Hey there welcome!
I’m Lika, I am a sustainability consultant, freelance photographer, food waste coach, low-waste chef, and a biodiversity policy analyst. I wear many hats but during the day I am an international civil servant at the UN.
Sustainability is my jam and it’s what I studied, what I do as my passion work, and what I do as my job for the past 8 years. My mission is to be able to share on how to become sustainable, especially in the area of food, in a way that is mindful to the Earth but also in a way that's easy to do.
Did you know that the biggest culprit of food waste is not businesses or producers but actually from individual households? In fact, if you come from a developed country, 40% of all food waste comes from households. And the majority of it is not even leftovers on your place, it’s actually perfectly edible food that people decide to throw away because it’s “past the expiration date” or "It’s too much food”!
Food waste is something that’s relatable to everyone, no matter your social class, cultural, religious, or political background. It’s a pretty universal concept that no one likes or wants to waste food. It’s just that many of us don’t know how to manage our food.
The good news is, you don’t have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle to reduce food waste. All you need are just simple changes and easy habit changes!
But while you can find a lot of information that wasting food is not good (duh!) there aren’t many resources on how stop doing this. And this is my goal: to give you practical tips, guidelines, or advice .
Why the focus on food waste?
About me:
My name is Lika and I am a food waste coach (amongst many other things). I have a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Geneva and I currently work as an international civil servant at the UN. Previously I was a consultant specializing on sustainability, trade, environment, and biodiversity issues working with clients including the World Bank, European Commission, NGOs, and the UN. Prior to my journey working in sustainability, I worked in investment banking for 6 years. Having worked in many sectors, my focus with my clients has been to find practical, pragmatic, and realistic solutions to various issues related to sustainability. I am a native of San Francisco, California. I’ve lived in 5 countries over 3 continents over the last 15 years but I currently live in Geneva, Switzerland.
Why is your website called the Middleway Millennial?
The term “Middleway” has its origins in Buddhism but it’s used in much a much wider context today. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, middleway is defined as: “a course of action, mode of conduct, or policy for action or conduct between two extremes”
And this is what I am aiming for in my path to sustainability. Just because you produce more than one jar of waste, does that make you unsustainable? No! Just because you live in a place where there are less plastic-free options does it make it impossible to live a sustainable life? No!
The most important thing about being sustainable is that it has to be for the long-term. The key is that you’re able to do it in a way that is comfortable, low-cost, efficient, and productive within your lifestyle!
Middleway Millennial is a whole representation of me and my journey of becoming sustainable. My aim is to not live a “perfect” sustainable lifestyle. It’s to adapt my lifestyle into being sustainable as possible I can with the options and resources that are available to me. Being sustainable doesn’t mean you have to be a strict disciplinarian, you just need to be adaptable and mindful. Let us walk on the journey of sustainability together 🙂