Reducing food waste could ease climate change
By Roff Smith, National Geographic
More than a third of all of the food that’s produced on our planet never reaches a table. It’s either spoiled in transit or thrown out by consumers in wealthier countries, who typically buy too much and toss the excess. This works out to roughly 1.3 billion tons of food, worth nearly $1 trillion at retail prices.
Aside from the social, economic, and moral implications of that waste—in a world where an estimated 805 million people go to bed hungry each night—the environmental cost of producing all that food, for nothing, is staggering.
The water wastage alone would be the equivalent of the entire annual flow of the Volga—Europe’s largest river—according to a UN report. The energy that goes into the production, harvesting, transporting, and packaging of that wasted food, meanwhile, generates more than 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind the U.S. and China.
John Mandyck, the chief sustainability officer of United Technologies, a U.S.-based engineering and refrigerated transport firm, says that food waste can be mitigated by improving the “cold chain,” which comprises refrigerated transport and storage facilities. His company hosted the first World Cold Chain Summit in London last November.
Reducing food waste, A great article, by Roff Smith of National Geographic. This is important stuff to think about how we waste water and throw away food.
I’ve seen this over the years of living here and working in the garbage business for many years.
While California produces alot of food, SO much is thrown away due to rot and over production by farmers using LOTS of water, and most importantly folks buying food that they don’t get around to eating, so in the garbage can it goes and off to the landfill.
As we go into our next year of drought it should be imperative that our crop growers and consumers that buy fresh produce from them, that the farmers think before they plant, and for how many acres they plant. We,as consumers, purchase, what do we really need so we are not throwing food away and wasting water on food that goes uneaten.
How many garbage cans do you fill in a week? How much is leftovers that is tossed out, or rotted food that was tosserd out? How much water do you use in a week trying to save a yellowed lawn? Just asking.
Take care, Old long Skiis
What about the cost of obesity in regards to water , transport etc
There should be mandatory composting of the waste and use it for community gardens instead of fake fertalizers. IMHO
Nature Bats Last, I’ve only been composting for a couple of years so I don’t really now what I’m doing. My boss from my old job was nice enough to give me a big load of compost from Full Circle Compost based in Minden. (775-267-5305)
South Tahoe Refuse( 530-541-5105 )has started a program of collecting food waste from some resturaunts and the casinos which is composted.
I switched from steer manure to compost years ago and it made a real difference in the flower beds as well as the vegetable garden. Learn as you grow!!! OLS
Composting is tough and can be a failure if all the needs arent there. Funny enough its “location, location, location”. There has to be enough sun to warm up the compost pile. It has to have enough moisture to help the worms and bugs stay alive, it needs alot of mulch (leaves, grass, yard waste, NOT just pine needles)to layer and mix into the food waste. Make sure you dont put meat into the pile. Some animal waste is ok but dont put dog or cat poop into it or cat litter waste. Adding shreaded paper is ok too. There are some great composting books out there and online sites that probably have good information. You need to be patient and work the compost, but not too much. Red wiggler worms will do most of the work. GOOD LUCK…