Issues
Roughly one-third of the food produced that is intended for human consumption every year- around 1.3 billion tons and valued at USD$1 trillion- is wasted or lost.
Earth.com
Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form.
Science.org
A more circular approach to the way we use resources with the goal to push economies towards the target of sending no waste to landfill, incinerators and the ocean.
ZeroWaste.com
Research shows that meat and dairy products are fueling the climate crisis, while plant-based diets—focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans —help protect the planet.
pcrm.org
Food waste
What you can do to reduce food waste
- Ignore date labels and expiration dates
With an exception of infant formula (described below), if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident. Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten.
USDA.org
- Plan means ahead of time
- Dish up small quantities at first
- Take your leftovers
- Revive your leftovers
- Freeze almost anything
- Cook your fridge
Single-Use Plastic
Facts about Single-Use plastic
Although 33.6 million tons of plastic is disposed of each year in the United States, only 6.5% of it is actually recycled. Plastic waste, unlike other types of waste, takes hundreds of years to decompose. Until then, it breaks down into microplastics that can be consumed by wildlife and humans, leading to hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, and even cancer.
The UT Dallas Sustainability is driving an effort to ban Single-Use Plastic on campus, asking President Benson to sign the Break Free From Plastic Pledge from the Post Landfill Action Network.
Reduce Single-Use Plastic in your life
- Carry around a reusable water bottle/coffee mug & reusable utensils
- Bring your shopping bags, turn down plastic bags and unnecessary packaging
- Shop for eco-friendly alternatives such as shampoo soap, laundry pods/sheets, glass containers, etc.
- Prefer options in metal and cardboard packaging
Links
- Plastic Free July
- Post Landfill Action Network: resources for campuses looking to ban plastic
- ReFED: solutions to combat food waste
Blog entry
Please ignore “best before” dates
M&S to remove ‘best before’ labels from 300 fruit and veg items to cut food waste The change, to be rolled out this week, will leave customers to judge whether goods are still fine to eat. Read full article from The Guardian
Sustainaibility initiatives Belgium & Germany
I traveled to Germany and Belgium in June/July 2022 and noticed the following initiatives related to sustainability At a Belgian bakery, when you buy a dessert in a glass jar, the price includes a 1 euro deposit for the empty jar, so you can bring it back cleaned the next day to get the 1…
Dorothee Honhon 