Tuesday Tip for a Greener Planet –
WHAT’S YOUR ‘FOOD’PRINT AND HOW CAN IT SAVE THE PLANET?!
What is one of the biggest threats to the environment? Your first guess is probably not a favorite restaurant or grocery store but according to National Geographic’s May 2014 issue on The New Food Revolution, “our need for food poses one of the biggest dangers to the planet”.
Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to global warming, emitting more greenhouse gases than all our cars, trucks, trains, and planes combined – largely from methane released by cattle and rice farms, nitrous oxide from fertilized fields, and carbon dioxide from the cutting of rain forests to grow crops or raise livestock.
So, what can we do?!
Reduce food waste
An estimated 25 percent of the world’s food calories (or about 1.3 billion tons) are lost or wasted before they can be consumed. In developed countries, the waste occurs in homes, restaurants, and supermarkets. These startling statistics led the U.N. to launch a global campaign, Think Eat Save, dedicated to reducing the ‘foodprint’ or food waste of consumers, retailers, and restaurants.
The good news! We, as consumers, can make simple changes that make a BIG difference in the amount of food we throw away each year. Try one or all of these top 5 tips to reduce your foodprint!
- Avoid impulse buys. You’re less likely to eat the items you don’t need. Do you really NEED that whole apple pie anyway?
- Buy funny-looking produce. Nature does not naturally produce perfectly shaped, blemish-free fruit and vegetables so why do we expect it? When you buy them at a grocery store or farmer’s market, you’re helping reduce food that might otherwise be thrown out.
- Stock your shelves like the supermarket. Remember FIFO – First In First Out. When unpacking groceries, move older products to the front of the shelf and put new products in the back. Great way to avoid the dreaded – is this still good question on those post expiration date foods.
- Eat leftovers! So easy to forget what’s in that styrofoam container or casserole dish after it gets pushed to the back of the fridge. If you have leftovers, make sure to put them in an airtight container at the front of the shelf. All containers are not created equal so verify that the lids are truly secure and marked as ‘airtight’. We like
Wellbeing Glasslock glass storage with four sided seals for maximum freshness. Great to also bring one of these with you to the restaurant so no extra step to transfer at home AND no wasted to-go container that’s probably not even recyclable! - Make a smoothie. Soft fruit and vegetables can be used in smoothies as well as soups and nutritious juice.
- Bonus 6th tip – Compost! Did you forget tips 1-5? Don’t want to bother with re-purposing your food? Then, throw it in the compost bin! Try an easy un
der the sink option like recently launched, USA-made CompoKeeper with foot pedal for easy open and close or start a compost pile in the backyard.
Check out other easy ways to reduce food waste from Laura Newcomer with Greatist.
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