Vancouver filmmaker showcases more sustainable life choices in new series

Jamila Pomeroy was working as a chef when she realized just how much food waste the restaurant industry created. 

According to the federal government, 21 per cent of dairy, eggs and field crops, 38 per cent of produce and 20 per cent of meat purchased for hotels, restaurants and other establishments goes to waste. 

"The food waste was just really weighing on me," she told Stephen Quinn, host of The Early Edition. "Even if you're doing a really great job at composting and having systems in place, that's still a pretty wasteful industry."

Now a writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, Pomeroy has turned her passion for sustainability into a series of videos for CBC's Creator Network, called A Happier Planet, highlighting ways British Columbians can be more eco-friendly.

"Normalizing sustainable practices early on is a really great way to ensure that our next generation [is] thinking about the planet when they're doing things," Pomeroy said.

Second Life

A CBC Marketplace investigation found that textile waste nationwide equals about 12 million tons, and Pomeroy wants to help reduce that as well.

For her, that means shopping for second-hand stores and supporting sustainable brands.

She spoke with fashion designer Kristen Ley about the way the fashion industry is shifting to account for the desire to be more environmentally friendly.

New Growth

Agriculture is vital to human existence, but there may be better ways to use land and create less pollution in the process.

Additionally, climate change is impacting the way crops grow and how farmers work the land. 

Pomeroy visited CubicFarm, which has developed commercial scale, automated indoor growing systems so people can grow high volumes of food locally, using little water, energy and labour.

Unhooked

A global shift to a plant-based diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 per cent by 2050, according to a study from Oxford University — another way Pomeroy has altered her life to be more sustainable.

While in culinary school, Pomeroy found the seafood industry in particular to be quite wasteful, and started looking for ways to enjoy the flavours of seafood while eating a plant-based diet. 

She shared her recipe for carrot lox — which she says replicates the smoky, fresh flavours of salmon.

Outspoken

Moss-covered trees, shrubs and wildlife all make forests beautiful, but in the fourth episode of A Happier Planet, Pomeroy learns there's more to a forest's ecosystem than what we see as we wander through them. 

She met with nature educator Ross Reid to talk about how deforestation impacts not only the trees we see above the ground, but also the root system and other life below. 

About the Creator Network

The Creator Network amplifies the voices of the next generation of Canadian storytellers and connects them with CBC platforms, where they tell compelling stories and share unique perspectives that reflect the country in all its diversity. Learn more.