Food security begins with issues like deforestation and land change which impact water and soil quality. Two major factors in ensuring we all have enough to eat, and so will the generations who come after us. We currently produce enough food to feed 12-14 billion people, but much of it is wasted by diverting resources unwisely to livestock.

Ensuring a more even division of food can help end hunger for the 828 million people currently experiencing lack of adequate food. At the moment rich countries buy up unimaginable amounts of corn, soy, and alfalfa (a particularly water-thirsty crop) and feed them to livestock. Similarly we divert 1/3rd of the global fish catch to feed animals, despite scientists warning that these would be better used as human food.

Our Combat Hunger page has a directory for apps and organizations which divert food that would othwewise be wasted, instead giving it to people who need it the most. There are also some vegan food charities including Food Not Bombs, and a kitchen in Ukraine 

Composting should be a method of last resort as it means the resources used to grow the food has been wasted, and emissions will be released during composting (though less problematic than land fill or incineration).

Composting at home, or on site if you are a business, school, or other organization will have the lowest impact, but isn't possible in all locations due to space or legal constraints.

Composting services can sometimes break down things that can't be composted at home (such as meat or certain containers), however the trucks generally produce some emissions. Some of the compost services listed in our directory are bike-powered, while others use trucks powered by vegetable oil or other eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels.

These are a great option for schools and businesses, people living in apartments, and anyone with mobility problems, who might not be able to turn their compost pile from occasionally.

Libraries are the original zero-waste organizations, though they are now adapting to offer far more than just books! You can borrow entertainment online or go in to check out their tools, cooking equipment, musical instruments, camping gear, and more! Some provide maker spaces for crafters to use the crafting supplies like sewing machines. They often have staff available who can help teach you to use the items as well!

This directory also included repair shops. Some of the ones listed are hobby workshops and workshops provided by dedicated charities. Some of these charities accept items such as damaged tools to be refurbished and donated to poor communities, so read the descriptions to work out which listings are right for you.

Check out our Water page to learn what foods and products use the most water, as well as which choices and habits will have the biggest impact on reducing our water use.

Grey water is a great way to reduce our water use at home, though it will have a much lower impact than consumer choices. You can cheaply collect grey water with a bucket or bowl when you shower or wash your hands. Installing a system in a new building is more expensive, but will make life easier than hand-carrying water to the garden. Retrofitting an older building may be expensive or even impossible depending on the layout.

Our Waste Management page talk about different types of waste. If they can be reused or recycled, and if so, we've tried to include listing of places that will accept these items. This includes warnings about products like glow sticks and ideas on where to send old bikes.

Our Free Bikes Free and Trikes for Students page lists many organizations around the world helping students get to school safely without adding to global emissions. There are some that give new bikes, but we focused on organizations donating used and refurbished bikes. Some of these programs offer training to at risk youth, disabled people, single parents, and others who may otherwise struggle to find employment.

Nappies/Diapers

For some families and communities, single use nappies can make up the half the non-compostable waste.

Click the Nappies/Diapers button to learn more about ways to reduce nappy waste, cleaning, and other general information.

Click the Nappy Libraries button to see if you can borrow or rent an affordable kit, so you can decide if cloth nappies are right your your family.

Modern cloth nappies can be a fairly expensive investment for most parents (especially with the rising cost of everyday living), and not all communities have nappy libraries, so we've gathered a directory of charities that provide free nappies, as well as government programs that offer coupons or rebates. There are also educational workshops listed. Some of which are required to receive free kits, while others provide free kits as a "gift" for finishing the workshop. Some workshops are in person and/or online.

The DIY page offers videos and written guides in various language, plus free patterns for people who want to try making their own nappies. These can be made from many materials, even upcycled clothing and terry cloth for the absorbent inner pad.

Plastic

This page investigates which products and industries are the worst offenders for producing plastic pollution. We've also begun listing things that can be done including home recycling for one of the safer plastic types.

The Plastic Cleanup page mostly focuses on keeping plastic out of our waterways (for example using filters in washing machines), and devices or methods for capturing and removing plastics as well as other trash that ends up in bodies of water.

PFAS

PFAS and similar "forever chemicals" have been leaching out of non-stick pans and other products and into our bodies (including our blood and breast milk), our soil, water, air, and even our food. They bioaccumulate and cause an array of health problems, but easily go unnoticed. They are a growing danger to human and wildlife with very little we can do to combat the problem. The PFAS page talks about where these chemicals are lurking

The PFAS Cleanup page lists the growing number of ways scientists have found for removing PFAS, though many of these are either very expensive and require heavy equipment, or rely on organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and plants.

Solar Panel Recycling

Some of the bigger arguments against solar panels has been the very harmful mining required to produce so many solar panels, and the lack of recycling infrastructure, meaning that virtually all of those panels ended up in landfills. Finally, companies around the world have been working hard to develop panel recycling programs, and we have listed as many as we could find in our directory.