Highlighting home economics themes

World Home Economics Day (WHED) was initiated as a public relations event in 1982, and since then each 21 March highlights a home economics theme we feel deserves public attention. The themes for the upcoming years are:

2026: You are what you Eat: Feeding the Future

2027: Slow down Fast Fashion

2028: Water for Everyday Life

 

2025: Tackling Overconsumption

Our current way of living and consuming is unsustainable. We use more resources than the Earth can provide and often more than is good for us. This overconsumption leads to health and financial problems, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution. It's time for a change.

Key Areas for Change

  1. Food: Shifting to a more plant-based diet can reduce emissions and improve health.
  2. Housing: Consider how much space we really need, use sustainable energy, and adopt eco-friendly technologies.
  3. Travel: Support and use more sustainable transportation options.

Home economics can help guide these changes, making it easier for everyone to live sustainably and enjoy a good quality of life.

Remember: Tackling consumption isn't about sacrifice – it's about creating a better life for all of us and for future generations.

Read the IFHE Statement “Tackling Consumption for a Better World" here

Watch and use the IFHE Video “Tackling Overconsumption” to promote WHED 2025.

WHED 2025 “Tackling Overconsumption” - Introduction (ppt, pdf)

WHED Position Paper German Section of IFHE (German version)

2024: Home Economics 3.0.: A Critical Update

The workplace, industry, our lives, are changing at an unprecedented pace. We live in an era characterized by the integration of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, internet of things and automation across manufacturing and service industries. The impact of these technologies will require interdisciplinary education based in the real-world and require workers who are prepared to handle the complex ethical considerations created by yet unimagined changes.

Home Economics is well placed to contribute to efforts such as energy efficiency and integration through the internet of things to improve life for people with disabilities. These technologies may also create opportunities within the home for life-long learning spaces through better interior design. Fields such as Home Economics, which have an ethical core and place the well-being of human families in the forefront, need to be included in the development of policy and education related to artificial intelligence. See what our colleagues around the world have been doing to provide a critical update on the cutting-edge in Home Economics.

 

See the informative position paper of the German Section of IFHE English Version, German Version, read the inspiring Opening Speech given by Prof. Dr. Mee Sok PARK, on 8 August 2023 at the 21st ARAHE Biennial International Congress and watch the Video from IFHE President Gwendolyn Hustvedt, introducing the WHED Theme 2024 here.

TECHES:Technology Education for Careers for Home Economics Students Workshop. The workshop is intended to provide skills and experiences for attendees to support them with building a web store. The activities showcasing advanced technologies have been selected to help participants launch, display, and sell their products. Find more information and a workshop agenda here and feel free to use it for creating your own workshop.

Celebrating Word Home Economics Day 2024:

Webinar 21 March 2024, 10 am ('Nigeria): Home Econonmics: The Solution to the Present Socio-Economic and Digital Technology Challenges. More

Webinar 21 March 2024, 2 pm (Ireland): Introducing AI in Food Education on World Home Economics Day.More

Online Event on 21 March 2024 (Austria): Future Technologys and AI in Food Production. Press Release in German Language. More

Lots of Learning and (quite) a bit of fun. Colleagues in Malta celebrate Wordl Home Economics Day on 21 March 2024, 3 - 5 pm. More

Professional Online Event: IFHE US celebrates World Home Economics Day on  23 March 2024, 12 pm (Central Time US). More

HEart contest: February - April 2024: Philippine Home Economists captured the heart of Home Economics from February - April 2024. More

 

 

 

2023: Waste Literacy

The world’s enormous waste problem won’t be “solved” by just dumping it. We need to come up with better ideas to minimize waste generation and preserve natural resources. Waste Literacy, the knowledge about waste reduction and sustainable consumption, is an essential building block to achieve a sustainable future. Waste Literacy is a central element of education for sustainable development, to which home economics makes a fundamental contribution..

Whether through solution-based research, education or community outreach, home economics experts impart knowledge on how to responsibly manage resources at household and consumer level. This knowledge plays an important role in changing our everyday behaviour.  See the informative position paper of IFHE-Germany on Waste Literacy and the IFHE official announcement for World Home Economics Day 2023.

We also invite you to participate in the Reduce Reuse Regenerate workshop at 21 March at 11am Irish time.

 

2022: Building resilient homes & families

Homes are the most important haven & asset in peoples’ lives. More and more, global developments such as climate change, pandemic and war affect the wellbeing of household members. This year's World Home Economics Day (WHED) focus is on our profession’s contribution to make homes safer and more resilient.

IFHE and many home economics association worldwide celebrate WHED with special events. Here, we highlight two of them:

Webinar series on housing

Housing and indoor environment is a home economics discipline spearheading education & research on building resilient households. IFHE housing experts share their expertise on aspects such as environmental health, consumer choice or housing insecure populations (available at the IFHE youtube channel).

National competition

The German IFHE organized a competition and awarded projects related to home economics skills that strengthen the resilience of families and households. Winner was an association which creates jobs in the field of care of the elderly and thus provides respite for households through the support services. Another prize wend to a 23-year-old home economist who developed teaching materials for pupils in the 8th and 9th grades.

Virtual regional conferences

Member organizations in Asia have been organizing high-level conferences on the occasion of WHED for decades. This was the case again in 2022, when experts from China, Thailand, Japan and Malaysia spoke under the leadership of the Asian Regional Association for Home Economics. Likewise, the Philippine Home Economics Association celebrated with just over 2000 virtual participants (find detailed reports in the Members Area).

More information...

 

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