Sat, December 05, 2009 - 10:11:46

Waste Not Want Not

As you probably already know, the mounds of trash decomposing in dumps around the country releases dangerous carbon emissions which many scientists believe can cause global warming. And as this Wednesday’s Atlantic Monthly Online reports, discarded food makes up the biggest component of the garbage filling our nation’s landfills. Believe it or not, nearly half of all the food produced in the United States is actually thrown away.

Yet, researchers at Arizona University also claim that Americans could reduce the environmental impact of landfills by 25 per cent just by cutting down on their food waste and the best way to get started is by thinking small.

Although it sounds like an insignificant change, making a smart grocery list is just one small way you can have a huge effect on the amount of food you throw away each week.  Don’t believe us?  Well, we can prove it. Just read the story of one SMALL reader and her family:

Just before 2009 rolled around, we noticed that we had been throwing away a large portion of the fruits and vegetables we purchased each week.  Wondering how this was possible, we decided to try a little experiment and make a New Year’s resolution at the same time.  Instead of simply heading out and buying food, for the next year, we would bring along a carefully crafted shopping list containing only the ingredients we would need for that week.  Sure, this involved a little advanced planning by creating a weekly menu, but in the long run it actually saved time by eliminating the nightly “what’s for dinner” question.  Not only that, we were no longer throwing away pounds of petrified zucchini and broccoli—saving money and the planet at the same time.

So, if you’re looking to “go green” in 2010, why not start with this simple solution?  As the months roll by, you’ll witness first-hand the amazing ways in which SMALL can work for you.

Posted by Linda and Robin