Melo-Rijk also talked about the importance of the tourism industry in ensuring that sustainable consumption and production in the food industry is properly integrated and implemented. “Tourism is an industry where environmental protection should be placed at the core. And when we talk about local tourism, food will always be a very important element. Food is, after all, one of the main reasons domestic and international tourists visit the different islands of the Philippines,” says Melo-Rijk. “You, as tourism students, have the biggest opportunity to spread the word in your future professions. We need to work together to increase the value of the environment and to spur mindset and behavior changes in the tourism industry.”

During the talk, Lorayne Roque, the project’s Sustainable Consumer Specialist, also shared with the audience the Balay Kawayan game, a restaurant simulation game which issues a carbon footprint receipt depending on the food and action choices a diner makes. A short assisted demo was done with volunteers from the organization. A question-and-answer game was also conducted to ensure that the students were able to take note of the important facts and highlights related to sustainability in the food service industry.