CELEBRATE THE EARTH DAY!

Press release...

Since August 1, 2018, we have been living "on credit" towards the Earth. What does this mean? Starting from that date, our demand for natural resources has exceeded the amount of resources the Earth can generate. According to the Global Footprint Network, we have already used the resources of 1.7 planets. This is why Earth Day on April 22 aims to highlight concrete and scalable solutions designed to eliminate the negative effects of human activity. Overexploitation of the Earth’s resources, in fact, is one of the main causes that will prevent us from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda. We must act as soon as possible. But, what can we do? Barilla Foundation has always underscored the close link between what we eat and the impact on the environment. Food production causes 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions, including the emissions from processing and transport. This is where we can all begin to make a real contribution, because change can start right from our table! The solution is completely achievable though small actions: following a sustainable diet in line with the principles of the Double Food and Environmental Pyramid, cutting food waste in half and inspiring people to act now.

Earth Day, celebrated this year on Monday April 22, is the best-known and most important worldwide event supporting environmental protection and the sustainability of our planet. The first Earth Day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1970, in response to the environmental movement in the United States. In the 2019 edition, the focus is on applicable solutions for reducing our use of natural resources. China alone, for example, in 2014 used on average 3.71 hectares of land per person to meet the needs of its population. This number, multiplied by 1.36 billion people (the entire population of China at that time), leads to some 5 billion hectares, more than five times the size of the whole country.