Press Statement by Chief Minister of Penang and Penang Green Council Chairman, LimGuan Eng at KOMTAR on 12 June 2013:
In conjunction with the World Environment Day every 5 Jun, Penang Green Council (PGC) is organizing the World Environment Day Celebration 2013 on 16th June 2013 (Sunday), at Lebuh Pantai from 8.00 am to 12.00 noon.
The theme for this year’s World Environment Day celebrations is Think.Eat.Save. Think.Eat.Save is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages you to reduce your FOODprint. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaysians are either overeating or wasting food, throwing away up to 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily. This is equivalent to throwing away 93,000 10kg bags of rice each day.
Wastage of unconsumed food in Malaysia doubled over the past three years. This does not include leftover food. Unconsumed waste mostly consisted of expired bread, eggs and old or rotten fruit.
Peninsular Malaysia alone generated an estimated 25,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste daily of which 48% were food waste.
Some 355,000kg of food was thrown away daily in Penang last year. According to the Penang Municipal Council, on the island alone last year, food waste made up about 45% of the 288,377 tonnes of solid waste collected from domestic and commercial areas.
If food is wasted, it means that all the resources and inputs used in the production of all the food are also lost. For example, it takes about 16,000 litres of water goes into a cow’s food to make a hamburger. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from the cows themselves, and throughout the food supply chain, all end up in vain when we waste food. This year’s theme – Think.Eat.Save – encourages you to become more aware of the environmental impact of the food choices you make and empowers you to make informed decisions.
On that day, Penang Green Citizens Cardholder can buy a limited edition WED T-shirt at member price RM20 (non-member RM25), we will be distributing special bookmark to advocate the cause. Other highlighted activities during the WED 2013 Celebration includes: School Marching Band performance, Low Carbon Transport (Electric Scooter/Car and Bicycle), Stage Performances, WED Theme Exhibition.
The Penang State Government has also taken the lead by requiring all government purchases be given priority to green products. Hopefully this new policy, such as using recycled paper for name cards, will help the green industry.
LIM GUAN ENG
—–Mandarin Version—
槟州首席部长兼槟州绿色机构主席林冠英于2013年6月12日在光大发表声明：
2013年世界环境日庆典
配合每年6月5日的世界环境日，槟州绿色机构将于2013年6月16日（星期日）早上8时至12时在土库街举行世界环境日庆典。
今年世界环境日的主题是“思前.食后.厉行节约”。这是一项反对食物浪费的世界性运动以减少耗粮足迹。根据联合国粮食及农业组织，每一年人类共浪费13亿吨粮食，相等于非洲地区所生产的粮食总量。
马来西亚人经常吃太多或浪费太多未食用过的食物，每天丢弃高达930吨的食物。这相等于每天丢弃9万3000包10公斤的米。
马来西亚人过去三年浪费的食物已经超过一倍，这还不包括食物残渣。未食用的食物包括过期面色、鸡蛋或腐烂的水果。
西马地区每天制造2万5000公吨的家庭垃圾，其中48%是食物废料。
去年槟城每天丢弃35万5000公斤的食物。单单是槟岛市政局，住宅区和商业区丢弃了28万8377吨的固体垃圾，其中45%为食物残渣。
浪费食物意味着所有用于生产食物的资源也一并被浪费。例如：我们耗费1万6000公升的水来养牛以生产汉堡包。这也导致牛只排放温室气体，在我们浪费食物的同时， 我们的食物供应链也全都浪费。今年的世界环境日主题鼓励大家进一步了解在选择食物的同时，对环境有什么影响，并让你做出决定。
在庆典当天，槟州绿色公民可以会员价20令吉购买我们印制的限量版T-恤 (非会员25令吉)，我们也将派发特别制做的书签。其它活动包括学校乐队表演、低碳交通、舞台表演、手绘艺术、主题资料展等等。
槟州政府也已经以身作则，要求所有的政府采购都必须优先考虑绿色产品，例如使用再循环材料的名片。我们希望这项措施能带动绿色工业。
林冠英