How to Become a Real Life Superhero!
How would you like to become a real life Superhero and literally assist with the saving of the planet? Every day you have the opportunity to make a small difference which cumulatively leads to significant change.
First, I must confess that I used to be a waster until it was spelt out for me. It’s highly likely you are a too but you’re not even aware you’re contributing to a massive global problem. Unless we realise the detriment of our actions we will continue to live ignorant of the waste we leave in our wake.
Over the course of human history it often becomes apparent that the way we are living is becoming increasingly wasteful and to continue to thrive we must embrace change to survive. We have reached this tipping point in relation to the volume of food waste each of us creates every day.
The facts and figures are truly astonishing:
- The average person wastes 340g of food every single day. That’s 2.4kg per week or 125kg per year. 7 billion tonnes for the UK as a whole!
- The average family throws away £700 of edible food every year. That’s £12,500,000.000.00 for the UK as a whole or $400,000,000,000.00 globally!
- 1/3 of all food globally goes to waste. That’s enough to feed 3 billion people.
- If food waste was a country it would be the 3rd largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet! If we all stop wasting edible food it would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road.
- UK families throw away 20% of their entire weekly shop. That’s the equivalent of one extra mouth to feed every single meal or enough edible food to fill 104,000,000,000 wheelie bins!
How you can Save the Planet
Have I convinced you that food waste is a catastrophic problem? If so I hope you are intrigued by the prospect of becoming an integral part of the solution. The figures are startling and are of such a mammoth scale that no one solution will tackle the problem on its own. How then can this environmental disaster be reduced immediately?
One Company has assumed responsibility for this change and declared war on waste! It has already begun a revolutionary crusade to liberate food from the tyranny of the scrapheap and obliterate waste by putting the power of sharing your surplus or unwanted food in the palm of your hand!
Who Are They?
OLIO are a startup company founded last year in London by Tessa Cook and Saasha Celestial-One who met during their time studying business at Stanford University in California. The idea for OLIO was hatched when Tessa moved back to England and on moving day she found herself with some perfectly good food that she couldn’t bring herself to throw away.
She went out onto the streets to find someone to give this food to, but failed miserably and in that moment she thought “there has to be a better way — why not a mobile app?” and so the idea of OLIO was born.
Since then OLIO has amassed over 45,000 users across the breadth of the UK and has recently opened its doors to international sign up. OLIO are searching for early adopters, evangelists and ambassadors to help spread the message of change in your city which is an incredible opportunity for YOU personally to contribute to change. Without resorting to hyperbole, if you are interested you literally could help change the world.
What do They Do?
OLIO is a free app which connects neighbours with each other and local businesses to exchange their edible surplus food. Think food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare vegetables from the allotment, cupcakes from an amateur baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go on holiday. The list goes on and the opportunity to save the world one piece of food at a time truly is the reality.
They are a peer-to-peer platform which integrates food waste within the spectrum of the collaborative economy. The OLIO platform allows exchanges to take place in the most efficient and pleasant way possible, think Air’b’n’b for your surplus food or Uber for your excess home bakes.
The OLIO revolution demands change through the alteration of habits leading to significant environmental, sustainability and financial benefits.
How can I get Involved?
You can download the app and become part of the Food sharing revolution anywhere in the world right now and become an Eco Warrior and Food Waste Superhero! You can reach out and become an early adopter, ambassador or evangelist. If you’re a shop or business owner you can volunteer to house a ‘dropbox’ becoming the centre of your community and welcoming higher footfall into your shop.
Using OLIO is incredibly easy. To make food available, simply open the app, add a photo, description, price (if applicable) and when and where the item is available for pick-up. To access food, simply browse available items near you, request whatever takes your fancy and arrange a pick-up via private messaging. It could not be simpler.
OLIO believe that small actions can lead to big changes. Collectively, one rescued carrot or cupcake at a time, we can build a more sustainable future.
