Waste Not, Want Not
Did your parents ever tell you about starving kids in China to get you to eat everything on your plate? Mine did, and even if the method was silly, I certainly learned the lesson and loathe wasting any food at all.
Not so with every American. A recent New York Times report reveals that an astonishing 27% of food in America goes straight to the landfill. So not only do we eat more than anyone else, we waste more too. This is a bad habit that has to change.
Waste not, want not, a common saying goes, and our editor, Sara, recently suggested some practical tips to reduce your food waste. Here are even more ideas:
1. Maintain a simple diet, based on the healthiest whole foods. The less hodge-podge, the easier it is to mix and manage what you already have.
2. Avoid fad foods or buying things just because they’re on sale. Be realistic; buy only what you’re really going to eat and not what you think you should eat because it’s supposedly good for you.
3. Keep dried goods in reused glass jars (Mason jars, spaghetti sauce jars, etc). This way it’s easier to see what you actually have, plus it’s quite attractive.
4. Zen is in; don’t overstuff the fridge. Unless you’re feeding a large family, you don’t need that much food in one place at one time. Keep some empty spaces so you can see what’s actually in there, otherwise you’ll end up with Slimy Brown Lettuce Syndrome.
5. See leftovers as an opportunity to get creative. Rather than always buying new ingredients to make new meals, use what you already have to make something spontaneous and creative. That’s the touski way.
6. Give back to the earth: Compost! What was once destined for the landfill can now be turned into valuable nutrition for the garden. Start a compost today – it’s so easy and fun. (FYI, because of improper conditions, food won’t compost in a landfill. It just takes up space.)
7. Appreciate food. If you’ve ever planted a garden, you know the work and care it takes, so try planting something (even herbs in a pot) and learn to appreciate the work of your local, organic farmers.
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4 Comments
August 25th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Plan your meals each week – I know that might sound like a drag, but it makes a huge difference. You can save money *and* avoid waste that way.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I agree, and it’s really not so difficult once you get into the habit. I’ve had some very efficient weeks where I bake up lunches and dinners for M-Th.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:03 am
If the US started converting this wasted food into fuel, either by fermentation or by heating it up and converting the gases that come off into fuel chemically then energy independence would come a little closer.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Less waste is the ultimate goal but I think composting as come a long way in the last couple of years. I’m finding more and more people are composting. Especially once finding out that our food waste doesn’t biodegrade in the landfills! It is easy and does so much to keep waste out of the landfills. I found this great composter that you don’t have to do anything with the only drawback is it is electric (and a bit expensive) – check it out: http://naturemill.com/plus.html
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