Food Waste And Climate Change

Reduce food waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

... More than a third of all food grown for human consumption in the United States never makes it to someone’s stomach, according to the nonprofit ReFED. That’s about $408 billion worth of food, grown on 18 percent of U.S. farmland with 4 trillion tons of water.

The carbon footprint of U.S. food waste is greater than that of the airline industry. Globally, wasted food accounts for about 8 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental consequences of producing food that no one eats are massive.

Meanwhile, a staggering 26 million American adults told the Census Bureau last fall that they hadn’t had enough to eat in the previous week. The problem was even worse in households with children.

The biggest proportion of food waste occurs in our homes (food not eaten, perishables gone bad, etc.). The article details ways to ameliorate a lot of that food waste both in our homes and in our communities.  When some food inevitably goes uneaten, think before it goes in the trash:

... When food rots in a landfill, it produces huge amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas at least 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide. But in compost bins, microbes convert that organic matter into nutrient-rich soil, keeping the carbon out of the atmosphere and producing valuable fertilizer. Project Drawdown, a nonprofit researching the best ways to reduce planet-warming emissions, reports that increasing composting around the globe could generate carbon savings equivalent to taking roughly 15 million passenger vehicles off the road for 30 years. 

Some communities and apartment complexes offer composting collection services if you're not able to use the compost in your garden or drop it off at a community collection center. 

Please take a few moments to read the article, or go to the ReFed link for more.  

Meanwhile, to help those who don't have food to waste, please consider donating to and/or volunteering with one of these organizations:

Feeding America: With a network of 200 food banks across the US, this organization is helping food banks support communities impacted by the pandemic.

GENYOUth: They are providing grants to schools to supply resources for meal distribution and delivery so students can be fed even when they are not at school during the coronavirus crisis.

Meals on Wheels provides home delivery of food to seniors. The organization faces an increased need for volunteers and donations right now as many seniors find themselves more isolated and in need than usual.

Save the Children: Actresses Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams have teamed up with Save the Children to launch #SAVEWITHSTORIES. The program is providing children in America’s poorest communities with nutritious meals, books and other learning resources during the outbreak closures.

United Way: They are using their Covid-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund to stock food banks with essential staples to help feed children who rely on schools for meals.

World Central Kitchen: Founder Chef José Andrés (who merits a Nobel Peace Prize for what he's been doing now and in other disasters) is turning the kitchens in some of his restaurants into community kitchens offering free to-go lunches for those in need.

Thank you!