To combat climate change, we will have to convince Exxon, Mobil, and the other oil and gas companies to spend large amounts of money to transform from a fossil fuel dependent nation to one that is fueled by other sources of energy. But that doesn’t mean that individuals can do nothing themselves. In a recent article in the Atlantic, Annie Lowrey puts it succinctly:

“To help save the planet, quit wasting food and eat less meat.”

We have talked about switching from a meat based diet to a plant based diet before but today, let’s concentrate on food waste.

Lowrey tells us some facts about how much food is wasted:

“More than 130 billion pounds a year, worth roughly $160 billion. We throw away enough food to close our own “meal gap” eight times over. Food is the single biggest component of our country’s landfills, and the average American sends more than 200 pounds of food there every year. More than 1,250 calories per person a day, or more than 140 trillion calories a year, get tossed in the garbage.

Households, not restaurants or schools or corporate cafeterias, are the dominant wasters. The problem is worse in the United States than in most other countries, and it has worsened over time. When you toss a spoiled chicken breast or moldy tomato into the trash, you’re wasting a greenhouse-gas-intensive product. You’re also sending it to a landfill, where it will emit methane.

Addressing food waste would….save money, emit less carbon into the atmosphere, alleviate the burden on landfills, reduce the number of animals subjected to life on a factory farm, and address its hunger crisis just by eating all the food it makes. Households consuming more of what they buy, and thus buying less, would have a major effect on the whole food system. Food suppliers would produce less to meet the country’s more efficient demand. Supermarkets would stock less food. Fewer trucks would need to run from plant to store. Fewer refrigerators would be needed in stores and industrial facilities to keep groceries cold. Fewer cows would fill up feedlots. Fewer acres of corn and soy would be grown to feed them.”

I hope you are so shocked that you will call on a local outfit called Black Earth Compost (www.blackearthcompost.com). Black Earth will come and collect your food waste for a small fee. As part of the program, a heavy green plastic container for your food waste will be needed. Some of us share the account because we don’t have enough on our own. Please be creative! Many of us have canisters on our kitchen counters, and are collecting for compost:

All food waste (fish, watermelon rinds, coffee grinds, moldy fruit, etc)
Wax paper (compostable) and cardboard
Cooking oil and grease
House plants
Fur and hair
Pet food as well as pet waste (no dog or cat waste)
Cotton balls
Kleenex and paper towel
Coffee grinds

Please consider adding another can outside your house and help create great fertilizer, while decreasing the amount of garbage you are taking to the dump. I don’t know about you, but most of my garbage seems to be tissues so I am going to the dump far less often with my garbage.

If you don’t want to add another container to your curb, or are not in the position to do so, please at least consider getting smart about expiration labels. Ms Lowrey says to “quit throwing out perfectly good food. Research shows that nearly all Americans misinterpret date labels and toss their groceries out prematurely, for fear of food poisoning, and understandably so. Retailers and production companies use 50 different use by–type labels, and none is federally regulated, except for those on infant formula. sell by stamps tend to be for inventory management, and have nothing to do with food safety; best if used by and use by stamps tend to be about freshness and food quality, not whether you are about to enjoy a serving of mycotoxins. As a general point, most food is safe to eat as long as there is no evident spoilage, such as visible mold or an off smell.” (all quotes are from Your Diet Is Cooking the Planet, April 6, 2021, The Atlantic Monthly)

Let’s shop smarter, let’s eat smarter. Let’s not waste any food in a nation where so many millions of people are hungry.

The other day, I went to a bunch of stores because I am fully vaccinated and the list of chores had gotten long. At one point, I walked through a clothing store and saw two women, standing in front of a rack of shoes. One of them said, “I don’t need leopard print crocs.” I thought, “No one needs leopard print crocs.”  Except I said it out loud.

Have you gone anywhere beyond Cape Ann? Or socialized with a group larger than 4? For me, it feels strange and scary to be out and about in the stores. And I am vaccinated. The CDC says I can travel and eat dinner in restaurants. But I am still nervous. And I am feeling so socially inept. My colleague, the Rev Janet Parsons, and I had dinner together inside recently. We were unmasked, and pretty close together because the kitchen is small. It was so great to see her in my home…but it is tiring to be in the company of other people!

It has been a long haul, and if you are feeling anxious or scared or awkward, please know you are in good company. Please know, too, that this would be a perfect time to contact your minister.

Feel free to contact me for any reason—I promise to not comment on your footwear.

With faith and gratitude,
Susan