How is chocolate made? Where does cocoa come from? And what is the difference between an ordinary banana and an organic banana? Questions like these will be answered via a new initiative urging young people to consume more sustainably. The project, aptly titled “Sustainable Consumption”, suggests that the concept of sustainable consumption can be taught. The ultimate goal of the project is to remove the blind spot youth and young adults tend to place when making consumption choices.

Although the overall population is embracing more sustainable consumption patterns, youth and young adults are less apt than the general population to make similar choices when it comes to the food they eat. Recent research at Wageningen University titled “How Young People Think about Food” suggests that younger consumers associate the concept of organics with being “un-cool”. Further, according to the research, young people don’t tend to make a connection between the food they eat and its social or ecological implications.

Over the course of the project, students will be made aware of their roles as consumers and the consequences of the purchasing choices they make. For example, students will visit participating companies / food producers – including Tony’s Chocolonely – who, in turn, will put the students in contact with grower / producers throughout the world. By February of this year, approximately 150 students, from participating universities, higher education institutions and vocational training schools, will participate in the project.

The program – Sustainable Consumption: That You Can Learn – is a Felix Meritis, CREM and Diversion initiative.