We all buy and eat food. But when there’s simply too much for businesses to sell, where should the food go? UOW TV spoke to Wollongong Doughnut King Owner Lidia Pisanikovski on excess food.
UOW students are aiming to feed themselves on just $2 a day as part of a fundraising campaign for Live Below the Line.
The initiative aims to raise awareness and funds for individuals around the world who are living in extreme poverty. Members of the UOW Rotaract Club who are involved in the event which is taking place between May 7th and 11th, are aiming to raise over $1000 for the cause.
Club Secretary Emily Blackbourn said, “I am looking forward to it greatly. I want to have some idea about what it is like to live off such a small amount of money, even though it still won’t quite compare because we’re doing this in relative luxury compared to those really suffering in developing countries around the world.”
Peter Singer, one of Australia’s most renowned philosophers, was invited to speak in support of Live Below the Line, at a conference at the University of Melbourne yesterday.
“I was very pleased to see such a large audience, apparently strongly supportive of LBL [Live Below the Line],” he said. “I believe that there is a growing movement of young people determined to live more ethically than earlier generations. That means doing something serious about global poverty – and doing it yourself, not just leaving it to others.”
In keeping with his philosophy, during his talk Singer also addressed Australia’s commitments to the third world, advocating a drastic re-think of the western worlds responsibilities, claiming geographical distance does not lessen them.
Australian Public Relations Officer for the Live Below the Line campaign, Maddi Connaughton, said that Singer made some very interesting points during his talk, “It was amazing to see him there, in the flesh.”
So far this year the Live Below the Line campaign has raised approximately $110,000, with a goal of topping last years total of $1.5 million.
You can connect with Live Below The Line on their website and with UOW Rotaract on their Facebook page.
Image courtesy of Australian Youth Forum
Video: Corey Tasker
Words: Aidan Simmons
Photos: Kristine Tarbert