wastingtheirmoney
andthey’rewasting
resources.Today,al-
mostonebillionpeo-
pleonthisplanetare
goinghungry,andat
thesametimethere
isenoughfoodlostor
wastedthatcouldfeed
twobillion.”
Juulcutsastriking
figure, dressed all
in black,withplati-
num-blondehair.As
she talks, her arms
wavearound,fingers
splayed,asifmiming
theimportanceand
urgencyofhercause.
“Ifwecansolvethis,itwillbeone
ofthekeystoachievingworldpeace,”
shesays.“Ifeverychild,womanand
manhasenoughtoeat,manyof the
world’sconf lictswillcease.”S
inceJuul launched Stop
WastingFoodin2008,it’s
estimatedthat Denmark
hascutitsfood wasteby
morethanaquarter,andJuulcan
takemuchofthecredit.It’sfairto
saythathercauseisprettymuchher
life,andtodayisjustanotherdayina
typicallyhecticweekthatbeganwith
a speechata schoolinJutland– four
hourswestofCopenhagen.
Itwill alsoincludetime spent
planninga triptotheVatican,where
she has been invited to speak at aareonlythreeques-
tionslefttodiscuss:
“Must we change?
Canwechange?Will
wechange?”
For Juul, Gore’s
wordshaveparticular
significance.Fourteen
yearsago,hisdocu-
mentary, AnIncon-
venientTruth, changed
herlifeandinspired
her,inherownway,
totrytochangethe
world.
BeforeGore’sspeech
shehadanopportuni-
tytotellhimthisand
toexplainhowshehas
foundeda movement,StopSpildAf
Mad(StopWastingFood),whichhas
hada hugeimpactinDenmark.Their
meetingisreportedonDenmark’s
eveningTVbulletins:Russian-born
Juulisa nationalfigureinheradopt-
edcountry,andwhatshesaysand
doesmakesnews.
“Itwasagreathonourtomeet
him,”saysJuul,proudlydisplaying
theselfieonherphone.She’sa warm,
empatheticcharacter,whofavoursa
hugovera handshakeandwhotalks
articulatelyandpassionatelyabout
thesubjectclosesttoherheart.
Herambitionisthatwastingfood
willonedaybeseentobeassocially
unacceptableassmokingindoors.
“Seeingpeoplewastingfoodmakes
meverysad,”she says. “They’re
READER’S DIGEST
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SELINA JUULAselfiewithAlGore,who
inspired Juul’s campaign84 April 2020