Julia Janosko

October 11 2019

The Environmental Impact of Food Waste (Move for Hunger)

Food waste ends up in landfills and releases large amounts of methane and carbon. These greenhouse gasses absorb infrared radiation and heat up the earth’s atmosphere which leads to climate change and potential global warming. Agriculture is 70 percent of the water used in the world, which means that food waste consumes a vast amount of both freshwater and groundwater resources. By disposing of one kilogram of beef, 50,000 liters of water are being wasted that were used to produce that meat. Approximately 1.4 billion hectares of land is used to grow food that is thrown away or wasted. Millions of gallons of oil are also wasted to make food products that are not eaten. This research will be used to try to stop uneaten food from ending up in the landfill. It will also be used as part of the FWCG public service announcement as some of the astonishing facts of food waste to try to convince people to only buy what they need and what they can do with food they don't eat.

Food waste matters - A systematic review of household food waste practices and their policy implications (Journal of Cleaner Productions)

Nearly one-third of overall food production is wasted which is about 1.3 tons of food. Consumers that busy with work and lack leisure time tend not to look into the fridge prior to shopping, making them more likely to purchase something that is already at home. Some studies also suggest that meal planning can reduce food waste. Food waste slightly increases with an increased number of shopping trips. Another thing that affects food waste rates is the method of food storage, in a household with systematic, by date food organization less food is wasted than homes without said organization. Homes with children also produce more food waste due to the erratic eating patterns of children. Very similarly to people that eat outside the home waste more food and yet still spend about the same amount if not more on groceries. All these food eating habits demonstrate that little things make a big difference when it comes to food waste and by implementing even one of these habits can make a significant discrepancy in the amount of food waste produced by just a single household. Throughout the Personal Impact Project, the Food Waste Chane Group will educate and encourage the use of healthy food consumption patterns as well as eating in the home. Through healthy food patterns, the hope is that people become more knowledgeable about their food intake and their food waste numbers decrease.

Food Waste Has a Big Impact on Climate, Water, Land, and Biodiversity

Extending its environmental impacts, the economic effects of producers' food wastage is about 750 billion dollars annually. So much money could be saved if people only purchased what they needed and they could also save the environment in the process. Almost half of the world's food waste happens during the production and packaging process of a product. Limits should be placed on production industries for their annual waste quota. Even though one-third of our food is wasted 870 million people go hungry every day. How could we use food that would be wasted to help feed people that are malnourished or are struggling to access and acquire food? This could be addressed almost as a research topic, but perhaps the food from markets that don't sell should be taken to food banks or compost gardens. In short, animals use up more resources and produce more greenhouse gases than crops. Also from an efficiency perspective, it is more efficient to consume calories from plants than from cattle or animals because of the number of resources they use up. Animals also compost differently than plants, instead of composting to make new soil, they usually just rot and smell. How can everybody chip in to reduce food waste? In our project, the main topic is trying to avoid the garbage can when disposing of food. The conversation of composting, food banks, and gardening need to be widened exponentially so that food waste numbers can be cut down.

Fight Climate Change by Preventing Food Waste

About 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if the world just tried to reduce their individual food waste production. Consumer food waste causes about 2.3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. As the world’s population begins to grow, instead of producing more food or finding new things to eat, the human population needs to produce the same or less while still feeding everyone. The key is better food use and home habits. There are several key habits to saving food and helping the environment; plan ahead, use your freezer to save old food, get creative with leftovers, find new uses for old foods in the pantry, and talk to other people about their food waste effects. Throughout the FWCG our emphasis is healthy and sustainable food practices that reduce the carbon footprint of communities. Understandably, families in townhomes or homes with smaller lots don't have anywhere to put a compost bin. So there are plenty of alternatives to them that can still reduce food waste production.

Lilly kirn-

october 14 2019

How Does Food Waste Impact The Environment?

\Food waste impacts the environment because rotting food releases methane gas which is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide. It also takes a very long time for the food to break down in landfills. And we are wasting valuable resources and nutrients by the ton every day. “How Does Food Waste Impact The Environment?” Best Food Facts, 4 Jan. 2019, www.bestfoodfacts.org/how-does-food-loss-and-waste-impact-the-environment/.

Here’s how we solve the planets food waste problem

Some of the easily fixed problems of food waste are the packaging and transportation of food. Keeping them fresher for longer and storing them properly. Another is to just stop sending food to landfills. Building compost bins. And the biggest of all is to just change the worlds opinion of so called “ugly food” and show them it is okay to eat it and it is just as delicious. Stone, Maddie. “Here's How We Solve the Planet's Food Waste Problem.” Grist, Grist, 21 Aug. 2019, grist.org/article/un-ipcc-says-we-need-to-waste-less-food-heres-how/.

Solving the problem of food waste

Food waste is not only bad for the environment but also for the climate. Ways to reduce food waste at home is to utilize leftovers. Plan your meals for the week so you don’t overbuy on things like products that quickly expire. Friends of the Earth. (2019). Solving the problem of Food waste | Friends of the Earth. [online] Available at: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/food-waste [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Fight climate change by preventing food waste

Most of the food that we are wasting is perishables. Because families don't plan their meals or grocery list for the week. And they end up overbuying and the food expires without ever even being eaten. “Fight Climate Change by Preventing Food Waste.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste.