Description:

A Wonderfully Wonky World project tackles the issue of food waste in New Zealand for young kids and kiwi families. Food waste has huge negative impact on our environment, emitting villainous greenhouse gasses that threaten the very fabric of our planet. Every crumb counts as we hold our principles of Kaitiakitanga; the pleasure and honour of protecting our beautiful world. We waste 150,000 tonnes of food nationwide per year and it is our responsibility to arm the next generation with the power of knowledge and ability to care for our earth.

The project includes a children’s publication with fun activities, a rewards poster and reusable shopping bag for kids. Made from materials found around the home, including recycling and remaking the paper from old reading and art books, using old candles to wax and protect the poster (for easy clean-up around kids in the kitchen), and leftover clay from previous art projects to form fun and colourful clay magnets. The texture and irregularities of the paper with specks of its previous life, shows peeks of old text and gives an unrefined, organic feeling, which promote the concepts of sustainability and re-use, echoed in the storytelling and holistically within the projects wider message, aligning with the commitment to Kaitiakitanga.

A tale of Little Riley’s stay at her Nanas farm, Riley learns how Nana reduces her food waste at home. Including farming, discovering the beauty of wonky vegetables, the mysteries of the compost bin, sharing kai with neighbours and more! At the back of the book are five fun activities based around food waste for kids to do with an adult including baking, tie-dyes, colour changing flowers, composting and growing from scraps.

This project presents practices to reduce food waste and ignite conversations around sustainability in young minds, sowing the seeds of sustainability. Through this heart-warming tale and hands-on fun, we nurture the next generation of earth protectors, lighting the path towards a greener future.