosos con  medio ambiente. Por ejemplo, puedes prestar atención de donde proceden los ingredientes que estás comprando  y a favorecer aquellos ingredientes producidos de forma sostenible y local. También pueden  hacer cambios en sus dietas, y, por ejemplo, comer menos alimentos procesados, favoreciendo productos de temporada, frescos  y orgánicos. 

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[1]              See EEA 2014. Food system. From production to waste. http://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2014/articles/from-production-to-waste-food-system

[2]              See WWF 2012. Summary. Living Planet Report 2012. On the road to RIO+20. Also FAO 2013. The state of food and agriculture. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3300e.pdf  

[3]           See Burlingame, B. & Dernini, S. 2010. Sustainable diets and biodiversity: directions and solutions for policy, research and action. In FAO 2013. The state of food and agriculture, p. 4.  

EVS Project "Volunteering as a Chance for Growing" Cooperative FRASSATI Moncalieri (Turin) Italy

Role of the volunteer:

The volunteer, after a first observation phase in the Community, will be able to participate actively in the educational activities organized by the different Services and he/she will share part of his/her daily life with the hosted minors. The volunteer will play an important support role in the management of the activities of the community; the working team will provide him/her with the necessary tools and information in order to allow him/her to best experiment himself/herself in relation to the minors and youngsters, offering them additional constructive, positive moments. The volunteer will always be a support for the staff and he/she will never be alone in the management of the activities.The volunteer can suggest his/her own activities according with the organization needs, planning together timing and working methods.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to do their EVS project in one or both communities (very next to each other), which can give volunteers the chance to collaborate with more operators and educators and run activities with an higher number of minors and youngsters.

Activities/Tasks 
· Supporting the minors during their homework;

· Supporting the staff in the organization and management of indoor and outdoor recreational activities

· Taking out the minors in special occasions, using (when possible) the Cooperative’s car;

· Supporting the minors during the household chores tasks as a way for promoting their "personal care” and increasing their sense of responsibility;

· Carrying out general errands related to minors' needs;

· Building positive relations with the minors;

· Involvement and active participation in group activities run inside and outside the communities.

Volunteers will be provided with all the information needed to run their tasks in the communities, and they will always have the possibility to speak with with the operators in work shift.

In the framework of the evs project "Volunteering as a chance for growing", volunteers hosted at COOPERATIVA FRASSATI, will be encouraged to promote and to implement new volunteering activities.

Working Hours:

Volunteers will do their EVS for 5 days every week, generally from 4pm till 10 pm (when most of the activities with the minors are run). Working days and a more specific timetable will be agreed with the volunteers according to special needs, priorities, Italian classes, etc.

Days off:
Weekends are free and, as foreseen by the EVS Programme, every month volunteers will have 2 extra days off.

Food:

Volunteers will have meals in the community. They can have meal with operators and kids during the service and take their own food during their free time.

Accommodation:

The volunteer will have his/her own room at the Group apartment owned and managed by PG FRASSATI cooperative, the apartment is very close to both communities.

If you would like some more detailed information about this EVS project or have any questions please email sve@afaij.org.  

“From Awareness to Practice: Volunteering for a Sustainable Future” EVS Vietnam

Context and Objectives:

“Sustainable development is a moral precept as well as a scientific concept. It is closely linked to peace, human rights and equity as much as to ecology or global warming. And if it obviously concerns the natural sciences, economics and politics, it is also a cultural issue.” Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO from 1999-2009.

Through increasing global forms of poverty and inequality as depicted by the MDGs, the impact of global warming and climate change as well as economic and financial crises around the world, the past decades have shown that sustainable development is one of the key challenges facing us all today. The definition of sustainable development by the World Commission on Environment and Development (‘Brundtland Commission’, 1987): “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition clarifies that providing for today’s and tomorrow’s needs implies balanced interests and priorities and the integration of the environmental, economic and social aspects of development, as well as the cultural dimension because it involves the question of values, beliefs and behaviour and the access to universal human rights.

The proposed reciprocal EVS project, “From Awareness to Practice: Volunteering for a Sustainable Future” offers 11 young volunteers from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America the opportunity to explore and to familiarise themselves with sustainable development and the wide range of issues related to the concept of sustainable development that are addressed in their voluntary service host organisations. Thus, not just projects focusing on environmental issues will play a role in this project, but those also addressing poverty and marginalisation, human rights, peace, equality and democracy, as well as education, work and economics. In doing so, it will enable the exploration of sustainable choices and lifestyles within a larger framework connecting local action to global reflection[1]. The link between active citizenship, community development, youth mobility and participation will be examined and will serve to make the volunteering actions effective and sustainable beyond this immediate EVS project. Intercultural learning will be the foundational basis of the project and used to deepen understanding and respect for pluralism and cultural diversity and to link it to the environment, economy and society, the very fabric of sustainable development.

Aims: 

1. To enable the mobility and participation of youth from European, African, Asian and Latin American countries in projects and activities dealing with sustainability issues such as community development, human rights, marginalization and poverty reduction, environmental issues, the underprivileged, health, homeless, etc.

2. To promote intercultural learning and dialogue and strengthen mutual understanding, respect and friendship through citizenship actions in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. 

3. To initiate through non-formal educational tools and intercultural learning approaches a self-process of reflection that counter preconceived notions, perceptions and attitudes on the part of both the volunteers and the local community. Intercultural learning will also facilitate the significance of culture as the overriding component, alongside the socio-economic and environmental components, of sustainable development. 

4. To allow youth to understand what sustainable development means and the wide range of issues encompassed within the four components (social, economic, environmental and cultural). Their volunteering will afford them a greater insight into the actions and activities of local actions towards a sustainable future. Moving from the stage of awareness to practice, the volunteers in this project will develop their communication and practical skills and competencies, leading to their own holistic - social, personal and professional - development. They will serve as multipliers of sustainable actions and lifestyles in their host, and on return, their home countries.

[1] The components of Sustainable Development according to UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development include the social, economic, environment as well as the cultural dimension. See www.esd-world-conference-2009.org/en/background-information/desd.html.

Amine's Experience at CSDS (Centre For Sustainable Development Studies) Vietnam

I've now been in Hanoi for 3 weeks, and I can say that I'm falling in love with the city and probably the country too it reminds me of my chaotic hometown Casablanca, but chaotic on another level. The scents and colors make my senses go crazy, and I like it. It's that kind of craziness that heals your soul
from the Western lifestyle.

The second week I started working in CSDS (centre for sustainable development studies). CSDS promotes education for sustainable development in Vietnam and intervenes at community level to improve basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and clothing for people in rural areas, especially children. They also raise awareness on the environment, water and sanitation. I'm taking part in two main projects; one is creating a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in a local market in a busy area of Hanoi. I believe that in order to create a green environment, all we need is the right attitude: an eco-lifestyle attitude. We need creative campaigns such as the Plastic Bags Campaign to improve environmental awareness among members of the community.

We're going to start the campaign by Dong Xa market and then who knows, we could spread the campaign to other markets and areas in Hanoi. Right now, we are working in the base survey asking sellers and customers about their daily use of plastic bags, some young students are helping us with the Vietnamese language, and I'm filming a clip about it. By the end of May we will start doing workshops in schools close to the market.

The second project I'm working on is a project to promote and develop a Community Based Eco-tourism project in four villages in An-Lac rural area. In 2 weeks I'm going to visit the project.

Last month I participated in Hanoi Global Volunteer Day (GVD 2014), a Cultural Exchange Program that has attracted significant numbers of young people from many countries that are volunteering in Vietnam.

"Global Volunteering Day" is an annual activity put forth by the Volunteers for Peace Vietnam club (VPV Club). The program was organized in a large scale and is considered the largest festival about cultural exchange of volunteers from many countries around the world. The money raised from the program will help the children of Dao Yen Bai province, one of the many ethnic communities in Vietnam.

The international volunteers contributed many excellent performances such as traditional dancing from Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Palestine.

Each country was represented by a booth with more than 20 cultural from Vietnam, France, Palestine, Germany, Australia, Japan, Korea, Spain, Denmark, Morocco etc. Each booth displayed the country’s unique features from food, traditional costumes to other cultural characteristics. In the event Irepresented both Morocco and Spain. I went to the Moroccan and the Spanish embassy in Hanoi where they gave us some flags, pictures, brochures, etc. The young Vietnamese were very impressed by the diversity in Moroccan and Spanish cultures. It was an opportunity for me to interact directly with young Vietnamese and other international volunteers learn about their country and make some friends.

This kind of event contributes to the formation of good values and intercultural exchanges that will surely help the Vietnamese youth create a better future for their country.

Since arriving, I’ve been really impressed by the Vietnamese evolution regarding the economy,
technology and tourist attractions. It will be even more developed in 10 years probably.

For now, I will remain an observer—but an observer who will attempt mixing among the colors.

Amine Nadir

La Experiencia de Nathan AFAIJ

“Eres mi casa, Madrid mi existencia” es una de las citas mas famosas del poeta valenciano Miguel Hernandez y es una frase que vi por la primera vez en la parada del Metro llamado por el poeta en el corazón de Vallecas y la describió perfectamente mi actitud y relación con Madrid y el pueblo madrileño que han sido mis amigos, compañeros y confiados en los últimos nueve meses. Todavía puedo recordar cómo fue ayer el día cuando llegue en Madrid y nuestro compañero Amine me recogió del aeropuerto como si fuera ayer. Todavía puedo recordar la mezcla de sensaciones; excitación, miedo, expectación que llevaba de Londres a Madrid pero nada podía prepararme para la realidad de vivir en una de las ciudades mas interesantes y vivas que he visto en la vida.

Una cosa que me di cuenta de cuando llegue fue aparte de los sonidos, los olores etc es que para pasear por las calles de Madrid es como caminar a través la historia cruda de un país y de un pueblo particular y es una sensación rara para sentir como estas realmente descubriendo el alma de un lugar. Y Madrid tiene alma eso es por seguro. Desde los barrios desperdigados del Villaverde en el sur hasta las montañas de Cercedilla en el norte me ha enamorado totalmente con Madrid y me da mucha tristeza dejar la nueva vida que he hecho aquí. Solamente hace una generación España y Madrid eran irreconocibles; bastiones de las Falangistas pero hoy en día la transformación a una ciudad diversa, dinámica, multicultural y sobre todo tolerante ha sido realizado y cuando te das cuenta realmente del significado de este logro es un momento humilde.

Durante mi proyecto en AFAIJ estaba afortunado porque tenía un equipo de compañeros en la oficina que en cualquier momento estaban preparados para ayudarme y apoyarme en cualquier manera que podían y por eso y su amabilidad general quiero dar un gracias enorme a todos en particular Belén, Guio y Natalia.

En los nueves meses que he llevado en mi SVE he hecho amigos y relaciones que estoy seguro que van a durar por muchos años mas. Para mí el voluntariado europeo ha sido una de las cosas mejores que he hecho en la vida y puedo decir sin duda que ahora mismo soy un hombre diferente de lo que llegó en Barajas hace nueve meses.

Desde mi punto de vista cuando has vivido por un capítulo de tu vida en Madrid y realmente te has sumergido tu mismo en lo que significa ser madrileño siempre vas a tener una parte de ti mismo que es madrileño. Madrid es una mentalidad y siento muy afortunado por haber tenido esta oportunidad. Después de mi carrera en ciencias políticas quiero volver a Madrid porque de verdad ahora mismo no hay otro sitio en el mundo donde más me gustaría vivir. ¡Una vez madrileño siempre madrileño!