Say No to Plastic, Yes to Porongo

Clarinha Glock

In the spirit of citizenship and health preached by the II WSF, a special Kit is being distributed by the Healthy Eating Habits Corner for those who love natural food and hate waste.

Original and useful, the kit contains a 'porongo' plate, made from a gourd, and a cup and utensils made from bamboo, all packed in a cotton bag, each piece handmade. Those who purchase the kit may use it, if they wish, to eat a meal on-site of agrotoxic-free, non-transgenic foods. And behind the food stands, there are water tanks, soap and sponges to wash the pieces included in the kit, leaving them clean - and ready for the next meal.

The gourd plates were produced by inmates at the Porto Alegre Central Prison and the Jacuí State Penitentiary. The bamboo cups, which hold 180 to 200 ml, were made by land reform landowners at Capela de Santana in the Rio Grande do Sul municipality of Nova Santa Rita. The utensils, also bamboo, are the work of 'gaucho' artisans from this state as well. And the cotton bags to carry the set were made by Univens, a cooperative of seamstresses known as 'United We Stand Porto Alegre'.

'Many people purchase it as a souvenir,' says Cleusa Amaral, a nutritionist with CEASA, the state's Department of Agriculture and coordinator of the Healthy Eating Corner.

The pamphlet that accompanies the kit provides a lesson about the products. We learn, for example, that the porongo is a food eaten by indigenous peoples. Its hard, hollow shell is commonly used in Rio Grande do Sul to make the traditional 'cuias', which are used for drinking 'chimarrão' (in Portuguese), known as maté in Spanish. Bamboo, meanwhile, serves as an ornamental plant and for manufacturing furniture and handicrafts, and is generally found on the state's Indian reservations.

Beyond reducing the use of plastic utensils, cups and plates, which are usually used once and then tossed in the garbage - and can take centuries to decompose -, the sales of the kits to the WSF participants will generate income for the groups that produced the various items.

The Healthy Eating Habits Corner can be found near prédio 17 (Colégio Champagnat) of the PUC. The food choices range from typical dishes of the Pampas, to fish prepared by the Ilha da Pintada community, or vegetarian fare, ecological snacks and delights from Bahia. There is also a wide array of juices available.

The Corner will be serving food every day of the WSF from 8 am to 7 pm, though the serving hours may be extended when there are shows performing at the site. The Healthy Eating Kit sells for just R$5.