November's Action item is
REDUCING FOOD WASTE
 

One third of the food raised and prepared on the planet does not get consumed, yet over 800 million people worldwide are hungry.

 

The food we waste in landfills produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than CO2. Food waste plus growing and distributing it contributes to 4.4 gigatons of CO2 per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 942,184,154 cars off the road a year. People who need food aren’t getting it, and what we waste is heating up the planet!
 

In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010. This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on society:
 

• Wholesome food that could have helped feed families in need is sent to landfills.
   

• Land, water, labor, energy and other inputs are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food.

 

Solution: Look for ways to reduce food waste. It’s easy and something you can do every day to help heal God’s Earth.
 

 

Resources:​

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Web Article: Natural Resources Defense Council, "Food Matters: What We Waste and How We Can Expand the Amount of Food We Rescue"

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SaveTheFood.com

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Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: "Simple Ways to Cut Food Waste"

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University of Minnesota Extension: Reducing Food Waste

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MN Composting Council: Prevent Wasted Food

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USDA Food Waste FAQs

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Restoring God's Earth is used with permission from Zero Waste Church, www.zerowastechurch.org. Some content has been modified by Crown of Glory. 

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