WASTE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Nothing exasperates me more than waste. The waste of clothes, time on social media and especially the waste of food. I’m that gal who will save that quarter piece of tomato that’s left because I know I can use it somewhere in the next meal.
The Treefort Music Festival is in its eighth year and along with the music comes nine forts including Foodfort. So, seeing a talk titled “Totally Wasted! Future of Food Waste & Sustainability” was not lost on me and it seemed, lots of others as it was a packed room.
A panel of Boise chefs, farmers and grocers led the way, shining a light on the global problems we find ourselves in today’s world.
Food waste, plastic production and consumption are all inter-related. These are issues we not only face but have landed us in what many consider a planetary crisis.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WASTE
Lea Rainey, with Roots Zero Waste Market in Boise, told the audience that this problem is a leading factor contributing to climate change. She said according to statistics, “the average American family of four throws out about 1,000 pounds of garbage each year, going straight to the landfill.
America throws out more than 1,250 calories per day per person, or more than 400 pounds of food per person annually.2 That’s a loss of up to $218 billion each year, costing a household of four an average of $1,800 annually.
WATER
CJ Pennington of Idaho’s Proud Source Water said at the end of the day we are talking about consumption. “It’s about the life cycle of a product. Plastic has become an epidemic and we have more plastic than ever in the history of the world.” Pennington emphasized it’s the role of business to make consumers have a positive impact on the world.
SHARING IS CARING
Panelist, Julie D'Agostino of Rolling Tomato and who was introduced as the Robin Hood of Food Waste in Boise said, “food is very precious, of course. It’s not a new idea and we are very lucky to have this much food. We just need to share it.”
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