- Children from Rinas and Qerreke schools to participate in the event

- Education and animation activities aim at reaching better understanding of responsible environmental behaviour

On Wednesday, 5 June 2013, Tirana International Airport (TIA) in cooperation with Regional Environment Center (REC) will organize an education and animation activity on the premises of the Airport on the theme Think. Eat. Save. Reduce your Foodprint. Schoolchildren of age 11 to 12 years from Rinas and Qerreke will participate in the event. The children will learn how to reduce their footprint and experience an animated theatre show for which the entrance fee is to bring an aluminum can.

“Together we can improve our lives. We are happy to mark this day by joining in this activity along with the Regional Environment Agency. The best way to raise awareness and to enhance a sense of responsibility of environmentally friendly living is through the young generation. It is important to highlight that the impact of food waste is not just financial,” said Mr Rolf Castro-Vasquez, Chief Operations Officer at TIA.

Simple actions by consumers and food retailers can dramatically reduce the 1.3 billion tons of food lost or wasted each year, and help shape a sustainable future. The activity held in the Airport is following the global campaign to cut food waste launched in 2013 by UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners.

Environmentally, food waste leads to a wasteful use of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, fuel costs for its transportation, and rotten food, which together create more methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases that is contributing to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The vast amount of food going into landfills makes a significant contribution to global warming.

Following the responsibility TIA is showing towards the environment, the Airport recently became carbon accredited at the Mapping level. The Carbon Accreditation Programme assesses and recognizes efforts to manage and reduce carbon emissions from airport operations.

Think. Eat. Save. has the support of Balla Tours and FM Supreme.