Climate Action Day 29 – Cut Down on Your Food Waste

Food and Farming

The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024

Food waste from consumers has a significant climate cost, representing close to 10% of total direct human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. Contrary to a widely-held belief, most of the food waste in this country – around 133 billion pounds – does not come from grocery stores and restaurants, rather from you and me as consumers. As Heidi states, “the upside of this is that we can clearly be part of the solution!”

Discarded food represents 24% of municipal solid waste in landfills. Because of the rapid chemical degradation process, food breaking down the anaerobic conditions in landfills is a significant source of methane, which is a greenhouse gas more powerful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. The EPA estimates that 58% of fugitive methane emissions released from landfills come from food waste.

“It is estimated that 40 percent of food in the United States is thrown away!”

Heidi Roop

And the immediate issue is that this waste is taking place while food insecurity and a lack of access to affordable nutritious food is an issue disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations across the country.

With simple planning, you can reduce your food waste, i.e. through better meal planning, improving food storage practice, and better use of leftovers. Weigh the waste food that you put into your trash can and track it over time as you implement your changes. Overall the goal will be to feed yourself and your family with a minimum of food waste.

Reducing consumption and thoughtful food management will have a big impact. What is left over should be composted. Stay tuned for Action 30!

Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 30: Compost

Howard Creel

#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com