Green Action Week 2026

OVERVIEW

Our Focus

Every day, perfectly good food is thrown away in Indian homes, at weddings, and across dinner tables. India wastes nearly 78–80 million tonnes of food every year, and most of it starts with us, the consumers. Over-buying, poor planning, and a culture of excess have quietly made food waste one of our biggest environmental problems contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, overburdening landfills, and depleting natural resources. In GAW 2026, we bring women, everyday consumers, and youth together to build a Sharing Community where practical habits smart shopping, correct storage, composting kitchen scraps, reducing single-use food packaging, and reading expiry labels are learned, practised, and passed on.

Why Consumers Waste Food

In urban Delhi, overbuying, poor storage, and a culture of excess in households and at celebrations make consumers the biggest drivers of the food waste crisis, which contributes an estimated 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The real gap is not willingness it is actionable knowledge. Most consumers do not know how to shop smartly, store food correctly, compost kitchen scraps, or reduce food packaging waste. Without this knowledge, good intentions produce no results. Consumer VOICE’s community workshops have consistently shown that when people are given practical skills in a shared space, change happens.

Objectives

• Equip Participants with Practical Skills: Train 45–55 participants across each of three workshops women, consumers, and students & youth in food waste reduction skills applicable in daily life.
• Build a Sharing Community: Create a network where participants exchange sustainable food practices beyond the workshop setting, carrying knowledge into their homes and neighbourhoods.
• Create Take-Home Resources: Develop simple, accessible materials including an e-book, How to Reduce Food Waste covering common mistakes in buying packaged food, correct label reading, and responsible disposal of food waste.
• Inspire Advocacy: Encourage participants to become advocates for sustainable food practices within their own households, schools, and social circles.

Strategy

Workshop with Women

A practical session on everyday household food waste — what we buy, what we throw, and what we can do differently. Participants take home resource cards they can use daily.

Expected Result: Women, who are the primary decision-makers for household food purchasing and storage in urban Delhi, will adopt and lead sustainable food practices at home.

Workshop with Consumers

A hands-on session on reading food labels correctly, avoiding impulse purchases, and building simple daily habits that stop food from ending up in the bin.

Expected Result: Consumers from diverse economic backgrounds will become informed, confident shoppers who reduce waste and advocate for sustainable practices within their own circles.

Workshop with Students & Youth

An interactive session where students explore the environmental impact of food waste through discussion and creative activities, building practical habits and a voice for sustainable consumption.

Expected Result: Students and youth will carry sustainable food practices into their schools and peer networks, becoming active voices for change.

Building Awareness

Using Digital Channels

Real stories and experiences from participants will be shared across Consumer VOICE’s social media throughout the campaign, extending the reach of the Sharing Community beyond the workshops themselves.

Building Community Partnerships

Consumer VOICE will work with women’s groups, consumer communities, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), schools and colleges across Delhi to bring the right participants into the room — partners who will also help sustainable food practices take root beyond the project period.

WORKSHOPS

Workshop 1 — Women

Consumer VOICE is planning a workshop for women in Delhi on everyday household food waste — what is bought, what is thrown away, and what can be done differently. The session will cover smart grocery planning, correct storage of fruits, vegetables and cooked food, and simple composting of kitchen scraps. Participants will take home resource cards with daily-use tips they can put into practice right away.

Workshop 2 — Consumers

This workshop will bring together consumers from diverse backgrounds for a hands-on session on reading food labels correctly, understanding expiry and best-before dates, and avoiding impulse purchases that often go to waste. It will also introduce simple daily habits — such as portion planning and creative use of leftovers — that help keep food out of the bin.

Workshop 3 — Students & Youth 

Planned in partnership with schools and colleges across Delhi, this interactive session will engage students in exploring the environmental impact of food waste through discussion and creative activities. Students will learn practical habits to adopt at home and school, and will be encouraged to become active voices for sustainable food consumption among their peers.