The Western Regional Council is collaborating with the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) to deliver an educational initiative for the European Week for Waste Reduction. This project is designed to engage Year 7-9 students from multiple schools in the region  with informative and hands-on activities that highlight the importance of sustainable food waste management within the culinary industry.

Overview of Activities

1. Informative Session
   Students will participate in an informative session covering how the food industry reduces waste through sustainable practices. This session will also feature a demonstration of ITS’s automatic composter, showing students how food waste can be effectively converted into compost, thus promoting a circular approach to waste.
2. Workshop Session
   Following the informative segment, students will take part in a practical workshop where they apply waste-reduction principles in a cooking activity. The workshop will challenge students to creatively use limited ingredients, encouraging thoughtful planning and mindful cooking to reduce food waste. ITS staff may adjust the workshop format, adding their expertise to improve the experience.

Objectives
The project aims to:

• Equip students with practical knowledge to reduce food waste at home and in future studies.
• Promote innovative thinking in food preparation and planning to minimize waste.
• Provide an outreach opportunity for ITS, showcasing its facilities and sustainability practices to students with interests in hospitality and home economics.

Additional Details
The total time commitment for these sessions will not exceed four hours. While the goal is to host these sessions during EWWR, the dates have yet to be finalised, and some sessions may extend beyond EWWR week based on availability. If permissible by ITS, the Western Regional Council will document parts of the sessions through filming to raise further awareness about sustainable practices in food waste reduction.

This collaboration between the Western Regional Council and ITS represents an opportunity for young students to experience real-world applications of sustainability and learn how the food industry can lead by example in waste reduction.