We all do it. We plant fruit trees and don’t manage to pick all the fruits as they ripen. We buy produce at the farmer’s market or the supermarket and let some of it go bad — not intentionally — but because we don’t get around to eating as fast as we expected. Or we were running late and grabbed take-out, or went to a restaurant instead of cooking. So the celery wilts in the back of the fridge, while the lettuce goes slimy and the tomatoes grow mold.
The bottom line is … we waste a lot of fruits and vegetables.
Now imagine this on a grand scale. It happens in restaurants, at hospitals, schools, and every other kind of food service facilities. Food waste – produce waste in particular — is a huge issue.
And the issue is not just about the food that gets wasted.
Landfills are literally filled with wasted produce. This is produce that could be feeding people who go hungry. Instead, the decomposing produce produces methane, which is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. So the waste contributes to global warming.
And that produce came from a farm somewhere. Agricultural expansion is a primary cause of habitat loss. When we lose habitat, we lose native plants and animals as well. The better we use produce, the slower that expansion and the less pressure on native habitats.
Climate change, food justice, habitat loss, extinction… they are all tied to food waste in very tangible ways.
This week on A Growing Passion
This week, we explore the issue of wasted produce in our episode Food is a Terrible Thing to Waste. We see how food waste effects the environment, and meet the people working hard to stem that waste. We show you how to make better use of your produce at home, too.
We each have the power to make a difference. Let’s not waste it!
— Nan Sterman
