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If you've found yourself in the kitchen more than usual during the past year, you're not alone. About 40% of American adults report that they are cooking more since the coronavirus struck, according to the U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2020 report. Demand for online food content and recipes has soared, and without lengthy commutes or social engagements, many adults have more time to experiment in the kitchen and make more of their own meals.
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste">Food waste</a>, however, remains a major problem in the United States; the USDA estimates that <a href="https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs" target="_blank">30-40% our national food supply is wasted</a>. Wasted food is the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste" target="_blank">largest category of material in municipal landfills,</a> and represents a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, thus having a substantial impact on global <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>. Without food waste, <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste" target="_blank">about 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions from the global food system would be eliminated</a>, found the World Wildlife Foundation.</p><p>While global food waste can seem like a distant problem, <a href="https://www.saveonenergy.com/food-power-per-hour/" target="_blank">individual homes represent the largest source of that waste</a> in terms of dollars, resulting in major economic consequences for individuals and families. American households spend <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2020/01/26/the-shocking-amount-of-food-us-households-waste-every-year/?sh=726ba1ea7dc8" target="_blank">roughly $1,866 a year</a> on food that ends up being wasted.</p><p>For both beginner cooks and seasoned chefs, these tips for creatively reducing food waste in your kitchen will both cut down on your environmental impact and save you money by keeping more food out of the trash.</p>
1. Freeze leftover herbs.
<div id="b5acf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="35ceec3c11404d6d839ab2db0c2e7a24"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-vYQpkpY3h/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top"></a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>If you find yourself with more fresh herbs than you can use, they don't have to slowly wilt in the fridge until they're beyond help: rosemary, thyme, cilantro, sage, basil, or whatever else you have on hand can be <a href="https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-freeze-herbs-for-long-term-storage-article" target="_blank">frozen for future use</a>.</p><p>Make sure to thoroughly wash and dry the herbs, and prepare them the way you normally would before eating (stems removed, spoiled pieces discarded, etc.). Finely chop and press into each "cube" of an ice tray. Top them off with olive oil and freeze. Once solid, the cubes can be removed from the tray and stored in a freezer bag.</p><p>The cubes can be tossed directly into a pan for sautéing vegetables, or melted to dress a salad.</p><p>Even fresh ginger can be frozen – either shaved and stored in ice trays for individual servings, or peeled and frozen whole to be grated as needed.</p>2. Save leftover lemon peels for a homemade cleaning solution.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTkzMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MjI2NTI5MH0.QM1D5-3OG9c_BC7ybLaMzyNrbjzaafIalEdmH9Sk7B0/img.jpg?width=980" id="ceb1a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e00a837264e09d8033ea5275f9f42dc9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2520" data-height="1472" />Pexels
<p><span>If you use a lot of lemons for cooking or beverages, repurpose the rinds for an </span><a href="https://toriavey.com/home-garden/natural-all-purpose-homemade-citrus-cleanser/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">easy, organic surface cleaner.</a></p><p>After squeezing lemons for use, collect the rinds in a clean glass jar in the fridge, packing them tightly. Make sure to remove any stickers and thoroughly wash the lemons beforehand. Once full of peels, fill the jar with vinegar, cap it tightly, and keep in a dark, cool place (like the back of the fridge).</p><p>After about two weeks, your lemon-cleanser base should be ready. Strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth or a mesh strainer into another clean jar, discarding the peels.</p><p>In a spray bottle, combine the cleanser base with water in a 1:1 ratio, and it's ready to go.</p><p>This organic surface cleaner is excellent for glass windows and mirrors, showers and sinks, countertops, and other surfaces. Since the mixture is very acidic, avoid using on marble or stone, as it might cause pitting on the surface. </p>3. Keep produce dirty.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTkzNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2Mjg0MTE1N30.GPLlrouDytglxsYd8kf-5aYpLw5XviCXnVGgVEzOtmU/img.jpg?width=980" id="0b400" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="41d171a58d45ddb420f8da2056048441" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2250" data-height="1500" />Pexels
<p>Extend the life of fruits and vegetables by refraining from washing until you're ready to use them; too much moisture on produce can cause premature decay and send food to the trash. If you get a particularly dirty batch of potatoes or other fruits and veggies, you can still give them a good wash if they're dried completely before being stored in the fridge.</p>4. Stock up on scraps.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3f0c37a649ee985435a31948baf3dd7f"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NcUEZaOp-5s?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Save veggie scraps in the freezer to make your own <a href="https://tasty.co/recipe/how-to-make-veggie-stock-with-kitchen-scraps" target="_blank">veggie stock</a>. Not only will you keep peels out of the trash, but you'll circumvent buying pre-made stock, which often comes in wasteful, non-recyclable packaging.</p><p>As you accumulate vegetable scraps – stalks, skins, stems, chopped-off tops and bottoms – add them to a Ziplock bag or Tupperware container in the freezer, where they can stay for up to six months. While peeling often eliminates the need for washing some foods, like potatoes, you'll need to thoroughly wash any vegetables from which you plan to save scraps in order to avoid a muddy stock.</p><p>Once you have a decent amount of scraps, drop them in a pot and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, adding salt as needed. Strain the stock, making sure to remove any visible scraps.</p><p>The stock can be refrigerated for up to four days (or frozen for up to three months), and can be used in all of your favorite <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/vegetable-broth-recipes/" target="_blank">recipes calling for vegetable broth</a>.</p>5. Rescue avocados from browning.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY1ODUyNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzQxMjMzNn0.jUgBXyjppaC90MlBH5gp7FR-xngjTxoXXm11_7nQYW8/img.jpg?width=980" id="5b67a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="652fc9deab752d1124b94fca4bed33ac" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2520" data-height="1418" />Pexels
<p>Before stowing an avocado-half in the fridge, rub a few drops of lemon or lime juice on the exposed surface. The citric acid will <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/keep-avocados-from-turning-brown-1328686" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slow down the browning process</a> and your avocado will stay fresh for longer.</p>6. Revive limp kale.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY1ODI0MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzMwNDcxN30.p7GRQQXdqHVyvQCer-GV2PCor3KLuvs5_BFK-SSJ5gE/img.jpg?width=980" id="b56ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb43aac852fcff77b3acc2592b0f2287" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2250" data-height="1500" />Pexels
<p>Kale and most other leafy greens like to be kept dry – a dish towel wrapped around the leaves and placed inside a produce bag should keep them fresh in the fridge; but, droopy kale isn't a lost cause! <a href="https://foodess.com/article/tuesday-tips-how-to-bring-wilted-kale-back-to-life/#:~:text=treat%20them%20like%20flowers!,new%20in%20a%20few%20hours!" target="_blank">Cut the edges of the stems and submerge</a> in a few inches of water in a glass. Tuck them in the fridge for a few hours, and the leaves will perk right up.</p>7. Store smarter.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5896c7edc784497b512a0bf5698bc87f"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tk0omultgnU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Storing produce more mindfully is an important way to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/keep-your-produce-fresh/" target="_blank">extend the shelf life of your produce</a>, and prevent tossing foods that have been gone bad.</p><p>Most importantly, keep foods that produce more ethylene gas away from those that don't. Ethylene promotes ripening and can cause nearby foods to spoil – especially ethylene-sensitive foods, like leafy greens, eggplant, peppers, squash, and sweet potatoes. <a href="https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/ethylene-producing-foods" target="_blank">Ethylene-producing foods</a> include apples, avocadoes, ripening bananas, mangoes, peaches, pears, plantains, and tomatoes. Storing these in a separate drawer will prevent your other groceries from rotting prematurely.</p>8. Grow your own herbs.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTgxNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTM0NDM5Mn0.FvlesWdpXFqyNBEnOtiStcj_cYmBCP-8YA5ASak63sI/img.jpg?width=980" id="0f650" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2870412139a8986475d323ba578be785" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="4505" data-height="3317" />s0ulsurfing - Jason Swain / Moment / Getty Images
<p>At most mainstream grocery stores, fresh herbs come pre-packaged in disposable plastic containers and in rather large quantities. When a recipe calls for only a dash of rosemary or a handful of chopped basil for serving, you might find yourself with more than you can realistically use.</p><p>Luckily, you don't even need a backyard to have a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/how-to-create-your-indoor-edible-garden-1881995906.html" target="_self">beautiful, indoor herb garden</a>. Many herbs will <a href="https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/herbs-indoors/8920.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">thrive in a pot on your windowsill</a>, close at hand to pluck exactly the amount you need for a given recipe.</p><p>To grow sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary, look out for planter starters – a small piece of the plant that has already rooted and started growing – at a local hardware, grocery, or garden store. Herbs like dill, basil, parsley, and chives are easier to grow from seed, although purchasing starters can jumpstart the process.</p><p>Plant the starters or seeds in a well-draining pot, and water only when the soil is dry or the herbs are drooping. If you have a window sill that gets around 6 hours of indirect sunlight a day, great; if not, a small <a href="https://www.thespruce.com/best-grow-lights-4158720" target="_blank">grow light</a> can brighten up any corner of the house where you have space for growing.</p>9. First in, first out.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTc1Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDAwMzcyMH0.NZGtVC_aNqaRuJq28cHL0WvosQ4E7tH8m1uOZRR-I6s/img.jpg?width=980" id="dab8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="370e71afedbdaffb82d9a6efec3d9ea8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2250" data-height="1500" />Pexels
<p>When unloading your bags from the grocery store, don't let the new items sit front and center. Bring older groceries to the front to encourage your household to eat these first. Designating a "use first" drawer will also remind you what to eat before breaking into the new stuff.</p>10. Get pickling.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="38cb5a8bd34a749523c93f7dbfefbec6"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jJSaSyIHeEQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>If it's becoming clear that you won't get around to cooking with that red onion, try preserving it instead of tossing it in the trash.</p><p><a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-quick-pickle-any-vegetable-233882" target="_blank">Pickling</a> is a great way to squeeze some extra life out of foods. Cucumbers, onions, cauliflower, beets, green beans, onions, and even <a href="https://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/pickled-fruit-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fruit</a> can be easily pickled for future use. By keeping some some vinegar, sugar, and salt on hand, you'll be ready to prepare an <a href="https://www.feastingathome.com/quick-pickled-vegetables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">easy brine</a> in a pinch for preserving your produce.</p><p>Some easy <a href="https://www.liveeatlearn.com/quick-pickled-vegetables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pickling recipes</a> even add extra spices and seasoning for a more flavorful product.</p>11. Blend up the extras.
<div id="ca24e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e0b7ec64e659e80d3a5f689c13734a88"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ptQOXJ-ai/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top"></a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>When you find yourself with produce on the brink, whip up a "<a href="https://www.wellandgood.com/whatever-smoothie-formula/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">whatever smoothie</a>," adding anything you have on hand: overripe bananas, leftover stalks from leafy greens, wilting kale and spinach, or soon-to-be-spoiled produce that you just don't know what to do with. This <a href="https://foodwastefeast.com/recipes/2018/6/5/bruised-fruit-and-surplus-vegetable-smoothies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">delicious, waste-free smoothie</a> is an easy alternative to tossing your less-than-perfect produce.</p>12. Compost if you can.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTc4NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzIzMTEyNn0.B_seUe74jSp1YEy6-4kMPXqXkVXNsfIONiC7mQrjL1k/img.jpg?width=980" id="daa45" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="38c8cc65d8a0fbf386fbc0c43bcfd25f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2121" data-height="1414" />svetikd / E+ / Getty Images
<p>Composting is one of the most effective ways to divert food waste from <a href="https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/why" target="_blank">landfills, where it decomposes and contributes to methane emissions</a>: a harmful greenhouse gas accelerating climate change.</p><p>As composting becomes increasingly recognized as an important practice, practical (and cute!) <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-compost-bins-4150354" target="_blank">indoor compost bins</a> are widely available and fit right on a kitchen counter or tucked discreetly underneath. <a href="https://www.thespruce.com/what-to-compost-1709069" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Be wary of what you toss in</a>, avoiding meat, dairy, and greasy leftovers that harbor pathogens and give the compost a strong odor.</p><p>When it's time to empty the bin, indoor and outdoor composting systems allow for the natural processes that break down food and create rich, organic fertilizer for lawns and gardens. If you have an outdoor space, maintaining your own <a href="https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/10-compost-bins-for-backyard-gardeners-8119" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">backyard composting system</a> is rather simple, with many different styles and options to fit your space. There are even <a href="https://www.bobvila.com/articles/indoor-composting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">excellent options for indoor composting</a> if you don't have access to a yard.</p><p>Many cities have developed large-scale <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/city-compost-programs-2646170908.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2" target="_self">municipal composting programs</a> for residents – including <a href="https://www.greenmatters.com/p/top-composting-cities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">San Francisco, Seattle, and Boulder</a> – allowing city- and apartment-dwellers without their own outdoor space to compost. Even if your city doesn't have a composting program, there are plenty of <a href="https://compostnow.org/compost-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">independent groups</a> that might accept your scraps, including some community gardens and communal composting centers. Research what options exist in your area and consider how composting might work for you.</p><p>Remaining mindful of our food waste and incorporating some new habits are great first steps to lowering our environmental impact. As we spend more time at home – perhaps trying new dishes and making more home-cooked meals – we have the opportunity to develop patterns and practices that reduce our food waste and save both money and resources in the process.</p>
<p><em>Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC. </em><em>Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A compost facility collects food scraps from restaurants and homes in San Francisco and turns them into nutrient-rich compost that is sold back to Bay Area farmers. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
By Kristen DeAngelis, Gwynne Mhuireach and Sue Ishaq
Almost overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed many Americans' relationships with food. To relieve some of the stress associated with shopping safely for groceries and ensure food security, many people are once again planting "victory gardens." This tradition hearkens back to previous generations who cultivated home gardens during both World Wars.
<p>Interest was high even before the pandemic. In 2014 the National Gardening Association reported that <a href="https://garden.org/special/pdf/2014-NGA-Garden-to-Table.pdf" target="_blank">42 million U.S. households – about 1 out of every 3 – grew some kind of food</a>, either at home or in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/healthyfood/community.htm" target="_blank">community gardens</a>.</p><p>But home gardening isn't always easy. Poor soil quality will hamper vegetable growth and food production. And many gardeners, especially in lower-income communities, don't have access to resources that can improve the soil.</p><p>We are scholars who have analyzed the power of microbes in settings that include <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YTNhbK8AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">forest soils and permafrost</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=F8ZlHPUAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">the built environment</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=sue+ishaq+google+scholar&oq=sue+ishaq+google+scholar&aqs=chrome..69i57.5176j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">digestive systems and agricultural soils</a>. In our view, the time has come for major public investments in a well-known gardening resource: compost.</p><p>Microbes make compost by breaking down organic matter, such as food scraps. Compost improves soil health so dramatically it's often called "black gold." Large-scale municipal composting is a public resource that can reduce food waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote better stewardship of our most valuable natural resource: soil.</p>
How Compost Feeds Soils
<p>Healthy soils are living mixtures of minerals, microbes, organic matter, water and air. Unhealthy soils may contain fewer microbes or less organic material. This makes them less active and less helpful for plants. Poor soils have trouble holding water, and are unable to decompose organic material into usable building blocks for new growth.</p><p><span></span>Making degraded soils healthier requires <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-restore-our-soils-feed-the-microbes-79616" target="_blank">feeding the microbes</a>. They need new organic matter – plant or animal tissues – that they can break down and recycle.</p><p>In healthy soil, some of that food comes from growing plants that fix carbon from sunlight and pump almost half of it, in the form of sugars, into the soil. In exchange, the microbes provide other nutrients that plants can't acquire on their own.</p><p>Soil microbes also feed on old organic matter, like leaf litter and dead roots. And new biochemical analyses suggest that when these microbes die, they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.12.002" target="_blank">become part of soil organic matter themselves</a>.</p><p>To make good compost, you mix green plant waste, like vegetable peels, garden leaf litter or straw, with brown organic matter like soil or manure. Then, over weeks to months, microbes turn the mix into compost, which looks just like soil.</p><p>This process produces heat as the microbes break chemical bonds in the plant matter, releasing energy. Compost piles can reach internal temperatures up to 170 degrees F. The heat kills potential microbial pathogens that can ride along with manure inputs.</p><p>When gardeners add compost to soils, the organic matter in the compost acts like a sponge for water. It also is a reservoir for nitrogen, phosphorus and other micronutrients that plants need to grow.</p>
Access to Compost Is an Equity Issue
<p>If compost is such a great resource, why don't more people make their own? In many ways, <a href="https://theconversation.com/inequity-takes-a-toll-on-your-gut-microbes-too-127659" target="_blank">healthy soil is a luxury</a>. For starters, it takes time to set up a compost pile, followed by continued maintenance – adding browns and greens at the right intervals, watering the pile and turning it over weekly in summer or monthly in winter.</p><p>Composting also takes tools and construction materials that not all aspiring gardeners can afford. It requires access to space, and a friendly regulatory environment that allows residents to create compost piles, which can produce odors and attract pests if they are not managed properly.</p><p>Factors like these are increasing interest in municipal composting programs, in which a community collects and processes residents' organic materials. These programs typically accept food and yard waste from restaurants, schools, businesses and local residents, and create a large-scale, <a href="https://ilsr.org/neighborhood-soil-rebuilders/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwb744v7-6AIVzMDACh0gsADnEAAYASAAEgL5TPD_BwE" target="_blank">professionally run composting facility</a>.</p><p>Municipal composting saves money for communities by <a href="https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-economics-of-composting" target="_blank">diverting food waste from landfills</a>. It also promotes sustainability by reducing <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas#:%7E:text=Methane%20Emissions%20from%20Landfills,of%20these%20emissions%20in%202018." target="_blank">emissions of methane</a>, a powerful greenhouse gas produced in landfills when waste breaks down in the absence of oxygen. And combining lots of different waste sources improves the breakdown of organic materials and generates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2017-0028" target="_blank">more nutritious compost</a>.</p><p>Many municipal programs allot participants a certain volume of compost in return for the waste they provide. And some offer <a href="https://www.cambridgema.gov/Services/curbsidecomposting" target="_blank">pickup and delivery</a>.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eabee36208a1d692372116f10872435f"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uAI_4o0HXuw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Growing Compost Programs
<p>We encourage people with the necessary time and resources to <a href="https://www.esa.org/microbial/education-outreach/" target="_blank">try home composting</a>. However, creating and supporting municipal composting is necessary to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste and increase access to healthy soil.</p><p>Composting programs are sometimes available through <a href="https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/growing-local-fertility.pdf" target="_blank">local community gardens or farms</a>. Many private companies operate <a href="https://compostnow.org/compost-services/" target="_blank">local compost pickup services</a>.</p><p>Among U.S. cities, leaders in promoting city-scale composting services include <a href="https://sfenvironment.org/es/zero-waste/recycling-and-composting" target="_blank">San Francisco</a>, <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/services/food-and-yard/food-and-yard-waste-at-home" target="_blank">Seattle</a>, and smaller cities like <a href="https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DPW/Recycling-Solid-Waste/FAQs" target="_blank">Burlington, Vermont</a>. These programs rely on local ordinances that either offer incentives or require restaurants and other large food waste sources to compost food waste instead of sending it to landfills.</p><p>Municipal composting needs consumer support to attract and retain funding and other resources. Demands for land, especially in urban settings, can spur city governments to sell underfunded or underutilized community spaces for commercial use – especially if local neighborhoods <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-10011-w" target="_blank">lack social capital to advocate for themselves</a>.</p><p>Promoting community-based food production and recycling waste via composting <a href="http://illinoiscomposts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Municipal-Composting-one-pager-1.pdf" target="_blank">provides many benefits</a>. It creates jobs, expands access to healthy fruits and vegetables, improves the local environment – especially the soil – and helps <a href="http://www.safsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Silvestri_Estrada_SoilsCommunity_Final.pdf" target="_blank">mitigate climate change</a>. Best of all, investing in local agriculture helps boost the local economy, especially for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czu109" target="_blank">those who need it most</a>: people seeking better access to safe and nutritious food.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Woman building a diy insect hotel outdoor. Guido Mieth / DigitalVision / Getty Images
By Courtney Lindwall
If you're one of those people cooped up safely at home, with creative energy and free time to spare—count yourself lucky. Here, we've rounded up a list of two dozen environmental projects that can make your time indoors, or right outside, a little brighter. Whether you're ready to start rescuing more of your kitchen scraps, sewing your own cloth napkins, or documenting those backyard butterflies, we hope these simple green ideas will provide a calming means of coping during these unprecedented times. Have fun and stay safe.
Experiment in the Kitchen
<p><strong>Spice up mealtime with recipes from </strong><a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/" target="_blank">Save the Food</a> that will also help prevent your food from going to waste. Make a fromage fort to spread on your crackers, or "scraps falafel" to use up wrinkly onions and wilted herbs. And for dessert, how about some <a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/leftover-mashed-potato-apple-cider-donuts" target="_blank">leftover mashed potato apple cider donuts</a>? </p><p><strong>Rescue wilting herbs.</strong> Make <a href="https://savethefood.com/storage" target="_blank">herb oil ice cubes</a><a href="https://savethefood.com/storage" target="_blank"> by </a>packing diced herbs into an ice cube tray, covering with olive oil, and freezing. Thaw for ready-made flavor in your next dish. You can also transform less-than-fresh herbs into sauces, like chimichurri or pesto, or roast them and mix with salt to create longer-lasting seasonings. </p><p><strong>Start a windowsill herb garden. </strong>You'll need some seeds or a small plant, an upcycled container like a coffee canister that leaves room for growth and drainage, and a sunny ledge. (The Herb Society of America can help you determine <a href="https://www.herbsociety.org/hsa-learn/intro-to-herbs/hsa-gardening-for-kids/light-indoor-gardens.html" target="_blank">the right dose of light and water for each species</a>.) In a few weeks' time, you'll be ready to add a sprig of fresh basil to your bowl of pasta or diced cilantro to your batch of guac.</p><p><strong>Arrange a plant-based recipe swap</strong> with friends and family, which will reduce your diet's climate impacts while creating some virtual community. (Remember: If <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sujatha-bergen/saving-planet-starts-our-plates" target="_blank">every American cut just one hamburger</a> or about a quarter pound of beef out of their diet each week, we could reduce emissions by as much as taking about 10 million cars off the road each year.)</p><p><strong><br>Simmer your veggie scraps into a </strong><a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/basic-vegetable-stock" target="_blank"><strong>flavorful stock</strong></a>, the foundation of your next meal. To get started, keep a clean, half-gallon carton in the freezer, and add trimmings as you prep meals. When you have enough, put the veggies in a pot, cover with water, and crank up the heat.</p><p><strong>Plan a dough swap</strong> by freezing half of the dough from your latest baked good and suggesting friends, family, and coworkers do the same. When you're reunited, you can organize a trade and enjoy someone else's baking for a change.</p><p><strong>Start an indoor compost bin.</strong> It shouldn't smell when you follow this <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-way-easier-you-think" target="_blank">list of what is and isn't compost-friendly</a>. To build your worm bin, find two plastic tubs and <a href="https://nrdc.tumblr.com/post/118984184239/how-to-build-a-worm-bin" target="_blank">drill holes in one of them</a> to provide proper aeration. Layer in moist bedding—made of things like shredded newspaper, leaves, or coconut husk—and then add some red wigglers, which you can order online. Kept well fed with scraps, your worms will soon be producing "black gold" compost to use in your garden and helping you curb greenhouse gases.</p>
Enjoy a Dose of Nature
<p><strong></strong><strong>Make your own basic bird feeder</strong> using pine cones, twine, nut butter, and birdseed. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-rxsVfAvaa/" target="_blank">This video from the Feminist Bird Club shows you one way to do it.</a> Hang it on a nearby tree you can spot through your window, then grab a pair of binoculars and do some armchair birding!</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-and-why-be-seed-savior" target="_blank"><strong>Create an herbarium</strong></a>—a scrapbook of pressed, dried flowers or other plants. To prepare your samples, press the plant matter in a large book or between sheets of newspaper and place a weight on top. When the leaves are dry, mount them on acid-free paper to preserve them, and label each specimen on the page. You can also include illustrations, photographs, seed packets, and notes.</p><p><strong>Sharpen your naturalist ID skills.</strong> Try to identify every species of plant in your backyard or on a neighborhood walk. You can do the same for wildlife—and share your findings through <a href="https://www.projectnoah.org/" target="_blank">Project Noah</a>, a citizen science platform to discover, share, and identify wildlife.</p><p><strong>Grow new indoor plants</strong> with the use of stems and leaves, rather than seeds. Though it <a href="https://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/how_to_propagate_houseplants" target="_blank">depends on your individual plant</a> species, propagating houseplants is often as easy as cutting off a stem or leaf from an existing plant and sticking it in soil or fresh water. If it takes, a new root system should form within a few weeks—leaving you with a hearty second plant within a few more months. (Pro tip: This works for green onions too! Nearly submerge their sliced-off roots, end down, into a glass of water that you change every few days. Voilà: a nearly endless supply of scallions.)</p><p><strong>Observe monarch butterflies</strong> in your backyard and share your findings with Monarch Watch, an organization devoted to their <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/monarch-butterflies-get-head-start-schoolyard" target="_blank">conservation</a>. Each year, monarchs make a remarkable 3,000-mile trek from as far north as the southern parts of Canada to the mountains of Mexico and back—but these pollinators are <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sylvia-fallon/monarch-butterfly-numbers-fall-again" target="_blank">in danger</a>. Register as one of Monarch Watch's citizen scientists to <a href="https://monarchwatch.org/calendar/?fbclid=IwAR1bawlAoraeMokwdiZa_GVONQqtDnqQxc_EM_UwzbO0zhq733PT6CQIgLc" target="_blank">help track the population's health</a>.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-turn-your-patch-earth-barren-bountiful" target="_blank">Boost your backyard biodiversity</a>. </strong>Plant some milkweed—the main food source for monarch caterpillars and egg-laying habitat for the butterflies. Hang a bee nesting box somewhere it can get sunlight and warmth. Add a barn owl box or attach a simple roosting perch to a pole. For reptile enthusiasts, set up a small wood pile, using brush or old logs as shelter for lizards and snakes (plus fungi).</p>Do Some Handiwork and Art Projects
<p><strong>Make face masks </strong>for your friends, family, and workers on the frontlines. This <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/DIY-cloth-face-covering-instructions.pdf" target="_blank">Center for Disease Control guide</a> breaks down different techniques. If you're comfortable sewing, you'll just need two 10-by-6-inch rectangles of fabric, two pieces of elastic, and a needle and thread for each mask. The no-sew option only requires a T-shirt and scissors. Remember: Cloth masks should be cleaned regularly (the CDC says a washing machine is sufficient) in order to remain effective.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Get your crayons out </strong>and do some therapeutic coloring. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and as part of a collaboration with NRDC, Studio Number One and its creative director, artist Shepard Fairey, have converted some of its archival activist artwork into <a href="http://www.studionumberone.com/free-downloads" target="_blank">black-and-white printouts for at-home coloring.</a></p><p><strong>Tackle your plastic bag stash</strong>, especially if your city or town is among those that recently banned the bag. Since current conditions may eliminate collection and recycling programs for plastic bags in your area, consider upcycling them instead. There are plenty of online tutorials for how to make outdoor pillow cushions stuffed with plastic bags, weave bags into <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-basket-out-of-plastic-bags/" target="_blank">sturdy baskets</a>, or wind them into jump ropes.</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/purging-your-closets-dont-stuff-all-your-old-duds-trash-bag" target="_blank"><strong>Cut down on textile waste</strong></a>, which exacts a <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/are-my-denim-jeans-bad-environment" target="_blank">heavy toll on the environment and public health</a>, by giving old clothes a second life. Alter out-of-style garments by embroidering, reshaping, or using nontoxic dye to give them a new look. Take inspiration from fashion designers like <a href="http://zerowastedaniel.com/about" target="_blank">Daniel Silverstein</a>, who makes colorful, collaged clothing out of fabric scraps, or turn old fabric into a work of art, like weaver <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/weaving-beauty-borderlands" target="_blank">Consuelo Jimenez Underwoo</a>d.</p><p><strong>Turn old beach towels or T-shirts into </strong><a href="https://www.papernstitchblog.com/how-to-make-reusable-paper-towels/" target="_blank"><strong>a set of cloth napkins</strong></a>, a perfect beginner-level sewing project. By ditching single-use paper towels and napkins, you'll be helping to protect our forests, like the boreal of Canada that is the source of the virgin wood pulp used for much of the tissue paper products sold in the United States. Instead, switch to more sustainable, washable rags or cloths for cleaning up around the house and at the dining table.</p><p><strong>Get crafty with your recycling efforts</strong> to encourage kids <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-raise-environmentalist" target="_blank">to be more aware of our disposable culture</a>. For example, you could transform empty jars into vases, penholders, and votive candle holders. Or make a fresh notebook from scrap paper with the help of a hole punch and scissors, some ribbon, and an old cereal box (for making sturdy covers).</p>
Build Your Community
<p><strong></strong><strong>Start an environmental movie club.</strong> Various apps let you host movie nights with friends online, so you can chat while you watch. You can find our recs for standout environmental films on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QNBxqJAUR/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>—including <em>Poisoning Paradise</em>, <em>Virunga</em>, and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-turn-your-patch-earth-barren-bountiful" target="_blank"><em>The Biggest Little Farm</em></a>—with short summaries and tips on where you can find them online.</p><p>Document the environmental changes in your community<strong>, as they relate to climate change, through the </strong><a href="https://earthchallenge2020.earthday.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Earth Challenge </strong>2020's online portal</a>. The project will collect billions of observations in air quality, plastic pollution, and insect populations, and your insights will help promote policy change to address our warming world.</p><p><strong>Tune in to a new podcast</strong>. We recommend <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/range/hot-take-4#/" target="_blank"><em>Hot Take</em></a>, featuring NRDC's own Mary Heglar and her cohost Amy Westervelt, which takes a critical but constructive, intersectional look at how climates issues are being covered in the media. And despite the weighty content of the podcast, laughter is one of its defining sounds.</p><p><strong>Connect with climate justice activists</strong> by following along with <a href="http://thisiszerohour.org/our-actions/#actions" target="_blank">Zero Hour's Getting to the Roots digital series</a>. Each week, it focuses on a different theme that is a root cause of the climate crisis as well as ways to solve it—through digital leadership training, webinars, virtual open mics on Instagram and Twitter, art competitions, and podcast releases.</p><p><strong>Write a </strong><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-write-successful-letter-editor" target="_blank"><strong>letter to the editor</strong></a> that tackles one of the environmental issues facing your community that's close to your heart. The letter can be written in response to a piece that's already been published by a given media outlet, or it can be a proactive statement of support for or opposition against a particular issue that affects fellow readers. It's the perfect way to reach thousands of individuals and still remain publicly engaged without having to leave the comfort of your home.</p>Related Articles Around the Web
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Urban community garden composting seen in New York City. Education Images / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
New methods to reuse "fast fashion" clothes, recycling of construction materials, and adoption of electric school buses could all become possible in New York City under far-reaching new climate legislation introduced Thursday by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
<p>The proposals include measures to encourage New Yorkers to use the city's composting program to cut down on the 3.1 million tons of garbage, one-third of which is food waste, households produce each year — measures that could eventually become mandatory, the legislation says. Johnson, who is running to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021, said he also would push proposals to convert Rikers Island into a renewable energy hub and push for solutions to protect the city's shorelines from sea level rise. </p><h4>For a deeper dive:</h4><p><a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W6G9GSC49SF75V9bGlz1-fkdN0/*W20C3N91X3PttW4V9SX74sF2lF0/5/f18dQhb0S1Xq7w2QxfSmLh1J0V9sVb1XsJ1k8-yyW8K7rSY62Sq51W5z5SSS5jX9CCN6vsjGwXLgF0W5Mdj_l2yry8DW52FCC556tdQDW7W3vYw8tRCC8W7zpcFL5WNSdwW6ZYw2D5hjbs3N7z2bsJYXhtkW4d2sLM63ndKNW6LJzTW6bj8DWW5VVs2v21r3tmW826KRz1PfXSqN6vjRhbGBbWlW5T6R324hptNlVGC1Gj7kDf3jV2L6Sr5kzG92W6CcRYk5hN8BcW8lJ0Sz2Lr3V_W4M41sj2R973JW5jML1h48cPF5VkjsfH61v5HRVsyTgd32HTDWW8sl22P78RrvbN7tG8hm2KW5lW21rfQn7mJ64_W5p7xjk8V7_3gW3MDYVL2G6X0YW4cjrQC3VvWJtN87WmspTHt1FW3pH21r75nQ7FW3Qy98h6Fp0GgW6vnYs086hQ7tW7RKT2s3cPzs9W3Z3W_g7XY074W2KBl_S2ytQ9zW6-_3fW4S4BvxMZB7dKn9CvXW1cZByP22ZZRzW8Zjdk090k_p2VjJfmW6p1H9xW5R1Xj-4rKklNW5JrxlD1hjLF7W901cZ44qMxp20" target="_blank">NY Post</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W6G9GSC49SF75V9bGlz1-fkdN0/*W2Nfn0F5rZ-0ZW5SxxLD8Sf69T0/5/f18dQhb0S1Wd2RMFdXVWWdCJ5VRw7gN3hVZwTmWF_0W6yys4H4VR406N2SdT3tqn08tW7L6qS55pVHyKW7yPvFj6z66HDVzlyjr1tGgFdW73Rn5Z7b2DxfW4MQzzJ4rSDNSW8N8Plv1LWBJ5W1zC6zj5Ptms2W8q0GCN3Md4MZW43sPhS7ZH9rrW7TBYCw6xvwfjVrJZh57mZB0jW2YYpG77FYxC7VWxqtG4SKG7BW1RWntN8-6ZbTW7Y3yg01pvm4yW71tg0g3Knn8XW5krlmK8qb4ygW1Y8yJP19XB30N7tzZVfR5Y66N3_qwXG18v9-W33sCGR3vTg9fW5Z_dLg4RPkY2VFsH658fnTqgW8BlH9s3KpxYtVJ-1Dl6t85L4W1SYSYQ4pkzGNW7qPs6f75Qh1_W5p069F3Qxm6-W9hRFRZ3Fmhn2W7sgTZT222kXyN74CwM5JnZ-SW99V7Bp3NLbk8W4k_4gX7lsrPpW2069-P5dy9k9W6l1lp898v7YgW4w589S8H95wyW6cKtwJ3VZ2dpW2grjF_8jFK9wW372D-z7cnRb1W2j0lqc1_N72GW6_L_RZ4D5-RTW638-pK3GV232W7MhyTd6h3hkSW8sgkpy958V9_W4FZ2Sz345nftW6-Rglm8gn5K5W2fjL5H397c12W4gz_4N9cgT1YdbBM8N02" target="_blank">Politico NY</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/c/*W6G9GSC49SF75V9bGlz1-fkdN0/*W70Cb9K6tjq77W4CnHSS7T_zrm0/5/f18dQhb0S3kg252mBcT2s3319JyY0N2lxSGljSRgBW54y7tw4_NpBFW1PJtx26jwdHQW6QVV0v79khScW37Tjnf5kRN5TW3ZvRby9h8-JSVmq_dQ7HcFpBW8hqcqx8-Ml35W20NcBP20ZQySW5HrWwp8yf_q4N3nyGX7V-gy4MBCqTSnMsD1M1xgtZYx1GmW6dgYCd8ydwbbW8lhs-t6JSr63W7Zc0mV3n2LYYN1jqHCsTQ86CW7tlylG38W-qpW2sxR242XPcTmW6Q66VG8NDCPYW4bWry91z9TCwW17cKG61m14bfW2yRZ4c6RLTN2W4K48jJ4MQpXCW6VTmvL4kx1q9W2TR3hW7s1gFxW8Ct0J55jr7g8W3fTLFk7qMwxKW1ZKfbg6H3qd1W3dfjKx6m-msDW1lqQ635sZjs2N5KzbkH-5r2lW7-_7nV1P9tC6W10G1kT89vWZ8W5QFSWB7JtM3fW53P-3t8d4dRsW64yKmV2ljmF8N67tvs4ZwtgBVx5pqV87dLHwW5Rc61g6RcmX1W5yhK-Z502rHjW28C7pv1WV80wW2QVB1V7wTg_L111" target="_blank">New York Times</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Adam Hester / Blend Images / Getty Images
The climate needs your help, the water needs your help, the land needs your help. In 2019 be part of the solution. The soil you walk on and grow food in holds a secret to some of the biggest problems facing the planet today.
<p>Here are just some of the ways you can be part of the solution to regenerate the planet in 2019 and beyond, starting with soil:</p><p><strong>1. Watch and share our new video.</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kissthegroundCA/videos/2294807857423260/" target="_blank">Learn how</a> to make 2019 the year you got involved in the movement to regenerate the planet. Watch the video below: </p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f8379afbfc94c34b9574c5bf09431ad6"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/kissthegroundCA/videos/2294807857423260/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
<p><strong>2. Compost at home.</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Because <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste">food waste</a> is food for the soil that grows your food! Learn more about how cool composting is via <em><u><a href="https://kisstheground.com/thecompoststory/" target="_blank">The Compost Story</a>.</u></em><br></p><p><strong>3. Grow your own food.</strong></p><p>Learn how to create your own <a href="https://kisstheground.com/5-ways-to-make-your-garden-regenerative/" target="_blank">regenerative garden</a> in your backyard. Check out the post below: </p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="bfedd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5F0NZQ1576663728"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1047794252338659328" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">5 Ways to Make Your Garden Regenerative https://t.co/iM7wdFBxew</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1047794252338659328">1538648591.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><strong>4. Become a Soil Advocate!</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The next Kiss the Ground <a href="https://kisstheground.com/speaker-training/" target="_blank">Soil Advocate Training</a> begins on Jan. 15. Learn how to powerfully present the topics of soil health and regenerative agriculture as solutions to climate change, water scarcity and feeding the world.<br></p><p><strong>5. Support a Farmer to be Trained in Regenerative Agriculture!</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Our Farmland Program provides scholarships for producers to attend trainings and provides the technical support needed for them to successfully transition to soil focused regenerative agricultural management practices. For $5,500 you can fund the transition of a farm to one that regenerates land. This includes training, travel costs, consulting time, and soil testing. <a href="https://kisstheground.com/become-a-member/" target="_blank">Learn more</a> about our new <a href="https://kisstheground.com/become-a-member/" target="_blank">Fund a Farmer</a> Program.</p><p><strong>6. Become a Kiss the Ground Member.</strong></p><p><strong></strong>By becoming a member, your monthly donations make it possible for us to educate youth, consumers, and businesses, create media, train farmers, and advocate for healthy soils across the globe. In addition, members are granted access to resources and monthly member "Living Regeneratively" webinars designed to provide you with tools to help you explore regeneration in your own life, decolonize your mind, connect to nature, and become a steward of the planet. <a href="https://kisstheground.com/become-a-member/" target="_blank">Learn more</a>.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- 5 Ways to Make Your Garden Regenerative ›
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AndreyPopov / iStock / Getty Images
By Tim Lydon
When we gather around the table with friends and family this holiday season, many of us will look down at platefuls of climate change. It won't be our intention, of course, but one aftermath of our holiday cheer is food waste, which is increasingly cited as one of the world's biggest sources of carbon pollution. Fortunately, awareness around the issue is growing, and new resources—from simple household apps to major industry and government initiatives—are emerging to help us tighten the belt on food waste.
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that up to <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm" target="_blank">40 percent of food produced</a> in the U.S. is thrown in the garbage. The waste represents a tremendous amount of fossil fuel burned to grow, ship and refrigerate food that no one will ever eat. Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack once equated the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/16/440825159/its-time-to-get-serious-about-reducing-food-waste-feds-say" target="_blank">fuel wasted annually</a> to 70 Deepwater Horizon oil spills. But wasting fuel is only part of the problem. Nearly all discarded food in the U.S. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home" target="_blank">ends up in landfills</a>, which account for approximately <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas" target="_blank">14 percent of U.S. emissions of methane</a>, a greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide. Food waste is also tied to excess <a href="http://www.asb.cgiar.org/article/food-waste-contributes-tropical-deforestation" target="_blank">deforestation</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4957089/" target="_blank">fertilization</a> and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-food-waste-water-20180419-story.html" target="_blank">water use</a>. It can even affect <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/unnatural_balance_how_food_waste_impacts_worlds_wildlife" target="_blank">wildlife</a>.</p><p>And it's a humanitarian issue. Today, approximately <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/90023/err-256.pdf?v=0" target="_blank">8 percent</a> of U.S. households with children experience food insecurity. Globally, an estimated <a href="http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/" target="_blank">one-third of food is wasted</a>, and <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank">nearly 1 billion</a> people suffer from hunger. That could increase. The United Nations predicts that by 2050, the human population will <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/world-population-prospects-2017.html" target="_blank">grow by an added 2.2 billion people</a>, requiring a massive surge in global food production.</p><p>The environmental and humanitarian effects of food waste are enough to trigger some serious holiday blues. But they don't have to. While at-home solutions to problems as large as climate change or world hunger may feel cliché or ineffective, they add up. According to United Nations research, nearly <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf" target="_blank">half of food waste</a> in the U.S. and other developed nations occurs on the consumer end of our food system. In contrast, most food waste in developing nations occurs closer to food production systems.</p><p>The lesson in the U.S. is that significant reductions in food waste cannot happen without changing our habits at home. And because they also save money, efforts to cut food waste represent low-hanging fruit in the fight against both climate change and hunger. Here are some ways to cut down on food waste at home, recommended by experts and guaranteed to enrich the holidays.</p><h4>Plan Your Meals</h4><p>The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy" target="_blank" title="">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) has developed quick-reference online resources to help consumers learn how to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home" target="_blank">limit food waste at home</a>. One of the best strategies? <a data-linked-post="2650154821" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/freshly-reviews-2650154821.html" target="_blank">Improved meal planning</a>. The EPA and others agree that <a href="https://mashable.com/2015/02/15/food-waste-tips/#sc8eS6KcZgqx" target="_blank" title="">building shopping lists around planned meals</a>, including consulting recipes beforehand to inform ingredient amounts, can swiftly and significantly cut waste and save money. Improved planning also includes keeping track of what is already in the fridge and which meals produce the most waste. An ever-expanding galaxy of smartphone <a href="https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/smartphone-apps-helping-reduce-food-waste/" target="_blank">apps designed to reduce food waste</a> at home can help conduct quick home food audits or build efficient shopping lists with built-in ingredient amounts. Similar apps are increasingly used by <a href="https://www.refed.com/solutions/waste-tracking-and-analytics" target="_blank" title="">restaurants and grocery stores</a> in their own efforts to improve planning.</p><h4>Improve Food Storage</h4><p>Produce constitutes <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/13/us-food-waste-ugly-fruit-vegetables-perfect" target="_blank" title="">the largest share of U.S. food waste</a>. To curb that, the <a href="https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/foodkeeperapp/" target="_blank">FoodKeeper app</a>—developed by the USDA, Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute—provides a one-stop searchable database of proper storage methods and timetables. The database is searchable by food category, and the produce section includes average shelf life for specific items and advice on prolonging freshness. Dozens of other websites also offer tips against spoilage (including gems like this from the <a href="https://foodrevolution.org/blog/reduce-food-waste/" target="_blank">Food Revolution Network</a>: Store tomatoes and certain other fruits separately from other produce because they emit gases that accelerate spoilage).</p><p>Many of us could also use our freezers more to prevent food waste. Experts at the EPA and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/resources/consumers.htm" target="_blank">USDA</a> say that surplus or leftover foods that are often tossed could instead be frozen for later use. This even includes the leftover entrees, sides and desserts we inevitably exile to the back of the fridge after holiday parties or nights eating out.</p><p>Then there's canning. Many fruits, vegetables and even meats can be purchased or harvested at their nutritional prime, then canned for use throughout the year. While home canning is common and safe, proper equipment and practices are necessary to avoid serious risks, including botulism. The Department of Agriculture and many other sources offer <a href="https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html" target="_blank">online canning guides</a> and recipe ideas that can reduce food waste. Canning also helps trim our overall waste by eliminating the amount of packaging we buy.</p><h4>Use the Whole Thing</h4><p>Meat trimmings and bones; vegetable peels and stems; shrimp shells; and fish heads, fins and bones are often thrown away. But there's value in these leftover scraps. Often they can be used—perhaps stockpiled in the freezer, then boiled into delicious homemade broths and stocks to can or freeze.</p><p>Using more parts of the food we buy is a return to the healthier eating habits of our recent past, with the added benefit of saving money. <em>Scraps, Wilts, and Weeds: Turning Food Waste Into Plenty</em>, by Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong, is full of recipes for vegetable scraps or produce that is past its peak. The film, <em>Wasted! The Story of Food Waste</em>, narrated by the late Anthony Bourdain, provides other, sometimes wilder, ways to reimagine food waste.</p><h4>Get to Know Expiration Labels</h4><p>Expiration labels are confusing. What's the difference between "best by," "sell by" or "best before" dates, anyway? A 2013 report by the Harvard Law School and Natural Resources Defense Council showed that <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/issues/food-waste" target="_blank">confusion around expiration labels</a> leads up to 90 percent of Americans to prematurely toss perfectly good food. Signaling a major change, Walmart and dozens of other leading food suppliers have agreed to reduce confusion by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/16/a-barely-noticeable-change-to-how-food-is-labeled-could-save-americans-millions/?utm_term=.5ecd546246e9" target="_blank" title="">standardizing clearer labeling practices</a> by 2020. The nonprofit ReFED, which engages prominent experts in solving <a href="https://www.refed.com/tools/food-waste-policy-finder/spotlight-on-date-labeling" target="_blank" title="">food waste issues</a>, has produced an industry toolkit to inform and accelerate the shift. In the interim, online resources provide consumer <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/how-to-tell-whether-expired-food-is-safe-to-eat/" target="_blank">guidance on food labels</a>, helping us avoid pitching good food.</p><h4>Donate Extra Food</h4><p>Experts at EPA and ReFED agree <a href="https://www.refed.com/solutions?sort=economic-value-per-ton" target="_blank">food waste prevention should be the first step</a> in eliminating food waste in wealthier nations like the U.S. But discarding food is inevitable, especially in our fast-paced culture. Fortunately, increased awareness and a groundswell of new resources are preventing excess food from going to landfills, diverting it instead to people in need. Any of us can join the momentum by learning more about our local food pantries. A helpful tool for use at home or while traveling is Sustainable America's Food Rescue Locator, a national directory of organizations delivering excess food to the hungry. New apps can also help <a href="https://planetsave.com/2017/06/12/5-food-waste-apps-make-it-easy-to-reduce-your-food-waste/" target="_blank">find a home for leftovers</a> from single meals, banquets or even weddings. The growing options reflect increased commitment among restaurants, grocery stores and other industry leaders to slash food waste and feed hungry people.</p><h4>Compost, Compost, Compost</h4><p>Nearly all remaining household food waste can be turned into rich organic soil. All it takes is some space, about 500 worms from a local farm and feed store, and any of a number of compost bin models, which can fit in or near the kitchen and sometimes even be found secondhand. And if you're a gardener, an added bonus is the regular supply of compost tea that can supercharge plants indoors and out. Many websites and blogs <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home" target="_blank">guide beginner composters</a>, and university extension programs even offer courses leading toward "master composter" certification.</p><p>Still, composting at home can be difficult in urban areas where not everyone has the space or where pests can be an issue. If setting up your own compost doesn't appeal, consider donating food waste to a local community garden—many of which compost. And increasingly, <a href="https://www.biohitech.com/news/2017-06-22-09-35-38" target="_blank">municipalities offer</a> or even <a href="https://kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/garbage-recycling/compost-more.aspx" target="_blank">require separation of food waste</a>, providing municipal pickup that sends food waste to composting facilities. In San Francisco, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/13/how-san-francisco-became-a-global-leader-in-waste-management.html" target="_blank">composting has helped divert</a> nearly 80 percent of waste from city landfills, making it a global leader in municipal waste reduction. Schools and other institutions are also embracing composting, often in conjunction with community garden programs that include youth education components.</p><p><br></p><p>The energy building around reducing food waste shows just the type of large-scale yet achievable change we urgently need today. For that reason, it is a featured recommendation in both the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-un-report-outlines-urgent-transformational-change-needed-to-hold-global-warming-to-1-5-c-103237" target="_blank">recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate report</a> and the proposed <a href="https://gpus.org/organizing-tools/the-green-new-deal/" target="_blank">Green New Deal</a>, advanced by New York's U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others. Like other big initiatives, one of the strengths of tackling food waste is its far-reaching scope, taking on carbon emissions, human hunger, and responsible land use, while also saving people money. And all of that is good reason for holiday cheer.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/the-fight-against-food-waste-starts-at-home-20181224" target="_blank">YES! Magazine</a>.</em></p>
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Bill Gates Unveils Toilet That Transforms Waste Into Fertilizer, Doesn't Require Water or Sewers
06 November 2018
Health + Wellness
Microsoft founder Bill Gates speaking during the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum in the China International Import Expo at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre on November 5, 2018 in Shanghai, China. Lintao Zhang / Getty Images
For Bill Gates, toilets are serious business. The billionaire philanthropist kicked off the Reinvented Toilet Expo in China and unveiled a new toilet that does not require water or sewers, and uses chemicals to turn human waste into fertilizer, Reuters reported.
"We are all here for one reason: because more than half the world's population doesn't have the safe sanitation they need to lead healthy and productive lives," Gates said in a speech on Tuesday in Beijing.
<p>
Gates tweeted a video Monday that described his and his foundation's mission to improve sanitation for countries that do not have or cannot afford to build the sewer infrastructure to remove waste.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="861fa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8TWK8D1576662649"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1059430379575226368" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">There are few things I love talking about more than toilets. https://t.co/rQdY3ZiIpC</div> — Bill Gates (@Bill Gates)<a href="https://twitter.com/BillGates/statuses/1059430379575226368">1541422860.0</a></blockquote></div>
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To drive home the importance of safe sanitation, Gates brought a jar of feces with him during his keynote in Beijing.
</p><p>
"You might guess what's in this beaker—and you'd be right. Human feces. This small amount of feces could contain as many as 200 trillion rotavirus cells, 20 billion Shigella bacteria, and 100,000 parasitic worm eggs," the Microsoft co-founder said.
</p><p>
He kept the jar on the podium for nearly 10 minutes before removing it, the
<a href="https://www.apnews.com/720d930f6871420882d03eb94468297d" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> reported.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9e343" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88JD5C1576662649"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1059766115210010624" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">With a jar of human feces on a pedestal next to him, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has kicked off a "Reinve… https://t.co/cD8joP32rD</div> — The Associated Press (@The Associated Press)<a href="https://twitter.com/AP/statuses/1059766115210010624">1541502906.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Poor sanitation kills nearly 500,000 children under the age of five annually and costs an estimated $223 billion a year in the form of higher health costs and lost productivity and wages, Reuters reported, citing the information from the
<a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/" target="_blank"> Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</a>.
</p><p>
The untreated sewage can also negatively impact the surrounding environment.
</p><p>
"Some of the untreated human waste is in unlined pit latrines that contaminates groundwater around people's homes," Gates said in his speech. "Some is collected manually, or by trucks, and is dumped into nearby fields or bodies of water. And some is collected in sewers but never gets treated. The point is that we are far from the goal the world set in 2015 of everyone using a safely-managed toilet."
</p><p>
<span></span>The aim of the expo is to "launch a new category of innovative, decentralized sanitation solutions that will benefit millions of people worldwide," Gates said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ac18e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CPIUYQ1576662649"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1059877674372481025" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Bill Gates, on China trip, lauds free trade - and futuristic toilets https://t.co/8ED9tjBHFv https://t.co/KY2ZF64UIL</div> — Reuters (@Reuters)<a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/statuses/1059877674372481025">1541529503.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Several of these "reinvented toilets" are currently being tested in Durban, South Africa.
</p><p>
"Durban is a good place to run these tests because the city is growing fast and many people there don't have a modern sanitation, which means that, even if they have access to a toilet, the waste can get into the environment and make people sick," Gates said in the video.
</p><p>
"A typical toilet needs water, but many of the new approaches don't require any water at all, some of them don't need electricity either, others run on solar power," he added. "All of them remove the pathogens from the waste and, most importantly, they don't have to be connected to the sewer system."
</p><p>
The next step for the project is to pitch the concept to manufacturers, Gates told Reuters. He estimated that the market for the toilets will be more than $6 billion by 2030.
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODgwNDUwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODcwOTYyN30.VSt1H1YU7_VJ7hEthDJDQ1zvg4YdR1sorf5XDrEISH4/img.png?width=980" id="a4261" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb67995ad7d43de8486b49da65e5b57b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">These "reinvented toilets" are powered by solar panels. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://twitter.com/BillGates" target="_blank">@BillGates</a> / Twitter</small>
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Trending
Rebecca Murphey / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Anita B. Stone
Compost—there never seems to be enough. And if you keep adding material to a single heap, the stuff is never really finished. The solution? A three-bin compost system.
<p style="">A three-bin compost system allows you to have different piles of compost in various stages of doneness. You start the pile on one end, move it to the second bin when the first is full and the compost is ready to turn, then repeat, turning compost into the third bin where it finishes. Two people can build a three-bin compost system from this plan—which repurposes free wood pallets—in an afternoon.</p><p style=""><strong>Tools and Materials</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Rake</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Shovel</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>7 untreated or heat-treated pine pallets (each 4′ by 3'4″)</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Hammer</li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>1 pound 16d nails </li></ul><p style=""><strong>How To Construct a Three-Bin Compost System </strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">1. Level a 4′ by 14′ space with a rake and shovel, and stand up two pallets (with the thicker stringer pieces parallel to the ground) to create a 90 degree, L-shaped angle.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>2. Nail the pallets together where the top and bottom stringers meet the slats, as detailed above.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>3. Attach a second side pallet the same way to create a three-sided, open-faced box. Again hammering in nails as detailed above, attach another back pallet and side pallet to complete the second open-faced box. Repeat until you have three attached, open-faced boxes.</p><strong></strong><p style=""><strong>How To Compost in a Three-Bin Compost System</strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">1. To compost, toss a thick layer of carbonaceous material, such as brown leaves, straw, or wood chips, into the first bin.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">2. Shovel nitrogen-rich material, including grass clippings, manure, and kitchen scraps (no meat or bones), on top of the browns and cover with another layer of carbonaceous material.When it has begun to decompose, turn the material into the next bin.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">3. Use the now-empty first bin to start the cycle over, moving and turning compost until it finishes "cooking" in the third bin.</p><p style="">Interested in learning more about composting? Check out these articles:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/start-worm-bin/" target="_blank"><em>How to Start a Worm Compost Bin</em></a></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2017/03/humanure-next-frontier-composting/" target="_blank"><em>How to Build a Composting Toilet</em></a></li></ul><ul class="ee-ul"> <li><em><a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2017/02/place-rot-modern-farmer-guide-compost-bins/" target="_blank">And Overview of Different Kinds of Compost Bins</a></em><a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2017/02/place-rot-modern-farmer-guide-compost-bins/" target="_blank"></a></li></ul>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzg0MDkwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzA4MzA1OX0.4-vU-JRWsT0D0ijLtAcZ3G55vG56-ns2zGDfjzAvTY8/img.jpg?width=980" id="f4f46" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f018557d1d2b2b9a45fb7b6613934b9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Join the side pallets to the back pallets by driving in two nails at 45-degree angles from the rear of the bin at both top and bottom corners.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Illustration by McKibillo</small></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/05/how-to-build-a-three-bin-compost-plan/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>. </em><br></p>
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Indie Ecology / Instagram
Food, as we know, is a terrible thing to waste. Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption gets lost or wasted every year. But what if we could use food waste to create more food?
That's the elegantly full-circle idea behind Indie Ecology, a West Sussex food waste farm that collects leftovers from some of London's best restaurants and turns it into compost. The nutrient-rich matter is then used to grow high quality produce for the chefs to cook with. Call it table-to-farm-to-table—and again and again.
<p>"I wanted to help chefs understand the true impact they can have on nature and the environment," Igor Vaintraub, who founded Indie Ecology in 2011, <a href="https://www.indieecology.com/about-us/" target="_blank">touts</a> his website.<br></p><p><span></span>According to the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/restaurants/michelinstarred-compost-launched-to-make-london-restaurant-industry-more-ecofriendly-a3844491.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a>, the farm's gourmet compost is made from 80 top restaurants, including Michelin-starred establishments like The Ledbury and La Gavroche. <br>
</p><p>Vaintraub told the publication, "Other than the bins and some delivery plastic the whole process is plastic free … We recycle seven tonnes per day, seven days each week, and we are a tiny operation. We are trying to do something different. Waste was looked at as something that people take away and forget about, but we wanted to educate chefs especially as they generate a lot of this commodity [waste]."<br></p><p><span></span>The farm uses a Japanese anaerobic method called "<a href="https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/indoor-composting/bokashi-composting/" target="_blank">bokashi</a>," which uses a cocktail of fermented molasses and naturally occurring microorganisms to turn food scraps into compost. The advantage of this process is that there is little smell and it does not attract pests. Unlike traditional composting, this method can handle meat, fish and dairy.</p><div id="9952e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7E0TTB1580502507"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdkWFfhHXhK/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top"></a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>Vaintraub told EcoWatch got the idea for his business four years ago from Vandra Thorburn of Brooklyn-based <a href="https://vokashi.com/" target="_blank">Vokashi</a>, which <a href="https://vokashi.com/about-vokashi/" target="_blank">counts</a> a number of sustainable businesses, caterers and even actress Lucy Liu as clients.<br></p><p><span></span>"At first I think chefs were a bit dubious about coming on board with us, as there was a cost involved and it was not something they had ever done before," Tom Morphew, an Indie Ecology business partner, told the Evening Standard. "But once they started the produce, it is 100 times better than what they buy from wholesalers that is force-grown in greenhouses."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ecc2b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="F288WG1580502507"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="968566335268630530" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">How to Get More Out of Your Kitchen Stash and Minimize Your Trash https://t.co/0ft6qgNB8O @foodandwater @OrganicConsumer @foodtank @NRDC</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/968566335268630530">1519759184.0</a></blockquote></div>
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