You know what would help? If smaller portions were not priced ridiculously higher per ounce, liquid or solid. Human food, pet food, shampoo, ibuprofen...you name it.
All of us have unused stuff we bought because it was the only way to get a "bargain."
Grow your own. I have wanted to talk about our community farm for aaaages and never had an excuse so I’m going to use this article to non-comment. Seriously though, CSA’s are a good way to get around a lot of the problems associated with waste, food miles etc. The farmer grows what the community wants and the waste is composted on the farm to be returned to the soil straight away. It depends on how you CSA are set up of course but it’s a win win more then
/\ THIS. Most years we have a pretty damn great garden w/ good produce-to-spatial use ratio. This will however be a year in which only some tomato & cucumber (maybe) plants will be grown; it's a time-&-physical energy issue this year, as it was the last one. But we plan to make up most of the shortfall by buying produce from other gardeners in hal=-bushel & bushel increments, and can/freese the sacues, cleaned fruit, & so on. Tastes better, too! And this year we're investing in better composting practices as well -- this thin, rebellious rocky Arizona soil is in constant need of amendment. anydamnway! :\ Going simple, too -- we're thinking a re-purpsed metal barrel with a handle drilled thru it to stir the mix. What Daddy did during our years in the country -- only he had many of them bc cow manure etc. We'll see how it goes -- Himself is a little dubious! Damn the guilt of throwing away food! :(
I remember that "starving children in X" thing being tried on me the same day school had held a lesson on the Post Office. I pulled some postage stamps out of my pocket and said "send it to them!"
I hadn't remembered the part about stamps being unusable once they had been rubber-stamp cancelled.
The biggest climate problem is that it is a game of wackamole.
Renewable sources don't exist with our current technology. They just don't. Solar batteries require raw materials, which include lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite. Increasing demand for these batteries means mining for these materials must increase too, and mining is SPECTACULARLY polluting. Moreover, some of the metals required do not even exist in sufficient quantities on this planet, if we were to use solar technology to meet most current energy needs.. Windfarms require a lot of land, and already, there are communities (I'm not talking white NIMBY's, I'm talking real communities of non-white people) that are staunchly opposed to the disruption they cause, as well as the fact that they do cause environmental damage to both land and marine life. Thermal energy: we can't all move to Iceland.
The core of the problem is something no one wants to talk about: there are just too many of us. We're never going to tackle methane-producing waste while the human population keeps growing. And that too, has no easy solutions, because population decline comes with its own set of problems. Our choice is between crashing economies and continuing to foul up the planet.
I disagree with us not talking about over population. 3 of our kids have made the decision to not have kids for this very reason. They feel it would be a selfish choice on their part. They are not alone in this. Many mid 20's and up folks talk very openly about not having kids
Yeah, but the other side of it -- and I probably should have been more clear in my comment -- is that negative growth will hurt us in other ways. Populations will age and eventually run out of working-age adults -- who are both the people who make most of the stuff, but also do most of the consumption. Without them, economies will crash. My point was that nothing in this area, absolutely nothing, has a simple solution. Generally, any solution you can think of creates its own problem.
Stop pouring bleach on dumpstered food and start pulling near-expiration food for immediate distribution to food pantries (or direct distribution). So that's first, memo to municipalities, stop being deliberately cruel under the gauzy guise of "health and safety" and let people eat food; and second, memo to grocery chains, bump your pull-expired calculus up by two days (that is, two days before whatever number of days before expiration things are currently destocked) to give more time for distribution.
We plan our meals pretty well and rarely throw anything away and if we do it goes to the compost. There is nothing stinky in our garbage and we stick one bag of trash a week. Might not be much of an achievement compared it’s just me and my husband. But it’s our effort and we are always conscious that wasting food is truly a sin when there are so many with food insecurity.
Thank you Doc for this insightful and well researched/written article.
I started a system of pretty consistent meal planning and some pre-prep (mostly buying the bulk packages of chicken breasts at the grocery, cutting off excess fat or bones they missed, and then packaging them into smaller portions in the freezer, labelled for each meal), so that most weeks our scheduled meals follow an established pattern. That makes the shopping trip/ingredient list really consistent from week to week, so I'm not buying extra things that go to waste as often. If we're ready for some variety or seasonal change, I can just pick a specific meal/s to swap out. It also solves the time & energy devoted to the dilemma of "what's for dinner." It's already decided based on the calendar! (Tacos on Tuesday of course)
The meat trimmings go into a bag in the freezer until trash day so I don't have to take the trash out prematurely to get them out of the house, or leave them out in the trash bin stinking up the joint in the southern heat ahead of trash day.
We already don't eat beef or pork anymore (both for climate's sake and because a food diary seemed to reveal red meats might contribute to my migraines being more frequent).
We also got a big compost tumbler and a snazzy clear tupperware container in the kitchen for the scraps to be collected. I know, maybe clear seems gross... but it also makes it very obvious to my husband when it needs to be emptied. There's no risk that I go to make dinner & it's already full. Our first attempt at a household bin was ceramic & ended up dropped and broken at some point. Maybe other people are not so clumsy? :D
So far, so good. Some weeks we only end up with one kitchen sized trash bag in the garbage bin now, and that definitely feels like progress. It also feels like we're overpaying for the garbage pick up compared to the neighbors, but such is life I guess. There's no reward for doing the right things. :P
We're a worm bin and backyard compost bin household. Plus, our waste company accepts some types of foods that we can't home-compost, so we send a very minimal amount of food waste to the landfill.
Just last week I finally bought a vacuum sealer. As a single guy who loves to cook, I inevitably wind up making too much. And while I'm getting better at eating the leftovers before spoilage, more often than not it winds up in the garbage. I invested in more "cooking for one" techniques and vessels (like nice little one-serving casserole dishes), which has helped a lot. The vacuum sealer has already earned its keep, though the garbage disposal misses my tasty meals.
👉🐄💭
You know what would help? If smaller portions were not priced ridiculously higher per ounce, liquid or solid. Human food, pet food, shampoo, ibuprofen...you name it.
All of us have unused stuff we bought because it was the only way to get a "bargain."
Grow your own. I have wanted to talk about our community farm for aaaages and never had an excuse so I’m going to use this article to non-comment. Seriously though, CSA’s are a good way to get around a lot of the problems associated with waste, food miles etc. The farmer grows what the community wants and the waste is composted on the farm to be returned to the soil straight away. It depends on how you CSA are set up of course but it’s a win win more then
https://www.facebook.com/Irlamcarefarm
/\ THIS. Most years we have a pretty damn great garden w/ good produce-to-spatial use ratio. This will however be a year in which only some tomato & cucumber (maybe) plants will be grown; it's a time-&-physical energy issue this year, as it was the last one. But we plan to make up most of the shortfall by buying produce from other gardeners in hal=-bushel & bushel increments, and can/freese the sacues, cleaned fruit, & so on. Tastes better, too! And this year we're investing in better composting practices as well -- this thin, rebellious rocky Arizona soil is in constant need of amendment. anydamnway! :\ Going simple, too -- we're thinking a re-purpsed metal barrel with a handle drilled thru it to stir the mix. What Daddy did during our years in the country -- only he had many of them bc cow manure etc. We'll see how it goes -- Himself is a little dubious! Damn the guilt of throwing away food! :(
Sadly Misfits food isnt available in my area. we do have a community garden and nothing there goes to waste
This new approach might actually work. People love pyramid food things. Even Republicans.
Oh, and Dick-Shaped Carrot is the name of my Pink Floyd cover band knockoff.
I was thinking of using it for a Sex Pistols tribute band, but you got there first. 😔
Lmao ! OK may I play bass, please ? (HAI Bagels! ) Narrator: She can't really play bass very well, if at all!
I remember that "starving children in X" thing being tried on me the same day school had held a lesson on the Post Office. I pulled some postage stamps out of my pocket and said "send it to them!"
I hadn't remembered the part about stamps being unusable once they had been rubber-stamp cancelled.
The biggest climate problem is that it is a game of wackamole.
Renewable sources don't exist with our current technology. They just don't. Solar batteries require raw materials, which include lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite. Increasing demand for these batteries means mining for these materials must increase too, and mining is SPECTACULARLY polluting. Moreover, some of the metals required do not even exist in sufficient quantities on this planet, if we were to use solar technology to meet most current energy needs.. Windfarms require a lot of land, and already, there are communities (I'm not talking white NIMBY's, I'm talking real communities of non-white people) that are staunchly opposed to the disruption they cause, as well as the fact that they do cause environmental damage to both land and marine life. Thermal energy: we can't all move to Iceland.
The core of the problem is something no one wants to talk about: there are just too many of us. We're never going to tackle methane-producing waste while the human population keeps growing. And that too, has no easy solutions, because population decline comes with its own set of problems. Our choice is between crashing economies and continuing to foul up the planet.
I disagree with us not talking about over population. 3 of our kids have made the decision to not have kids for this very reason. They feel it would be a selfish choice on their part. They are not alone in this. Many mid 20's and up folks talk very openly about not having kids
Yeah, but the other side of it -- and I probably should have been more clear in my comment -- is that negative growth will hurt us in other ways. Populations will age and eventually run out of working-age adults -- who are both the people who make most of the stuff, but also do most of the consumption. Without them, economies will crash. My point was that nothing in this area, absolutely nothing, has a simple solution. Generally, any solution you can think of creates its own problem.
Dick shaped carrot link.
https://www.avclub.com/new-zealand-politician-interrupted-during-live-intervie-1847599350
Stop pouring bleach on dumpstered food and start pulling near-expiration food for immediate distribution to food pantries (or direct distribution). So that's first, memo to municipalities, stop being deliberately cruel under the gauzy guise of "health and safety" and let people eat food; and second, memo to grocery chains, bump your pull-expired calculus up by two days (that is, two days before whatever number of days before expiration things are currently destocked) to give more time for distribution.
We plan our meals pretty well and rarely throw anything away and if we do it goes to the compost. There is nothing stinky in our garbage and we stick one bag of trash a week. Might not be much of an achievement compared it’s just me and my husband. But it’s our effort and we are always conscious that wasting food is truly a sin when there are so many with food insecurity.
Thank you Doc for this insightful and well researched/written article.
𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦.
I wouldn't put that past them for a nanosecond. ANYTHING to pwn the Libs.
Next thing you know, they'll be rolling cole slaw.
And then complaining about their grocery bills.
I started a system of pretty consistent meal planning and some pre-prep (mostly buying the bulk packages of chicken breasts at the grocery, cutting off excess fat or bones they missed, and then packaging them into smaller portions in the freezer, labelled for each meal), so that most weeks our scheduled meals follow an established pattern. That makes the shopping trip/ingredient list really consistent from week to week, so I'm not buying extra things that go to waste as often. If we're ready for some variety or seasonal change, I can just pick a specific meal/s to swap out. It also solves the time & energy devoted to the dilemma of "what's for dinner." It's already decided based on the calendar! (Tacos on Tuesday of course)
The meat trimmings go into a bag in the freezer until trash day so I don't have to take the trash out prematurely to get them out of the house, or leave them out in the trash bin stinking up the joint in the southern heat ahead of trash day.
We already don't eat beef or pork anymore (both for climate's sake and because a food diary seemed to reveal red meats might contribute to my migraines being more frequent).
We also got a big compost tumbler and a snazzy clear tupperware container in the kitchen for the scraps to be collected. I know, maybe clear seems gross... but it also makes it very obvious to my husband when it needs to be emptied. There's no risk that I go to make dinner & it's already full. Our first attempt at a household bin was ceramic & ended up dropped and broken at some point. Maybe other people are not so clumsy? :D
So far, so good. Some weeks we only end up with one kitchen sized trash bag in the garbage bin now, and that definitely feels like progress. It also feels like we're overpaying for the garbage pick up compared to the neighbors, but such is life I guess. There's no reward for doing the right things. :P
There’s the warm fuzzies.
Bravo! I like the idea of meat waste being frozen until trash time.
We're a worm bin and backyard compost bin household. Plus, our waste company accepts some types of foods that we can't home-compost, so we send a very minimal amount of food waste to the landfill.
Just last week I finally bought a vacuum sealer. As a single guy who loves to cook, I inevitably wind up making too much. And while I'm getting better at eating the leftovers before spoilage, more often than not it winds up in the garbage. I invested in more "cooking for one" techniques and vessels (like nice little one-serving casserole dishes), which has helped a lot. The vacuum sealer has already earned its keep, though the garbage disposal misses my tasty meals.
I just made a waist/waste sacrifice thanks to Doc's story. That leftover Milly Peartree's Easter mac and cheese wasn't going to eat itself!
(hellomonkey!!)