California Gold

I seem to be on a media kick with my blog posts lately. Here is another such post!

I have noticed on my Bart rides home that there is a new ad campaign in Berkeley encouraging residents to use their "green bins" to recycle food scraps, as well as soiled paper/cardboard. These can then be composted to enrich the soil, aka "California gold."

Image source: http://www.readysetrecycle.org

Did you know that California produces about half of the nation's fruits and vegetables in our central valley region? For some items, such as artichokes and walnuts, it is as much as 99%! That's why we care about soil.

The ads are produced by Ready Set Recycle, a campaign in Alameda County to help people learn how to properly sort their refuse. They even offer prizes, like gift cards, gardening compost, and fresh  food boxes from local farmers, for engaging in certain activities that support learning to recycle.

Image source: http://www.readysetrecycle.org

One tricky thing is that businesses in Alameda County can contract with private recycling companies, which may not follow the same rules as the curbside program. For example, where I work, a Starbucks coffee cup can be composted (green bin) and the lid can be recycled (blue bin). In other places, the lid may not be recyclable and would go to landfill.

So what does recycling and composting have to do with public health?

As it turns out, the environment affects our health! Things we do to and for the environment can have lasting impacts on our health. For example, according to the EPA, recycling can play a role in reducing GHC emissions, which are associated with chronic illnesses like asthma. For more information on waste disposal and public health, see here, here, and here.

Image source: http://www.readysetrecycle.org

Does your town, county, or region offer large scale composting? How has it changed your thoughts about waste or the environment?

BART Food Waste Advertisements

Recently, I have been noticing these advertisements on my morning and evening BART (Bay Area Mass Transit) commutes.

Food Shift, the organization responsible for these ads, is on a mission to eliminate food waste. Since California is currently experiencing a serious drought, these ads definitely caught my attention. That's a lot of water wasted! As I checked out Food Shift's website, I learned that wasting food has environmental, social, and financial impacts.

According to Food Shift's website, that average American family of four throws out $1,600 of food each year, or 20 pounds of food per person per month.

This got me thinking about how we can waste less food. Of course, Food Shift is interested in making changes at the systemic level of food supply chains, which has the potential to make a huge impact. At the same time, I think we can and should recognize that a lot of individuals making small changes can also make a difference.

One thing we do in our household is to freeze items before they go bad. For example, when our fruit is getting on the over-ripe side, we freeze it for use in future smoothies. We also freeze a portion of our leftovers when we cook large batches of food, so that it does not go bad before we finish enough of it (or get bored of it).

Food Shift has a list of recommendations on their site, such as planning ahead, keeping stock of your pantry (and using what you already have), and learning about proper food storage.

What systemic changes do you think would decrease food waste? What personal steps do you take to waste less food?