The Tiffin Project

If there is something that irks me is irresponsible consumption. I have had conversations with many a restaurateur where I have asked them why do they provide containers built in either Styrofoam or other non-sustainable material, instead of looking at ways to reduce food waste and bring down waste levels in Vancouver and the lower mainland. I have supplied many of these restaurateurs with connections to sustainable initiatives such as Green Table.

As someone who strongly supports sustainable consumption and responsible eating-out, I’m thrilled to hear of The Tiffin Project.

A Vancity-backed social entrepreneur is launching Vancouver’s first attempt to tackle our eat-and-toss disposable container habits, while supporting local agriculture. The Tiffin Project’s container is a leak-proof metal unit that gets you discounts on meals at 10 restaurants and takeaways (and growing) in Vancouver, with plans for 17 in the next six months. It is made of food-grade stainless steel by Onyx Containers.

The Tiffin Project (whom you can follow on Twitter at @TiffinProject) is a project aimed at reducing restaurant industry waste, supporting local agriculture, and changing eat-and-toss culture using positive incentives and building community.

A portion of the sale of all Tiffin Project containers goes toward shifting the initiative’s restaurant partners to improve their own eco-habits by acquiring more of their ingredients from local producers. By the fall harvest of 2013, the Tiffin Project Foundation Fund will give funds to participating restaurants, to pay the difference between the current price of local produce and the current price of imported produce.

How does the Tiffin Project work?
Consumers buy in to The Tiffin Project by purchasing a $24 Tiffin from any of the participating restaurants. Then they receive discount incentives when they go to any participating restaurant or takeaway with their Tiffin.

So who is behind The Tiffin Project?

The Tiffin Project founder Hunter Moyes is a Vancouver-area Chef who has been behind Burgoo, The Waldorf Hotel (Nuba), and most-recently Tacofino. He is also a food writer for Urban Diner, a sustainable seafood ambassador with the David Suzuki Foundation, and a frequent partner of Oxfam’s Western Canadian campaigns. Hunter hopes to use The Tiffin Project in tandem with Vancouver’s exciting food culture and restaurant community to create a more sustainable model for its supportive food systems and environment.

This sounds like a really neat initiative and hopefully many more restaurants will participate.