The anti-food waste campaigner Ms. Rakel Garðarsdóttir, has been awarded the 2015 Outstanding Young Icelander Prize by the Icelandic Junior Chamber.
The President of Iceland handed over the Prize in a ceremony at the University of Reykjavík 17 September.
“This award is a fantastic recognition and I hope that the NGO that I lead, Vakandi (Awaken), will benefit from the attention this brings. That is what we are striving at: increase the general public´s awareness of the gigantic waste that is going on.”
Announcing the winner of the Prize, the jury of the Icelandic JC said: “Rakel Garðarsdóttir has as a voluntary devoted her free time to Vakandi´s goal, which is to fight food waste and protect the environment, step by step – change begins at home.”
Ms. Garðarsdóttir, a professional theatre and film producer, is the co-author of a book on sustainable living published in 2014 and is currently working on a documentary
“In the film we focus on how resources are wasted in different fields such as food production and the fashion industry,” Ms. Garðarsdóttir explains. “We look at this from different angles, such as the social- and environmental impacts of transport and consumption.”
“We want to convey a positive message. We want to show that once consumers have woken up they can be the change. The only thing they need is to be alert and awake.”
Rakel Garðarsdóttir, has worked closely with the United Nations in fighting food waste. She was awarded the Outstanding Young Person´s award as the world organisation was about to adopt its Sustainable Development Goals. One of them is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.”
“All goals matter, but the most important thing is that they should be adhered to and the goals achieved,” Ms. Garðarsdóttir explains. “Actions speak louder than words do. We have to see reduced consumption of meat, cut food waste and increase businesses´social responsibility. Some say that in the future food waste will be considered punishable as a crime. Let´s hope that we won´t get there and that human kind will reduce its waste of food.”