Marketing executives Zhang Ye and Xia Xue helped organize China’s “Clean Your Plate” campaign when they saw students at a Beijing university throwing away huge amounts of food. But they say the problem extends all the way up to government officials, who are notorious for holding lavish banquets. Photo by Mary Kay Magistad.
Agriculture is the third-largest emitter of global greenhouse gas pollution. Yet roughly one-third of what we produce is never eaten. Cutting down on waste is a major challenge in China, where a grassroots “Clean Your Plate” campaign is taking aim at deeply ingrained attitudes toward leftovers.
