Community Fridge in Spain lets people avoid food wasting by sharing
Food waste is a growing problem throughout the world; on one hand, we've got so many people starving or living in food insecurity, and on the other hand, in places like Western Europe or the US people are wasting almost 50% of what they eat. It seems rational to find ways to send the excess food to the places where it's most needed, but that doesn't happen nearly as much as it should. With that in mind, people in Galdakao, Spain, took initiative.
全球的食物浪费形势越来越严峻。一方面，很多人仍然在挨饿或者没有足够的食物；另一方面，西欧、美国等地区吃剩浪费的食物近50%。寻找方法把多余的食物送送到最需要食物的地方似乎是一种合理的选择，但是这样的现象并不经常发生。考虑到这一问题，西班牙加尔达考的人们积极采取了行动。
They launched what they call the Community Fridge – a regular white fridge placed in the middle of the town where anyone can drop food or leftovers and anyone can come in and take it. This one fridge has already saved 300 kg of food in just two months. The creators of the fridge are adamant that the service is not a charity – anyone can come and just take whatever food they want.
他们推出了一种“社区冰箱”，这个普通的白色冰箱被安置在镇中心，任何人都可以把食物或吃剩的饭菜放在这，或来这取食物。这个冰箱在仅仅两个月内已经节省了300千克食物。这个冰箱的发起者坚称这项服务不是施舍，每个人都可以来，想拿走什么就拿走什么。
Of course, there are a few regulations though – you can't donate raw fish, meat or eggs, for health reasons. Also, all the food has to be within its expiration date and anything homemade should have a label with the ingredients; reasonable rules, and so far, the program seems to enjoy its success. Other Spanish cities have expressed interest in adopting their own Community Fridge.
当然也有些规定，为了健康起见，不能捐赠生鱼、肉和鸡蛋。而且，所有的食物必须在保质期内，自制食品必须添加标签说明它的成分，这些都是合理的规定。到目前为止，这个项目似乎很成功。西班牙其他城市也对安置这种“社区冰箱”颇有兴趣。
This is not the first time this kind of idea has been put forth. In Pumpipumpe in Switzerland residents place stickers on their mailbox to mark goods they can lend to neighbors and that works out just fine. A man in the Saudi city of Hail has also put a fridge outside his house and called on neighbors to fill it with food for the needy. However, in Yolo County, California, several University of California graduate students placed a community fridge on their lawn, sharing what they didn't need. People loved the idea and it worked just as it should, until the Yolo County Health Department caught wind of the experiment, they shut it down. County officials claimed the fridge was an illegal food facility.
此前也有类似的想法倡议。在瑞士的Pumpipumpe，当地居民在他们的邮箱上贴上标签，标明哪些物品可以借给邻居，效果还不错。沙特海尔市的一名男子也在自家门外放了一台冰箱，号召邻居往里面放食物送给穷人。然而，在加州约洛县，加利福尼亚大学的几名研究生在草坪上安置了一台社区冰箱，把他们用不着的食物分享给大家。人们觉着这个点子很赞，而且效果也不错，直到约洛县卫生部门听说了这个尝试，他们叫停了这个项目。县官员称这台冰箱是非法的食品设施。
"He's started a food business. The food's not from an approved source. He can't guarantee its safety. There are so many unknowns that there is a high risk to the public,"said April Meneghetti, a Yolo County environmental health specialist.
约洛县环境卫生专家阿普丽尔•梅内盖蒂表示，“他开始做食品生意，食物的来源未经认可。他不能保证食品安全。仍有很多未知因素，这将给市民带来很高的风险。”
That idea doesn't fly in the US, and it seems like some people would rather throw food away than risk sharing it with others, but I certainly think this idea is worth spreading. Sure, you need someone to verify the contents of the fridge periodically and take out the food that goes bad, but for 150 kg of food per month, with one fridge? I think that's worth it.
这种想法并没有在美国流行开来，一些人似乎宁愿扔掉食物，也不愿冒险与别人分享，但是我的确认为这个想法值得传播开来。当然，需要有人定期检查冰箱里放的食物，把坏掉的食物拿出来。仅用一个冰箱，每个月就能节省150公斤的食物，我认为值得一试。
Vocabulary
adamant: 坚定不移的
catch wind of: 听说
英文来源：zmescience.com
译者：实习生冯佳佳
审校&编辑：许晶晶
