We never wasted food when I lived at home with my parents in Slovakia. We grew our own vegetables and fruits, and made jams and pickles from leftovers. Our food waste went to my grandma’s chickens over the road, or was put into compost bins. We were environmentally friendly, but I’d never heard of “dumpster diving” back then – or considered trying to save the planet.
In my late teens, I spent a summer season working in mountain chalets in High Tatras, Slovakia, where I met others who were environmentally friendly and connected to nature. I decided I wanted to study environmental management, rather than economics.
