When Koreans see abundant amounts of food on the table, wonderful dishes to celebrate the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one, we cannot resist. We pile more food on our plates than we really need. According to Korean custom, huge amounts of food must be offered to celebrate the year’s end and beginning of a new year. Korean hosts suffer great embarrassment if a guest does not have enough to eat; therefore, an abundance of food is prepared.

Although hosts implore their guests to “eat more, enjoy more,” and guests eat past the point of fullness, there is always a lot of food left over, which often ends up in the trash.

The end of the old year and the beginning of the new year is the time to reflect on others who may not have enough food. It is a time to offer them our love and to show concern for them. I urge Koreans to participate in the “Zero Waste Campaign,” started in New York City by the Jung To Society, a Korean Buddhist association. Through this campaign, we can care for our health and the health of others, and protect our environment from unnecessary waste.

The message of this campaign is that when we eat, we should eat properly, conscious of the amount of food we are taking. This way we will avoid leftovers that get thrown away. Reducing food waste is one part of the campaign. The other is reducing waste in the production of food thus saving valuable resources. The $1 fee to participate in this campaign goes to help third world countries, our neighbors, to aid in their struggle against poverty.

Through proper food consumption we grow healthy naturally and get into the habit of eating properly – smaller amounts of food.

The “Zero Waste Campaign,” originally started in South Korea on November 18th, 2004, is now Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities across the United States. The goal is to enlist 100,000 members.

Korean Buddhists in New York explain some of the particulars of participation: Eat all the food on your plate; do not take more than you need. This will lead to a change in the production of food, as less will need to be prepared. Cooking styles also change; vegetables, for example, are cooked unpeeled. This produces less waste, therefore, less food is purchased. Clearly, when we try not to waste, we save food and help others.

We hope that the gatherings at the onset of the new year will keep the “Zero Waste Campaign” in mind. Contact information for the campaign is available at pramitab@junto.org