Happy Earth Day! Save Your Food to Save the Earth

Happy Earth Day! There is much to thank Mother Earth for: from stunning, awe inspiring views to the food that sustains us.

We can do many things to celebrate Earth Day. We can clean up our parks, we can go outside and play or we can take a pledge to reduce the consumption of our valuable resources.

This Earth Day (and hopefully every day) I would like to encourage you to take a pledge to reduce food waste. Globally, 40% of food is wasted from farm to fork. In developed countries, much of this food waste happens in our grocery stores and in our very own homes and kitchens.

Food waste is a social, economic and an environmental issue. 1 in 8 Americans are food insecure, yet we are wasting valuable food. The economic cost of growing, processing, transporting and disposing of this waste is $278 billion annually. It is a huge burden on our environment as it wastes resources and exacerbates climate change. Check out this infographic to learn more:

What can we do to reduce our food waste?

Start a food waste journal and record how much food you waste in a week or in a month at home, at the restaurants you visit and so on. Once you are aware of the amount of food you might be wasting, then you can take steps to reduce it.

Here are some ways to cut your food waste:

Love your leftovers- Ask for a doggie bag for your leftovers and don’t forget to eat them

Freeze foods- Learn about what foods can be frozen and for how long

Avoid impulse buys and “Buy One, Get One” deals

Learn how to can and preserve foods

Make sure your fridge and freezer are at the proper temperatures

Cooking for guests? Prepare just enough. Use this handy Guestimator for help

Create a shopping list before hitting the store

Learn how to properly store and prepare food

Cook root-to-stem. Use it all up

Expiration dates are confusing and are primarily indicators for retailers. Use your senses instead

For more tips, check out:

Question: What can I do to reduce food waste? Answer: A lot!, Ten Surprising Causes of Food Waste and How to Fix Them, and Tips, Tricks and Tech for Fighting Food Waste.

Call to Action:

This Earth Day and every day, please join me in taking the pledge to reduce food waste.