Give Thanks For Abundance
As we begin to think about the seasonal ritual of a Thanksgiving meal and its true meaning of expressing gratitude for all we have, here are some worthwhile facts to ponder about the food we don’t eat, and instead, throw away. (Inspired byJonathan Bloom, author of the blog, www.WastedFood.com )
Facts:
About 40% of the food produced in the US is NOT consumed. Every day, Americans waste enough food to fill the Rose Bowl. We are wasting 50% more food today, than we did in 1974. Because of the fossil fuels needed to grow, process, transport and refrigerate our food, when you add up the amount of the oil needed to produce the food we throw away every year, it is 70 times the amount of oil that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico during the 3 months of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
The food waste in our landfills decomposes into methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the second largest human–related source of methane emissions. It’s climate change coming directly from your kitchen!
The number of hungry people in Los Angeles County continues to increase: 46% of County residents received food assistance last year. Meanwhile, Angelenos throw away about 18 million pounds of food EVERY day, with the average family of four throwing away $1,350 worth of food annually.
Tips To Give Thanks For Abundance:
Cutting your food waste in half (going on the estimate provided above), and giving the money to a soup kitchen would provide 700 meals.- Buy smarter: plan your week’s dinners and make a detailed shopping list. This will help you to cut down on buying more food than you can possibly eat before it goes bad.
- Re-think portion size. Eating smaller portions means you won’t overeat or scrape the remaining food into the garbage can.
- Compost!! By composting your food scraps, you will be creating a usable soil amendment rather than methane, and you will be returning your food’s nutrients to the soil instead of just throwing them away.
Here’s to a Happy, Thoughtful, and Green Thanksgiving Holiday!