Waste-not-want-not path to green economy

As we sat down for lunch or dinner on World Environment Day on Friday, it was an important time to consider this: one-third of all food produced across the world every year - 300 million tons - is wasted. This waste costs the global economy a staggering $1 trillion a year.

Industrialized regions account for almost half of the total waste. Most of the food we discard is still fit for human consumption and could feed more than 800 million people. This is just the tip of the waste iceberg, and serves as a proxy for the "ecological footprint" of our entire global economy.

Our global food system is responsible for 80 percent of deforestation and is the largest single cause of species and biodiversity loss. It is also responsible for more than 70 percent of freshwater consumption. A beef burger on your lunch plate could require an incredible 2,400 liters of water to produce. Would you like fries with that? Add another 100 liters, not to mention the impact of pesticides and non-degradable packaging.