Food Waste: By Noami Crawford with Annie Stuart and Marie Kneemeyer
By Naomi Crawford, taken from her Launch (ette) Zine, available at her shop Lunchette.
When it comes to climate action, food waste is low-hanging fruit. (Pun intended!)
Last year, I sat down with Annie Stuart and Marie Kneemeyer, co-leaders of 350 Petaluma’s zero waste action group, to understand some of the issues surrounding food waste, and to see if we as a community can’t help put an end to it.
There are several reasons why we need to eliminate food waste. The first is that food should be feeding people, not being thrown out. About 44 million Americans face food insecurity, and 1 in 5 adults in Sonoma County don’t have enough to eat. There is enough food grown and produced in this country to regularly feed all of those people.
The second is food waste contributes to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a huge way: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), discarded food is responsible for as much as 8 percent of GHG emissions in the U.S. The gas that’s produced is methane, which is far more potent than carbon. And by the way, this accounts for more GHG emissions than the airline industry! Not only are consumers throwing out our uneaten / spoiled food, but lots of edible food never even makes it to our homes. So food waste is multifaceted. Let’s just focus on what we can control, and that is what’s in our fridges!
Here is our lengthy but valuable q & a:
NC: How much food waste is there in our region?
MK: According to a Waste Characterization Study conducted by Zero Waste Sonoma, roughly 105,000 tons of residential and commercial food went into the Sonoma County landfill each of the last two years. But with the rollout of California’s recent compost law, SB 1383, this number will likely start to decline in the next few years as people consistently and correctly use the green bin. Our hope is that outreach and education provided by Zero Waste Sonoma, Recology Sonoma Marin (our local waste management agency), food recovery nonprofits and, of course, the efforts of the incredible city staff that work in each jurisdiction will make a big difference.
AS: That’s a big number – 105,000 tons of discarded food. But let’s bring it down to a more personal level. A 2020 Penn State University study found that American households waste nearly a third of the food they buy. As consumers, we’re responsible for about up to half of all food waste! No reason to berate ourselves. In fact, we can feel empowered by that statistic : As individuals, households, and communities, we have the power to turn these numbers around. And saving food can also save us a significant amount of money. I consider that a wonderful win-win opportunity.
NC: Marie, how can we change our behavior? What are the steps?
MK: I like to start with asking “WHY are you changing?” because that can be a huge motivator. I personally avoid food waste because I love all the beautiful animals and plants on this incredible Earth and I want to make sure I am not contributing to worsening climate change for them. Once you know why, do an audit of your habits by asking some questions:
Are you purchasing food that is local and in season?
Are you planning your meal prep?
Are you throwing away spoiled food often? Do you tend to overbuy food?
Do you have a compost cart?
When you have spoiled food, are you placing them in the compost and do you know what is allowed in the compost cart?
Once you have looked over these questions, begin making changes. If you are overwhelmed, then start with one thing. Once you have that, then go to the next, and the next.
NC: What groups are you working with to help us get educated, and end waste?
MK: We work closely with Recology Sonoma Marin, Zero Waste Sonoma, COTS, and Cool Petaluma to promote low-waste lifestyles and policies. For two years, we’ve partnered with the Petaluma Regional Library to offer a summer produce and pantry food share, with any leftover food going to COTS, which assists the shelterless in Sonoma County .
NC: What practices have worked best for you to end food waste in your home?
MK: I personally love SavetheFood.com. They have a lot of awesome resources for learning how to reduce food waste at home. One of my favorites is called the “Guest-imator,” which is a calculator that helps you “guestimate” how much food you will need to purchase so you have just enough for your number of guests. Within my own household, we try to see what we have before making our shopping list and then try to stick to the shopping list. We also make sure we store perishables well to prevent spoiling, freeze whatever we can’t eat in time, and compost correctly to make sure we don’t contaminate our compost cart.
I think one of the simplest things I have learned to do is “shop my fridge” before going on any trip to the store. It’s just what it sounds like - look in your fridge and see what you have, what is about to go bad, or what needs to get used up and plan your meals around that, instead of buying all new things. My partner and I even made a fun discovery one time doing this. We wanted to make chimichurri and realized we didn’t have parsley. I opened the fridge to “shop the fridge” (because I didn’t want to make another trip to the store) and my partner grabbed the carrot top greens. We nibbled on it and thought - why not this? We made chimichurri that night with carrot top greens instead and it was delicious! Now we save just a few dollars and get to eat the whole carrot.
AS: As Marie mentioned, there are tons of resources out there to help you learn how to waste less food. One simple thing I do is to carefully plan meals, make lists, and not buy spontaneously. If you overbuy or overstuff your fridge or pantry, food can more easily get lost – and spoil. I periodically check shelves and drawers to see what needs to be eaten next. If it’s the right combination of ingredients, one solution is to turn them into an alphabet soup! Or I do a Google search on those ingredient keywords to see what recipes come up.
I’m also a first-class leftover eater and I’ve even made a convert or two on the homefront. When my wife takes care of some leftovers or soon-to-spoil ingredients, she’s sure to proudly let me know! We’re also getting better at storing foods for greater longevity. For example, we’ve found that unwashed fresh strawberries last a long time in glass jars.
NC: Is there a way for us to engage with local grocery stores to help end bad practices in terms of labeling?
MC: I think people underestimate the power of just asking. If there is a product that you know would be a better zero waste, no-plastic, or pre-cycling option then the one in the store currently, then request it. Ask the cashier how to put in the request and follow their instructions. Get a few friends to request the same thing, and you would be surprised by how few people need to do this to make the change. Don’t just underestimate the power of asking, but also speaking up. If you see a store making poor packaging choices, send them a letter simply stating your disappointment and why you will shop elsewhere until they change. And if you can get others to send in a letter as well, even better! Businesses want to stay current with their customers and if they are getting multiple communications demanding change, they are much more likely to make a change.
AS: Confusing food date labels are one reason people discard edible food. Food manufacturers create labels such as “Best By,” “Use By, “Sell By,” and “Expiration” to indicate “peak quality” of foods, not the day you should discard them. You can often rely on your nose and eyes to assess spoilage. But when in doubt, refer to “Eat By Date” for shelf life estimates. The USDA FoodKeeper app at Foodsafety.gov also provides guidelines for specific types of foods.
NC: What keeps you both fighting for a zero waste community?
MK: I will always advocate for zero waste choices because it means getting back to what really matters. It takes the focus away from continuous consumption or short-term distractions and back to the best parts of life: engaging with community, being with friends and family, delicious local food, health and simplicity. It is making the most of every resource, and it makes life better. I have experienced the unforeseen benefits in my heart and my mind, and that is what I want for the community I live in. That is why I will never stop being a part of this movement.
AS: I have long been passionate about food waste. It’s possible that my depression-era mom influenced me in this regard. But one of the biggest reasons I continue to advocate for food recovery and less food waste is because it addresses SO many needs, not the least of which is ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food. The other co-benefits? According to ReFED, uneaten food consumes 16 percent of U.S. cropland use and nearly a quarter of all freshwater use. And when it ends up in landfill, uneaten food becomes a huge driver of the climate crisis. I have also become passionate about reducing our use of plastic, what Beyond Plastics calls the new coal. That’s because the production, distribution, use, and disposal of plastic is on track to produce more GHG emissions than coal plants by 2030! We can – and must – all do our part, but I firmly believe we must go to the source – and push for policies that put the onus on the producers and distributors of plastic.
And, finally, I couldn’t agree with Marie more – unconscious consumption of products like clothes and housewares not only leads to a huge waste problem but requires tons of resources and energy, greatly contributing to the climate crisis. And even worse? These things don’t even bring us lasting happiness or a sense of purpose! Want to know what does? Working with people like you and Marie to create a healthier future.
MK: We are hoping to grow our group, so if you are interested in joining, you can go to 350Petaluma.org, click “Zero Waste” and fill out the form to join. We are also exploring reusables in Petaluma and how we can support local restaurants in adopting them. We will be planning more events for the new year in the coming months, so keep your eyes open!
You guys got all that? Join Petaluma350 - we need you!
