Over the years, Earth Overshoot Day has been creeping earlier and earlier on the calendar. Once observed in the later months of the year, it now falls in August, signaling that by July 31st, we have already exhausted our share of this year’s resources. This unsustainable path puts immense pressure on our planet’s ecosystems, and the way we eat plays a significant role in this crisis. 

The Hidden Cost of Our Food Choices 

Many consumers are unaware of how their food choices contribute to climate change. We often get swept up in the latest food trends, driven by the fear of missing out (FOMO) after consuming endless social media content. Food bloggers, vloggers, and TikTok influencers have become our main sources of culinary inspiration. However, the more we consume unnecessarily or wastefully, the greater the harm we inflict on our planet. 

The food supply chain is a major contributor to resource consumption, from deforestation and manufacturing to production and waste generation. The amount of carbon dioxide and methane gases released into the atmosphere due to the energy used throughout food production is rising at an alarming rate, worsening the greenhouse gas phenomenon. So, how can we make better choices to support a healthier planet? 

Making Sustainable Food Choices 

1. Choose Local Products 

Prioritize products that have traveled fewer miles to reach your plate. Locally grown food not only supports local farmers but also means fresher ingredients with higher nutrient content. By choosing local produce, you reduce the carbon footprint associated with long-distance transportation. 

2. Opt for Pesticide-Free Produce 

Pesticide-free produce is often grown in environments where sustainability is a priority. These farming practices are better for the planet and your health, as they minimize the use of harmful chemicals that can contaminate soil and water. 

3. Embrace Seasonal and Diverse Greens 

Step out of your comfort zone and explore the variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the year. Don’t just stick to the familiar items you’ve seen on social media. Our country produces a wide range of nutritious crops, so let’s embrace them all and enjoy the benefits of seasonal eating. 

Conclusion 

Earth Overshoot Day serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need to rethink our consumption habits, particularly when it comes to food. By making more sustainable choices—like opting for local, pesticide-free, and seasonal produce—we can help push back Earth Overshoot Day and contribute to a healthier planet. Every meal is an opportunity to make a positive impact, so let’s choose wisely and eat our way toward a sustainable future. 

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Today we’re here to give you an idea or two as to why and how your company can consider incorporating sustainability-focused training; which is not only fun and interactive, but equips learners with the technical skills required to commit to sustainability goals together. 

Introducing Sunway XFarms’ brand new ESG series training course that is fully HRDF claimable. In this blog post, we will be covering our top 2 training courses that are well-loved by our clients.  

ESG Series 1: Sowing the Seed of Change – A Guide to Hydroponics Growing at Home 

During this 4-hour workshop, participants will learn the principles and benefits of sustainable agriculture, explore sustainable farming practices that promote environmental stewardship and resource efficiency, the importance of social and community aspects in sustainable farming and gain hands-on practical tips and techniques for growing their own food sustainably at home. 

Our favourite part of this workshop is the hands-on learning session– where each participant will get to unbox a mini farm kit and learn how to kickstart their hydroponics farming journey. Our learners love getting their hands wet, and the air is always filled with giggles and laughter as we get to see who has the better ‘green fingers’.  

ESG Series 2: Building a Green Circular Economy on the Road to Zero Waste  

During the 4-hour workshop, participants will learn about the benefits of adopting a zero-waste lifestyle by minimizing waste through sustainable actions such as recycling and composting. It highlights the environmental benefits of a zero-waste lifestyle and empowers participants with practical strategies for implementing these practices in daily life. 

Composting is a relatively unfamiliar ground for many, even though most people have heard of the word. In urban areas where many live in high-rise apartments, the tendency to dismiss the idea of composting due to the lack of open space, pest issues or foul smell is high. But fret not, that’s where we come in to break down this seemingly complex activity into really simple steps that’s perfect for any type of home.  

By now, L&D folks may be thinking that these topics sound amazing, but do they align with our corporate goals? 

We’re here to answer YES! 

Building a sustainability-driven culture: It’s important that sustainability is not just a buzz-word at the top management level, but understood and lived out at every level in your organisation, regardless of industry. What better way than to engage employees through practical and fun learning sessions? Seeing is believing, or in this context, harvesting is believing! The best way to preach sustainability is when we make it relevant and personal, lead by example, focus on benefits, and empower and educate.  

Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Our training emphasises on both team building and collaboration, as well as personal creativity and innovation. Everyone gets their own farm (or compost) kit to bring home after the training, of which they are encouraged to continue to care for their project until it’s ready for harvest.  

Environmental Impact: In the context of a green circular economy, learners can brainstorm on innovative ways to reduce waste at the office, which could result in a reduction of waste management and operating cost.  

Incorporating sustainability-related workshops like urban farming and composting into corporate culture is slowly becoming the new standard. Not only does it benefit the environment and community, it also enhances employee engagement, fosters innovation and demonstrates a company’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and achieving key Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) goals, all of which are becoming increasingly important to a business’ future successes.  

Interested in our workshops?

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Kale Kimchi

Servings 5

Ingredients

• 200 g kale
• 5 tbsp salt
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 yellow onion
• 100 ml fish sauce
• 1/2 cup korean chilli flakes

Instructions

• Rub salt all over kale and leave for 2 hours to allow water to be drawn out from the vegetable
• After 2 hours, rinse thoroughly.
• Make the kimchi sauce by blending the garlic, ginger, onion and fish sauce.
• Add the chilli flakes and stir with a spatula.
• Spread the kimchi sauce on each kale leaf, arrange them nicely and leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 days before eating.
• Kale kimchi can last up to 2 months when properly kept in the fridge.

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Fluffy Kale Omelette

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 2 pax

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 50 ml cooking cream
• 1 handful kale
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Lightly beat the eggs, cooking cream, salt and pepper.
• Oil your pan and cook the omelette on medium heat for 2-3 minutes
• Add chopped kale and cover for a further minute
• Enjoy!

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Potato & Pumpkin Kale Stew

Perfect for rainy days, cozy dinners or just a simple but hearty meal. This potato and pumpkin kale stew is delicious as it is nutritious.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 250 g pumpkin
• 150 g potato
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp butter
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
• 150 g kale
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Lightly stir fry diced onion and garlic in butter for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the chopped pumpkin and potato and stir fry for another 1 minutes on medium heat
• Add in vegetable broth and simmer for 15 -20 minutes until vegetables are all soft
• Blend with a hand blender or food processor and continue to put the pot on the stove on low heat for another 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and add in the chopped kale.
• Season well and drizzle heavy cream before serving.

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During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, urban farms have sprouted up across Kuala Lumpur. Most of these farms adopt sustainable agriculture practices, where farmers grow food close to communities without the use of harmful pesticides, while using minimal water and sometimes even transforming underutilized land into green spaces. 

If you are new to the concept of urban farm vegetables, it pays to have a quick look for farms near you and make it a point to get your weekly vegetables from one of them. Here are some good reasons why you should get vegetables from your local farmers!

Fresher produce at lesser food miles

When it comes to food, everyone wants it fresh. But fresh is not exactly a common thing. For example, if a packet of pak choy was imported from China, that means that it has traveled approximately 4344 km to reach your plate. On average, produce can be harvested and transported for up to 7 days before they’re sitting on the grocery shelf. 

Local farms guarantee freshness and longer-lasting produce, and at Sunway XFarms, we harvest your vegetables on the same day we deliver them to you.

Less chances of shipping spoilage

Did you know that approximately one-third of food is wasted before it even reaches the shelves? Harvested vegetables tend to go through 2 or more shipping journeys, and with each trip, damage and shipping spoilage causes them to be discarded. This is before strict aesthetic cuts at grocery stores that reject otherwise perfectly edible food that is “ugly”.

The closer the farm you buy your vegetables from is, the lesser journeys it needs to travel, which directly means fewer chances of shipping spoilage & unnecessary discards!

Direct to the farmers

Typically, agriculture has always been set up far away from the cities, hence farmers had to rely on the middlemen who acted as their bridge to faraway markets. But now that we’ve managed to bring farms to the cities, we can effectively shorten the supply chain and deliver our produce directly to consumers and food kitchens. There’s no guessing as to where your food came from because you get to communicate directly with the grower responsible for your food. We’re talking transparency!

Supporting local businesses & green spaces near you

Being surrounded by greens does wonders for us, this includes edible greens; now imagine that growing right in our cities! These green spaces help to mitigate the effects of pollution and You get to play an important part in making that happen! Every time you purchase a bag of vegetables from your local farm, you are directly making an impact in reducing your carbon footprint, supporting the growth of local businesses, and building healthier and happier communities. 

Looking for a farm near you? Try out a Happy Bag of vegetables from our farm today!

The post Why You Should Get Vegetables from Nearby Farms appeared first on Sunway XFarms.

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Kale & Pear Salad

Here’s an earthy and zesty simple salad recipe that you can easily whip up with just a few ingredients. Swap Chinese pear with any other pear of choice!

Course Salad

Keyword kale, pear, superfood, vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 pax

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 100 g kale
• 50 g frisee lettuce
• 1 Chinese pear
• 1 tbsp golden flax seeds

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• A pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

• In a large salad bowl, cut lettuce and kale into bite-sized pieces and toss together.
• Sprinkle the flax seeds.
• In a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients.
• Pour over the salad and enjoy!

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Sunshine Pak Choy & Capsicums

Add some sunshine to your usual pak choy recipes by using fresh yellow and orange capsicums. Not only do orange capsicums add sweetness and fruity flavour to the dish, they are by far the richest source of the orange pigment zeaxanthin, a carotenoid that is good for the eyes

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword capsicums, vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Servings 3 pax

Ingredients

• 1 yellow capsicum
• 1 orange capsicum
• 400 g pak choy
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil

Instructions

• Chop the garlic cloves finely and lightly fry in grapeseed oil.
• Add sliced capsicums and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add hand-peeled pak choy and continue to fry for another 2 minutes.
• Best served with boiled noodles or brown rice.  

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Stir Fry Tofu Mince with Courgette Noodles

Plant-based recipes don’t have to be foreign and boring. Try swapping mince meat with minced tofu this meatless Monday and be surprised at how tasty and familiar your dishes can be!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword courgette, stir fry, stir fy, tofu, vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 pax

Ingredients

• 2 packs firm tofu
• 1 large carrot
• 2 lettuce heads
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 large green courgette
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice mix
• 1 tsp white pepper

Instructions

• Slice garlic, onion and carrots into strips.
• Stir fry the above ingredients in 2 tablespoons of oil for 1-2 minutes. 
• Add in the tofu and mince it in the pan. Fry for another 3-4 minutes.
• Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper. Mix thoroughly and leave to simmer for another 4 minutes.  
• For the courgette, use a vegetable spiralizer to create courgette noodles. 
• Serve the noodles raw in a bowl topped with warm mince tofu sauce. Enjoy!

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Easy Bok Choy & Prawns

Bok Choy – one of the most popular Asian vegetables. Why? Not only is it delicious and packed with Vitamin C, Potassium and Calcium; it’s also super easy to cook and enjoyed by both adults and children.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword asian greens, bok choy, pak choy

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 pax

Ingredients

• 200 g dwarf pak choy
• 150 g prawns peeled
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

• Rinse and blanche the bok choy in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then remove.
• Next add the prawns to the same pot and boil for 4 minutes.
• Toss the prawns and bok choy in soy sauce and drizzle sesame oil. 
• Serve warm.

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