Speakers at the seminar stressed the need for saving food as per theme of the World Environment Day 2013 “Think-Eat-Save”. They  informed that every year 1.3 billion tones of food is wasted and 1 out of 7 people in the world sleeps hungry while more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die every day due to hunger. They urged the participants for making individual and collective efforts to conserve the environment and reduce ecological footprints to bring about a positive change in the environment.

They stated this at a seminar held at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) on June 6, 2013. The seminar was organized by Department of Environmental Sciences, PMAS-AAUR in connection with World Environment Day, to promote the awareness related to the environment and finds the way to take correct actions.

Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR was the chief guest while Dr. Muhammad Javed Malik, Member Food & Agriculture; Planning Commission was the guest of honor,  Dr. Aslam Gill, Food Security Commissioner, Ministry of National Food Security & Research delivered key note address on the occasion. Students, faculty and people from all walks of life also participated.

Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR in his address, explained that this day is celebrated every year to raise global awareness  among masses to preserve the overall environmental matrices in total against the rising issues of climate change, global warming, disasters and conflicts, harmful substances, environmental governance, ecosystem management and resource efficiency. He urged that clean and safe environment will only be guaranteed if each individual incorporates environment conservation and promotion in their daily activities, attitude and behavior. Addressing the participants, Vice Chancellor said that saving the environment is a part of belief since Islam put a great emphasis on cleanliness and that was what conservation was all about; keeping the environment pristine. He stressed the need for extended collaboration between academia and all other stakeholders for ensuring mass awareness about our precious environment   as well as extending the role of conservation organizations in bridging the gap between the science and conservation.

He further added that this year’s campaign rallies people to take actions and make collective decisions for reducing food wastage, save resources and minimize the human impact. He also urged  the public to contribute towards food security and environment conservation by discouraging the acts of throwing food leftovers.

Dr. Aslam Gill, Food Security Commissioner, Ministry of National Food Security & Research delivered a detailed presentation on reducing food waste, save resources and minimize the human impact. He urged for protection of environment throughout the country, as population of Pakistan is increasing and natural resources are shrinking. Scarcity of water and climate change may have serious impact on the agriculture productivity of the country which will affect food availability for public in future. He also stated that education can play pivotal role in addressing the environmental issues of the area.

Dr. Muhammad Javed Malik, Member Food & Agriculture; Planning Commission said that World Environment Day 2013 theme is very important for food deficit countries of the world as the idea is to minimize the food wastage and the theme ‘Think, Eat, Save’ urges us to make concrete efforts to think and save the food which we grow, consume and dispose in our daily routine. This purpose is also to inform and warn the people about the huge impact on the human beings and their environment due to wastage of the food at the large scale throughout the world. He urged people to redress their attitude towards the environment, own their responsibilities towards it, and to care for it collectively.