Over the years of working in our civic association, my understanding of sustainability has changed completely. Our main focus is food waste, but once you dive into it, you see how it links to carbon footprints, global food systems and legislation. After two years in the organisation I decided to study environmental management, because I felt we needed stronger expertise for writing projects, securing funding and arguing for systemic change. To deal with food waste seriously, you really have to understand the wider environmental framework.
My path started earlier, during my Master’s studies in Amsterdam, where I researched the city’s food policy and interviewed inspiring organisations and social restaurants. When I came back to Slovakia, I wanted to stay in this field, so alongside my regular job I started volunteering – first with Slow Food and OZ Free Food, and briefly at the Institute for Circular Economy. Working on sustainability gives me a sense of purpose: it connects social issues, climate, migration and politics, and the topic keeps evolving, which forces you to keep learning. That ambition and movement motivate me.
At the same time, I see how difficult the transition is. Food waste is an “invisible” problem, especially in a context where food prices and living standards dominate the public debate. Many people don’t even realise how much they throw away. Our food donation system is also rigid and outdated; compared to other EU countries we are far behind in redistributing surplus food. On top of that, our work falls between categories: many social projects exclude us because we don’t work directly with beneficiaries, and environmental grants focus mainly on technical measures, not behavioural or systemic change. The culture of philanthropy is still weak, so funding is a constant struggle. In the private sector, farmers and producers often prefer to send surpluses to biogas plants rather than donate them, even when donation would have clear social benefits.
Despite all this, I believe change is possible if bottom-up and top-down approaches meet. My advice to anyone who wants to get involved is: find the part of sustainability that feels closest to you – food, plastics, animals, whatever resonates – and start there. And don’t reinvent everything alone. Network, look at what already exists, and build on it. In our association, we’re always open to new people and ideas; meaningful change starts with small, committed steps that connect to something bigger.