9.5 Green volunteering, production and consumption
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Green volunteering
There are no programmes or initiatives specifically aiming at promoting green volunteering in the German-speaking Community of Belgium at the moment. For general volunteering, refer to Chapter 2 - Voluntary Activities.
Green production and consumption
DGMensa - Guideline on sustainable consumption in the public education system (Leitbild zur nachhaltigen Ernährung im Gemeinschaftsunterrichtswesen)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning of negative health and economic consequences for years because of the rise of severely overweight people in Europe.
A major cause of this development is deficient or excessive diet by means of ready-made foods and fast food - already increasing in childhood and adolescence. Awareness for health and quality of life should be raised especially for young people, for example about regional production and eating culture, fair trade and careful preparation of "healthy" food. At best, this creates a chain of sustainable nutrition that contributes to physical, mental and social well-being.
The guideline covers eleven points:
- Careful selection of foods that promote concentration, attention and vitality;
- Adaptation of the nutritional offer to children with disabilities or medical pathologies (in particular consideration of allergies);
- Matching the nutritional offer to the age of children;
- Promotion of regional food culture and, at the same time, an intercultural offer;
- Use of gentle cooking methods;
- Priority for local and regional products;
- Priority for organic products;
- no exotic and energy consuming products;
- Priority for fair trade products;
- Compliance with other sustainability criteria (eg packaging);
- Sanity and reason for conflicting goals (eg balancing sustainability versus fair trade product, regional vs. biologically grown products).
"At youth camp, eat Walloon!" (Au camp, mangeons wallon!)
The APAQ-W supports the summer camps organized by the recognized youth organisations by reimbursing part of their purchases of local products and of beef of Walloon origin.
Five euros per participant and per camp (maximum amount of 400 € / camp) can be reimbursed for the purchase of Walloon meat and or for the purchase of local products from Walloon agriculture. Purchases must be made on a farm, in a local point of sale, in a local butcher's shop, in a butcher's shop on the farm or at a baker's shop located in the Walloon Region. Both aids can be cumulated. Youth leaders and cooks are considered participants.
Greenpeace Eastbelgium (Greenpeace Ostbelgien)
There is also a local branch of Greenpeace located in the German-speaking Community which supports green production and consumption.
Network Sustainability (Netzwerk Nachhaltigkeit)
The network Sustainability is composed of several institutions, organisations and associations. One of its activities is the organisation of the Festival of Sustainability, which took place the first time in 2019 and virtually in 2021 and which offers a lot of guidance on how to implement sustainability in one's personal life.