It’s a no-brainer that plastic is bad for the environment. Just turn to your local beach and there’s a good chance you’ll find at least one piece of plastic washed up on the sand. With calls to action increasing, supermarkets around the world have taken up a stand and gone single-use plastic bag free.

But things aren’t stopping there. Environmental activists are now turning to plastic straws with many groups stating that in some countries, like Australia, about 10 million plastic straws are used every day. The call to action has been heard across the world and now businesses, airlines, hotels and more are taking the pledge to go plastic straw free.

So, what is the plastic straw war all about and what should you do about it?

Straight To The Source is the brainchild of Australian food experts Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon, each of whom have over 20 years experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry, both back and front of house.

They create their food tours specifically with the hospitality professional in mind, filling a gap for hands-on professional development focused on understanding the provenance of the produce sourced by hospitality businesses.

We talked to them recently about their passion for Australian produce and why they advocate provenance and sustainability. 

Across the globe, we waste 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year; from the leftovers we chuck out in our domestic bins to the large-scale waste committed by hospitality venues, supermarkets and food producers. 

The world is beginning to wake up to the issue at hand, and while it does so, organizations and charities are popping up across the world with the specific task of reducing the massive amount of food we throw out each year. 

As 2016 nears its end, you can just about hear the collective sigh of relief – it hasn’t been an easy ride. But if you squint past the dark cloud that hung over the world (and the restaurant industry) for most of this year, you will find stories that will convince you 2016 wasn’t all bad. 

We've compiled some of our favorite ventures from the last year by creative people in the hospitality industry.

These projects forged new paths in the industry, proving there is space in hospitality to discuss the big issues facing us today, and to take steps towards positive change.