Mac Florendo
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Mac Florendo
2023 Sustainability Leadership Awardee
Mac Edsel Florendo received the 2023 Sustainability Leadership Award in the category of Non-profit Sustainable Development Leadership at a ceremony organized by Sustainable PH, in collaboration with Union Bank and JCI Quezon City Capitol, at the Changemaker 2040, Parañaque on November 18, 2023.
The Sustainability Leadership Awards honor emerging Filipino leaders under 40 who have made a substantial contribution toward creating a more sustainable and equitable future.
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Mac of Food Rescue Philippines, alumnus of Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations, at the 15th TAYO Awards
Food Rescue Story
Food Rescue Philippines (formerly Food Rescue ASEAN) is a not for profit group/activity that collects unsold but perfectly edible food from various food businesses and establishments. These foods would then be redistributed to the churches, shelters, and low-income families in need of food through bike deliveries and volunteer transportations.
Mac drew inspiration from Boulder Food Rescue when he attended the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative in 2015. The main attraction for Mac to start Food Rescue was the use of bicycles in picking up and delivering food. The simple idea of biking around, helping people in need and reducing carbon footprint made Mac want to replicate the idea in the Philippines.
Food Rescue Philippines was recognized at the YSEALI Seeds for the Future 2015 and was awarded a grant by the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, and one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) of the 14th TAYO Awards in 2017, with "Better World" Award from San Miguel Corporation. Mac is a Youth Champion for The 2030 Project: SDG2 Zero Hunger.
In 2023, Mac joined Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Philippines as Food Rescue Supervisor.
LEADERS UNITE 2017: #OURGOALS WITH THE THEME “THE FUTURE, WE ASEAN LEADERS, ARE GOING TO CREATE”. 17 Youth Champions, 2 Keynote Speakers, 4 other notable speakers and 400 Youth leaders from all over the country.
World Food Expo (WOFEX) 2018: Philippine Sustainable Gastronomy (PSG) Congress
Last August 2, 2018, the first ever run of the Philippine Sustainable Gastronomy (PSG) congress was launched at the World Food Expo (WOFEX) 2018. Held at the SMX Convention Center, the congress was comprised of different panel discussions that focuses on the importance of food and our dining choices, as change agents when it comes to the issues of sustainability and climate change adaptation. The Philippine Sustainable Gastronomy Congress aims to play a major role in achieving sustainable development goals by promoting agricultural development, food security, nutrition, sustainable food production, and the conservation of biodiversity. On August 3, 2018, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines’ The Sustainable Diner: A Key Ingredient for Sustainable Tourism participated as part of Waste Not, Want Not: Reducing the Food Waste Footprint, PSG’s panel on food waste management which was designed to understand where and how food waste comes about, and what to do in order to lessen our personal and collective food waste. Moderated by Pacita “Chit” Juan of Slow Food Manila, the panel’s speakers included Mac Florendo of Food Rescue ASEAN, Eric Atanacio of Terra Verde Ecofarms, Chef Waya Wijangco of Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe, and Melody Melo-Rijk of WWF-Philippines.
Read more: https://wwf.org.ph/what-we-do/food/thesustainablediner/sustainable-dining-as-a-solution-to-food-waste/.