Earth Overshoot Day 2016 – Terra Madre Salone del Gusto: commitment for a more sustainable future

Today, humanity has reached the Overshoot Day for 2016: that means we have run out of renewable resources that nature provides us with in a year, and that from now on we will use recourses intended for the next generation to come. An extremely alarming data, since the last year in which the consumption of recourses equaled the actual availability dates back to 1970. From that moment on, the Overshoot day has always been anticipated. For example, in 2000 it was at the end of September and today it is August 8.

Slow Food has always warned about the sickness of our Planet and it has been working in order to find solutions to this problem; and it decided to underline once again the commitment in this direction: thanks to the SEeD project (Systemic Event Design), by the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, it has managed to reduce the expected environmental impact for Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 (from September 22 to 26 in Turin, Italy): the event will use only certified renewable sources. So, for the first time, the energy required for the performance of our event will be secured from renewable sources. The supply of this energy will be guaranteed by our systemic project partners, IREN.

Energy savings during the event will also be made possible through the use of lighting fixtures and low-consumption appliances.

The commitment to reduce the amount of waste produced and to promote recycling will be central: more than 100 recycling areas will be set up, overseen by 250 volunteers of the Italian association Legambiente.

Visitors, since the first publication online of the program in May, have been invited to reach Turin and travel around the city by using public transportation, and the organization will use reduced emission means of last generation in order to transport the delegates who will attend the event.

Also, the theme chosen for the 2016 edition, Loving the Earth, will show the way to possible solutions. Serena Milano, General Secretary of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, explains: “Looking after the environment and the planet we live on is the most important issue of our time, and an obligation for everyone who works with food. We want to rediscover the pleasure of taking care of the Earth, together with producers, teachers, chefs, academics, farmers, food communities and above all, everyday people and families. For this reason, we are organizing workshops, conferences, tasting sessions and educational courses.”

Several themed spaces and interactive tours will be dedicated to crucial campaigns to save the planet: from the preserving of biodiversity to the need of reducing meat consumption, from the promotion of a more sustainable fishing, to the need of safeguarding bees and other pollinator insects increasingly threatened by the intensive farming and the use of pesticides, from soil defense to water, seeds and other common goods protection.

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto will provide several educational spaces aimed at schools and families to learn how to grow a garden, make compost, chose seasonal vegetables, and take care of seeds. An invitation to cultivate in several contests: in the ground, in a vase, on the balcony, in the garden, in the countryside or in urban spaces.

All the latest news about Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 is online at: http://www.salonedelgusto.com, and it is possible to request press accreditation here (http://www.salonedelgusto.com/en/info-accreditation/).

For more information, please contact:

Slow Food, +39 329 83 212 85, [email protected] – Twitter: @SlowFoodPress

Region of Piedmont, +39 011 432 2549, [email protected]

City of Turin, +39 011 442 3606, [email protected]

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto is made possible with the help of several bodies, among which are the Official Partner: Lurisia, Pastificio Martino, Radeberger Gruppe Italy, Lavazza, Sapori, Iren, Intesa San Paolo, Elpe; the supporters of the Terra Madre Foundation and Slow Food: Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT and the Association of Banking Foundations of Piedmont, Coldiretti. With the support of IFAD, the European Union and CIA. 

Slow Food is a global grassroots organization that envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet.  Slow Food involves over a million activists, chefs, experts, youth, farmers, fishers and academics in over 160 countries. Among them, a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members are linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide, contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize. As part of the network, more than 2,400 Terra Madre food communities practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.