Call Us: +1.8472352305If you would like to volunteer working on the ReFoods Program please email greenmindslflb@gmail.com
Food Waste
Green Minds LFLB is committed to reducing landfill waste thus reducing valuable tax money.
We believe that Food Waste is a big problem that easily can be reduced, while at the same time help reduce hunger.
According to USDA in February 2014, 133 billion pounds of food (1/3 of available food supply at the retail and consumer levels) went uneaten in 2010. UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) estimate that this food waste equals to more than 20 pounds of food per person per month.
At the same time, the United States spends about 1 billion dollars a year to dispose of food waste. Organic waste is the second highest component of landfills, which are the largest source of methane emissions.
There are many ways to reduce our food waste.
At home, we can think about what and how much we buy, eat what we buy and that way save a lot of money on our food budgets. What we have to discard we can compost at home and/or, as many people choose, keep a few backyard chickens that can eat all our food scraps.
Restaurants and Cafeterias can donate what they don't use to local soup kitchens or food pantries. Restaurants can serve smaller servings and not "force" customers to overeat or throw food out. Restaurants can encourage patrons to take doggie bags home with their leftovers. And lastly, restaurants can participate in food compost programs. Some even partner with local farmers and bring their food waste back to the farms to be composted there.
Supermarkets can keep lower inventory and donate good usable products to local ReFoods programs.
ReFoods is a new program Green Minds LFLB has been working on and hope to get funding for soon. We are currently looking for a new Chair for ReFoods. If you are interested in volunteering for this project please contact us.
Our 2021 Summer Intern Pauline Droege, U Michigan 2024 studied food waste in Lake County. Watch to this presentation she gave at Lake Forest Library, concluding her 2021 internship
Photo taken March 2nd 2016 inside the dumpster in the back of a supermarket in Madison, WI. Local grocery stores also continue throwing food that are still perfectly edible out. While they donate canned foods they will not utilize the Good Samatarian food Act to redistribute good food to nearby food deserts.