Polish Hub Webinar Series
Our already planned webinar journey was faced with the general pandemic situation. We decided to engage our audience with topics close to them and the situation.
“Food waste – problem or fake news?” – Webinar with PhD Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz
On the 23rd of April in our first webinar we talked about food waste in Poland. We touched on topics related to challenges and opportunities for enhancing the emerging bioeconomy, pointing out that food overproduction is not sustainable: sustainable food systems require advances in plant breeding, food products, farming and cultivation techniques, as well as steps to optimize shelf-life and food distribution. Additionally, social initiatives such as the revival of traditional crops, food-sharing platforms and low-meat diets are an important aspect.
“Bioplastic – plastic alternatives” – Webinar with PhD Maciej Guzik and Stanislaw Loboziak
On the 14th of May we held a webinar on bioplastics – we talked about organisms (Ideonella S-sakaiensis) that are able to break down PET (a plastic) into other substances. It has been genetically modified to break down PET even faster and also break down PEF. Once plastics (which are normally non-biodegradable) are broken down and recycled into other substances (i.e. biomatter in the case of Tenebrio molitor larvae) they can be used as an input for other animals. Biodegradable and biobased plastics as substitutes for petroplastics may be part of the solution in the struggle against climate change.
“Biological plant protection” – webinar with PhD Anna Gorczyca
On the 4th of June our third webinar was about problems caused by chemicals used in industrialized agriculture, such as soil sterilization, loss of biodiversity, increased pest resistance and environmental pollution, which in turn lowered plant resistance and contributed to a decrease in crop quality. We know that healthy plants are essential for the health of consumers. Scientific research confirms that the strategy for plant health should be as follows: prevention – monitoring – intervention. If possible, using natural and biological means and use chemical methods only when really necessary.
All the online events were held on the Clickmeeting platform, and can be watched on the Copernicus Science Center website (in Polish language).
