Prahran Market is excited to announce Simon Toohey (Masterchef 2019 Grand Finalist and 2020 Back To Win! contestant) as the Market’s new sustainability guru ‘Sustainable Simon’.
As the co-founder of Sustainable Earth Network, Simon was a perfect fit to work with Prahran Market to share tips on reducing food waste, shopping smart and meal planning & prep.
Simon knows that being sustainable does not mean being repetitive or bland.
“Variety is better than boring,” said Simon.
“It is all about knowing where your food come from to allow you to make better choices. By purchasing your produce at a market, you are able to speak to the Trader and understand the provenance.”
“There is so much many of us can learn about how to use the whole of a fruit, vegetable or animal when preparing food. Not only can we reduce food waste, live more sustainably and try new and delicious dishes, but we save money as well.”
Prahran Market will share Simon’s tips through the website, newsletter and social media channels, as well as live demonstrations through the year.
“Like Prahran Market, Simon Toohey is passionate about food and creating a more sustainable world. We are so pleased that ‘Sustainable Simon’ will help our customers with ways to shop more sustainably and reduce food waste. There are so many ways to use all of the produce and Simon is here to let people know how,” said Simon Ward, General Manager at Prahran Market.
Prahran Market has been at the forefront of sustainability and reduction in food waste for many years. The Market was the first organisation to donate to Secondbite nearly sixteen years ago and Traders have donated over 300k meals since the partnership began. That is literally tonnes of eliminated food waste!
Recycling is also a major part of Prahran Market operations, with fish offal and green organic waste being turned into rich garden food, chicken fat and bone is processed off-site for animal foods and oils, 212 tonnes of cardboard is recycled annually, 100% of polystyrene is collected and recycled into building materials, while around 12,000 litres of Traders’ cooking oil is recycled and processed into bio-fuels.
Prahran Market has also been able to reduce utility usage over the years, with a 25% reduction in electricity, reduced gas usage and water usage down from 45 megalitres to 20 megalitres over a 10-year period (that’s approximately 401 domestic swimming pools worth of water saved every year).
“We are really excited to have Simon Toohey on board the Prahran Market team and we cannot wait to see how he enlightens our customers with easy (and tasty!) sustainability practices,” said Ward.
