It’s shocking to realize, but the United States actually wastes somewhere between 30 and 40% of its food supply. There are a lot of depressing statistics out there, but this one really takes the cake.
Many of us are interested in sustainable living techniques, but it can be hard to incorporate a lot of them into our modern lives. Sure, rainwater barrels are awesome, but what good will that do you when you live on the 12th story of an apartment complex?
On the other hand, reducing food waste is something that’s accessible to just about everyone. If you’re looking to go green and cut down on how much you contribute to the food that is wasted every year, there are some easy steps you can take.
Let’s take a look at how to live a sustainable life when it comes to food waste, whether you live on 100 acres in the middle of nowhere or in the center of a bustling city.
Table of Contents
Make a Plan Before You Buy
One of the most common ways to create food waste is by simply buying more than you need. If you’re looking for sustainable living ideas, one of the most basic things you can do is make a plan before you head to the grocery store.
Instead of just running to the store and grabbing what looks good, come up with a meal plan for the week. Think ahead before buying a lot of perishable things that you’ll never be able to eat in one week. The best way to not waste food is to never bring it home in the first place.
Get Creative When It Comes to Leftovers
There are a lot of creative ways to use leftovers. Depending on what you’ve got, you can use the ingredients to make an interesting salad, casserole, stirfry, or soup.
Sometimes it can get tiring to eat the same thing over and over again, but it’s amazing what a difference it makes to mix it up a little bit. Adding a few more ingredients or making that stir-fry into a wrap for lunch can help shake things up and ensure you don’t waste food.
Start a Scrap Garden
One of our favorite sustainable living examples is when people start scrap gardens with the parts of fruits and vegetables that they would normally throw away.
Did you know that you can grow a pineapple plant from the top of a pineapple, an avocado from the seed, and so many more fun and interesting kinds of produce? This is a great project for adults and for children to waste less and to learn about the amazing growth processes of plants.
Store Your Food Wisely
Invest in airtight containers to keep your food fresh for as long as possible, and create a system so that old food doesn’t get pushed to the back of the fridge. When you store food right, there’s less likelihood it’ll get wasted.
Start a Compost Pile
Composting is a great way to reduce food waste, your impact on the environment, and your carbon footprint. Rather than throwing your food away and having the dump truck haul it to the landfill, give the leftover nutrients back to the earth and use the broken down compost to grow your own garden.
Is It Time For You to Go Green?
Reducing food waste is an accessible way that we can all work to go green and live more sustainably. Wasting food isn’t just a bummer for the environment, but it’s a waste of your money. We all benefit from living more sustainable lifestyles, and this is one very practical way you can reduce your carbon footprint.
Did you find this article on reducing food waste interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more fascinating and informative content!
