On the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, tackling food waste is a key topic of discussion. And it should be: it is both an ethical and an environmental concern.
How much food are Americans wasting? Civil Eats’ Naomi Starkman (@NaomiStarkman) writes for MSNBC (@msnbc):
“Nearly one-third of the fruit, vegetables, grains, meat, and packaged foods produced across the globe gets tossed out every year. In the U.S., that figure can climb as high as 40%, to the tune of $165 billion in losses each year. Americans throw away an average of 20 pounds of food each month — costing them each between $28 and $43.”
Food waste is impacting our environment in serious ways. Starkman writes:
“Much of the wasted food ends up rotting in landfills, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere. Nearly 25% of all freshwater consumed annually in the U.S. is associated with food waste. That’s a little more than the volume of Lake Erie. And where there’s wasted food, there’s also wasted energy; approximately 2.5% of the U.S. energy budget is “thrown away” annually as food waste.”
This is a great article, with hyperlinks to resources and research, and practical suggestions on how you can take action. If you have children, this would be a great piece to read together, and use as a springboard to discussing ways to reduce food waste in your own home.
This article is part of MSNBC’s focus on the topic. The network will host a screening of Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story on Wednesday, April 22nd, at 10:00 p.m. EST.
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