Wednesday, June 18, 2025

June 18 – Sustainable Gastronomy Day: Cultivating Change from Soil to Spoon and April 11 – Safe ePay Day: From Cashless to Careful

 The Citizen Advocate  Summary: Declaring April 11 as Safe ePay Day

Proposing April 11 as Safe ePay Day to mark UPI’s pilot launch on April 11, 2016, by NPCI with 21 banks, initiated by Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan in Mumbai. This initiative celebrates UPI’s seamless integration of banking and merchant payments.

June 18 – Appeal No 29

April 11 – Declare ‘Safe ePay Day’, Yes, April 11 is vacant in the UN Observance Day calendar.

UPI 10th Birthday -April 11th  2026 – 297 Days to go

 

 

Sustainable Gastronomy Day, observed annually on June 18, is a United Nations initiative that highlights the role of sustainable food practices in promoting agricultural development, food security, nutrition, and environmental protection.

It encourages respect for local ingredients, culinary traditions, and responsible food consumption.

The day serves as a reminder that gastronomy — the art of food — can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.

 

 


June 18 – Sustainable Gastronomy Day: Eat Smart, April 11 – Safe ePay Day: Pay Smart

 

🌍💧🍲 From Farm to Fintech: Celebrating Sustainable Gastronomy Day & Advocating for Safe ePay Day 📲🌾🔐


June 18 – Savoring the Future on Sustainable Gastronomy Day

Food is far more than fuel—it’s heritage, it’s innovation, it’s connection. Every June 18, the United Nations calls on the world to celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day, urging us to honour the rich tapestry of global cuisines while respecting the Earth’s natural resources.

But in 2025, amid growing drought conditions and the intensifying impacts of climate change, this day isn’t just about taste—it’s about survival. Meanwhile, as our economies grow increasingly digital, there’s another front of sustainability we must not ignore: digital safety.

So, while we enjoy our millet salads and zero-waste meals, let’s take a moment to support the appeal to declare April 11 as Safe ePay Day, a celebration of secure digital empowerment.


🌱 Part 1 – The Culinary Climate Challenge: Cooking for a Thirsty World

💧 Why Sustainable Gastronomy Matters Now More Than Ever

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations, agriculture accounts for nearly 70% of global freshwater use, making it a major contributor to water scarcity. As droughts become more common, especially in vulnerable regions, every meal choice we make can be a vote for—or against—sustainability. (FAO Link)

From choosing drought-resilient grains to supporting smallholder farmers, Sustainable Gastronomy Day is our reminder that what we put on our plate impacts our planet.


🌾 Drought-Friendly Ingredients Worth Celebrating

  • Millet, Sorghum, and Teff: These ancient grains not only need less water to grow, but they’re packed with fibre, protein, and resilience. Whether it’s millet upma in India, teff injera in Ethiopia, or sorghum muffins in the U.S., they represent a culinary comeback for climate resilience.
  • Cactus and Succulents: In Mexico, nopales (cactus pads) are more than a survival food—they’re a delicacy. They thrive with minimal irrigation and offer a crisp, tangy taste perfect for stir-fries and tacos.
  • Legumes like Chickpeas and Mung Beans: These nitrogen-fixing crops improve soil health and require less water. They’re also culinary chameleons—great in stews, curries, hummus, or even desserts!

🧑‍🍳 Ten Delicious Ways to Celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day (from Worldchefs.org)

1.    👩‍🌾 Visit your local farmer’s market and meet water-wise growers

2.   🍛 Prepare a meal with only indigenous, drought-tolerant ingredients

3.   📱 Share your family’s sustainable recipes on social media

4.   🧂 Cook root-to-stem: Use carrot tops, beet peels, and watermelon rinds

5.   🧃 Make fermented foods to preserve produce longer

6.   🗣️ Host a discussion on climate-smart diets with your community

7.   🎨 Organize a school poster competition on food sustainability

8.   💰 Support NGOs fighting food insecurity in drought-hit regions

9.   🍴 Throw a “Zero-Waste” dinner party

10.               🧑‍🍳 Partner with local chefs for workshops on sustainable menus

💬 From CareOurEarth.com:

“Sustainable gastronomy considers where ingredients are from, how food is grown, and how it gets to our markets and plates—all while minimizing harm to the planet.” (Read more)


🔐 Part 2 – Safe ePay Day: A Digital Digestif for Our Future

While we explore resilience on the plate, we must also prioritize resilience in our payments. On April 11, 2016, India launched the pilot of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which has since grown into a fintech force processing over 14 billion transactions every month.

To honour this legacy, there’s an active appeal to declare April 11 as Safe ePay Day—a day to promote secure digital financial practices and inclusive access to e-payments worldwide. (More on this at: prashantnepayments.blogspot.com)


🛡️ Why We Need Safe ePay Day

1.    Celebrate India’s Fintech Legacy: UPI has enabled digital payments from street vendors in Varanasi to global transactions in Singapore and France 🌍.

2.   Promote Digital Security: Like food safety, digital safety is essential. Phishing, online fraud, and digital illiteracy threaten financial inclusion.

3.   Educate for Empowerment: Safe ePay Day could feature workshops, school activities, and fintech pledges to ensure secure use of mobile apps and payment portals.

4.   Inspire Global Movements: Just like the International Day of Yoga, Safe ePay Day can showcase India’s leadership in tech-driven inclusion.


🔄 The Connection: Sustainability in Every Sector

Whether it’s a bowl of millets or a mobile payment on a roadside tea stall, both food systems and financial systems need resilience, inclusion, and safety.

  • Drought resilience and digital empowerment are not parallel journeys—they intersect in real lives, where the farmer with a dry field is the same person trying to receive a government subsidy digitally.
  • Sustainable Gastronomy feeds our bodies; Safe ePay Day protects our wallets. Both are essential for a truly sustainable, secure future.

🌟 Final Serving: Take Action Today!

June 18 – Cook Local, Waste Less, Eat Smart
April 11 – Advocate, Share & Secure Every Transaction

Let your meals nourish the Earth. Let your payments protect your future.
Together, we can build a planet that is well-fed and well-defended.
🌾💳💚

#SustainableGastronomyDay | #SafeEPayDay | #DroughtSmartDining | #SecureDigitalIndia

 

## Call to Action 

I urge governments, financial institutions, businesses, and communities worldwide to join hands in declaring April 11 as **Safe ePay Day**.

Let’s celebrate UPI’s milestone by making **Safe ePay Day** a global movement for secure, innovative fintech.

Together, we can build a future where financial access is universal, and every e-payment is safe—starting with **Safe ePay Day** in 2026.

 

 

No Vada Pav, not even one bite,
Till SafeePay Day takes off in flight.
Quirky vow with a Mumbai flair—
Announce the date, and I’ll be there!

 

 

Disclaimer: - The only Joy is Safe ePayments. Nothing More – Nothing Less.

April 11 – Declare ‘Safe ePay Day’.

 

https://movethebarrier.blogspot.com/

 

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