Waste Not Program Wins Double at Enactus National Championships

• Top university students address food waste at national event

• Edith Cowan University win $10,000 for the Graham Kraehe Community Project prize and the Enactus National Championships

• A ‘Waste Not’ program - a win for community

Enactus students at Perth’s Edith Cowan University have won the prestigious Graham Kraehe Community Project - Brambles Food Waste Challenge and, in addition, have been crowned Enactus National Champions for their program – Waste Not – that provides initiatives including an environmental impact report on food waste to local businesses in the city of Joondalup, Western Australia.

The new ‘Waste Not’ program educates businesses in the City of Joondalup about food waste and includes social, economic and environmental factors to encourage improvements in agricultural production, the provision of food service and through community awareness.The students devised, developed, delivered and documented their project.

Enactus Board Member and CHEP Asia Pacific President, Phillip Austin, announced the winner for the Graham Kraehe Community Project - Brambles Food Waste Challenge and awarded the $5,000 prize to support development of their project. In addition, as overall winner of the national championship Brambles are delighted to award the project and additional $5,000 prize.

Mr. Austin said, “CHEP is proud to have partnered with organisations to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain and are delighted to support this worthwhile project that addresses an area where a big impact can be made – through community and local business awareness and engagement.

“We are proud to see our donation used to make a difference in reducing food waste and educating the local community on sustainable solutions.

“The ‘Waste Not’ team have shown strong business acumen and entrepreneurial skills in development of this community-wide project and I look forward to seeing this project progress.” Mr. Austin said.

The ‘Waste Not’ program provides assistance in environmental analysis and education initiatives for local businesses to reduce food waste through, amongst other initiatives, donating leftover food to charities and redirecting food into purpose-built compost bins that fertilises a community vegetable garden.

The Enactus program includes 20 universities working on real-life issues with guidance and mentoring from corporate business partners in Australia, to achieve real results.

Founding Director and Enactus CEO, Judy Howard said, “The ‘Waste Not’ team have demonstrated leadership, teamwork, and have further enhanced their communication skills through project management, problem solving and networking skills.

“The program has shown a strong plan for self-sufficiency and the ability to be successfully implemented into the community.” Ms. Howard said.

“The ‘Waste Not’ program is a fantastic example of how working with organisations like CHEP can create real solutions to real world problems faced around the world.

Chaminda Ranasinghe, biotechnology student and President for Enactus at Edith Cowan University, said “The restaurant and café industry are one of the biggest contributors of food waste - yet are poorly trained in reducing food waste.

“Food waste reduction is an important aspect in ensuring food justice and is a factor that can impact world hunger.

“If we reuse and consume all of the food that is on our plate we will also reduce what goes into landfill. By reducing our carbon footprint we are reducing global warming.

“When we think about the food we buy, grow and make, we should not only think about where it has come from but also where it will go if we don’t consume it. This kind of food waste in Australia alone contributes to double the carbon footprint of the rest of the world.

“Changing behaviours is a long term initiative and we believe education is vital in the success of this program.” Mr. Ranasinghe said.

Enactus operates in 36 countries globally, bringing together the skills and experience of two generations of leaders: those who are currently leading major organisations and student leaders, to make the world a better place through the positive power of business and entrepreneurship.

The Enactus National Conference and Championships provides an opportunity for Enactus teams to present the outcomes of their projects to a team of judges drawn from the business community around Australia. The 2016 National Conference and Competition was held from 5-7 July at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.

The team of 24 from Edith Cowan University will go on to compete at the Enactus World Cup from 28-30 September 2017 in Toronto, Canada.

ENDS

Notes to the editor - interviews available on request