It’s Food Waste Prevention Week!
Save money while combatting climate change every day.
I often find climate-related news upsetting to read, and it doesn’t help that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases their climate report in the gloomy, depressing month of March. This year’s report warned the world is likely to surpass the ability to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial temperatures if drastic changes are not made by the early 2030s.
Such declarations leave me asking myself “What can I possibly do?”. Taking action makes me feel less anxious, but the problem of climate change feels so enormous compared to my individual actions—and besides, accountability should be on global corporations and producers through Extended Producer Responsibility laws and other policies that seek to reduce climate impacts on a global scale. Instead, many corporations are quick to exploit my anxiety-driven desire to act when it can distract from them doing the bare minimum. Greenwashing comes to mind, when organizations spend more time and money marketing itself as environmentally friendly than addressing their environmental impacts, capitalizing on people’s desires to make good environmental choices.
Even then, “good environmental choices” are hard to define. For example, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has looked at the environmental impacts of different packaging and food service ware and found that sometimes non-recyclable packaging have less climate impacts than those that can be recycled. (The results could be different depending on what environmental issue you focus on, and there’s a whole host of options: human toxicity, air pollution, water conservation, microplastics, and more).
Perhaps all these complexities, and the frustration over global inaction is exactly why people gravitate towards simple actions they can take. “Can I recycle my yogurt lid?” is a tangible question. Will it save the world? Not as much as I’d like. So again, I return to wondering what tangible thing I can do every day to have the greatest impact.
This is why I like Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization that has ranked various solutions to help the world reach a point where greenhouse gases decline. One of the largest, greenhouse gas reduction solutions they have identified in which I have the most control over as an individual is managing my household’s wasted food.
While food waste happens at every stage of the food supply chain, the largest portion of wasted food occurs in people’s homes (around 37%). I don’t know about you, but this makes me feel empowered to explore my own wasted food and talk with others about this high-impact, every-day opportunity to combat climate change (while also saving money!).
Food Waste Prevention Week: April 10-16, 2023
April 10th – 16th is Food Waste Prevention Week, and I encourage you to get involved! There are plenty of ways to do so.
Learn More
Learn about how reducing food waste saves money, protects the environment, and reduces hunger in our communities. There are a number of articles, webinars, and resources to do so (including K-12 resources!)
Take Action
There are many actions you can take at home to reduce your own food waste. Consider your own needs and how food may be wasted in your household while exploring different actions you can take. While one person may find success in freezing items in bulk, another household may find more success in shopping more regularly for only what they need. There is no one perfect solution for all households, and don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.
Share with Others
Get involved by reposting Food Waste Prevention Week’s social media posts or taking the pledge. There is also a K-12 Art Contest if you’d like to involve students.
Tips for talking with others about wasted food
Studies by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality have found some key guidelines for talking about food waste with people. Here are three points I find particularly helpful:
Recognize a lot of people are already doing a lot to prevent wasting food and don’t need convincing of its importance.
Lead with saving money as the reason to waste less food. Depending on your audience, the scale of food waste can feel overwhelming or shameful, potentially causing them to disengage.
Remember, many people are already storing food to last longer, and not everyone can always plan meals in advance. Instead, elevate less common steps to reduce food waste, especially those that are simple to do. These steps can be highly individual, so start a conversation. This is a great way to highlight your own tips and tricks!