We, the consumers in the richest nations of the world have now become conditioned and accustomed to a nearly constant availability of fruits and vegetables from all corners of the globe. Yet, with this apparent abundance, in 2018, an estimated 1 in 9 Americans were food insecure, equating to over 37 million Americans, including more than 11 million children.1 All the while nearly 80 billion pounds of food is thrown away each year in the United States. For reference this is equivalent to 1,000 Empire State Buildings.2 America, the global leader in food waste, discarding nearly 30-40 percent of the US food supply. How have we gotten here? This food is sent directly to landfills, taking its place as the single largest component taking up space in US landfills – 22% of municipal solid waste. Additionally, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) determined last year that 6-8% of all anthropological greenhouse gas emissions was created from world food waste alone.
Before we begin to unravel all the costs, first we must begin to understand the why. Compared to the rest of the world, food in the United States is plentiful and less costly, and often this contributes to a general sentiment of not appreciating or valuing it the way other cultures around the globe do. We no longer utilize every part of the food we have, like our ancestors used to. We discard of food that is labeled with an expiration or use by date. Resulting in a significant amount of food waste due to perceived spoilage. With composting and the lifecycle of food hardly being a part of the consciousness of the consumer. A culture of waste is born and nurtured.
While it is generally more expensive to buy responsible products, it’s an investment in the future, one that will pay dividends as it mitigates environmental destruction and lifts up workers, especially when an emphasis is made towards purchasing from local farmers markets in order to directly support farmers in your community. The Green Peace Corps looks to integrate the following initiatives6:
- Partnering with local governments and like-minded communities to plan sustainable agricultural projects in cities, suburbs, and towns
- Organizing resources to equip communities improving local farming and food supply sustainability
- Educate and equip communities in the United States to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels in agriculture
- Using international outreach to harness the immense potential of people from all nations
- Plant A Carbon-Capture Farm Initiative – Carbon-capture farms are farms where human innovation is used to harmonize all farm activity with the surrounding environmental resources. Chemical-free and organic regenerative farming, carbon capture, and reducing emissions world over is our goal.
Wasting food has a long list of environmental repercussions. Not only is the water itself an unredeemable resource but so is energy and fuel that is used to transport the food to its point of sale. Much of this food is unsustainably grown to begin with, reliant upon the use of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. The energy and resources that go into packaging adds to the already significant amount of waste incurred in this process. Much of which is wrapped in plastic, it is estimated that “the average plastic bag is used for just 12 minutes, but it could take 450 years to break down.”3 A true crisis in its own regard that we can only begin to address in another article. According to the World Wildlife Federation, the production of wasted food alone in the United States is equivalent to the greenhouse emissions of 37 million cars. If Americans continue the same path of food loss, the environmental impact could be disastrous.2
“Under a little-known international treaty called the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed in Chicago in 1944 to help the fledgling airline industry, fuel for international travel and transport of goods, including food, is exempt from taxes, unlike trucks, cars and buses. There is also no tax on fuel used by ocean freighters. Proponents say ending these breaks could help ensure that producers and consumers pay the environmental cost of increasingly well-traveled food.”4 Some studies have calculated that as little as 3 percent of emissions from the food sector are caused by transportation. But Mr. Watkiss, the Oxford economist, said the percentage was growing rapidly.4
In the long term, supporting businesses that do environmental or social harm will be much more costly. The sentiment “vote with your dollar” has perhaps never been more important. “What you don’t buy can have just as much influence in swaying a company’s values. When a company is considering shifting away from selling a certain product for reasons of “principle,” lagging sales in that product can be the extra push they need to do the right thing.”5 It is about everyone doing their part, from individuals to large corporations — taking responsibility and making small changes to create meaningful sustainable changes for the planet.
- Coleman-Jensen, A., et al. (2019). Household Food Security in the United States in 2018. U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Available online at: Household Food Security in the United States in 2018 (usda.gov)
- Food Waste in America in 2021: Statistics & Facts | RTS
- Plastic wrapped in plastic: the wasteful reality of America’s grocery stores | Plastics | The Guardian
- Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Vote with Your Dollar | Kindhumans
- The Green Peace Corps Mission – GreenPeaceCorps.org