Monthly Archives: February 2008

Friday Buffet

For you science-minded folks, here’s the Table of Condiments that Periodically Go Bad. I love the idea and the title, but disagree with some of the cautious estimates. When was the last time you threw away ketchup after five months (or spelled it ‘ketsup’)? — — This blogger and I could be fast friends. Check […]

February 15, 2008 | Posted in College, Friday Buffet, Household, International, Restaurant, Trayless | Comments closed

Mass. Waste

I’ve often come across waste studies that estimate how much food isn’t eaten in a city or state. Since researchers aren’t sorting and weighing food waste at every home and restaurant, I often wonder how they come up with the estimates. Now I have an answer. Page five of this 2002 Massachusetts food waste study […]

February 14, 2008 | Posted in College, Institutional, Stats | Comments closed

Orphaned Orange

Poor little guy. I came across this orange in my office parking lot the other day. Its skin was really dirty, but otherwise it looked fine. I found myself wondering if would still be good–it had that protective skin, right?–and thought about peeling it to see. But I ultimately decided not to in case whomever dropped the […]

February 13, 2008 | Posted in Personal | Comments closed

Event Waste?

In conjunction with the Grammy Awards, Warner Music continued what I call the ‘conspicuous recycling’ trend in hosting a green post-Grammy party Sunday night. In addition to being a carbon-neutral and zero waste event, organizers composted food and paper waste. While it’s a positive step, I’d love to see excess food fed to people instead […]

February 12, 2008 | Posted in Events | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Expect some laid back composting at Jack Johnson’s Kokua Festival in Honolulu. While I’m diggin’ the concert’s sweet poster, all I can picture right now is Andy Samberg’s J.J. Casuals SNL faux-mercial. — — Might Massachusetts ban commercial food waste from landfills? — — In the wake of Harvard’s experiment to do away with trays […]

February 7, 2008 | Posted in College, Composting, Friday Buffet, Trayless, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Try to clean your plate

A reader recently sent me this article about Haitians so poor they’ve resorted to making cookies from mud, salt and vegetable shortening and I’ve been wrestling with whether to pass it along. While I don’t want to be manipulative and say, ‘See, these kids eat mud cookies, you shouldn’t waste food,’ I sort of do. […]

February 7, 2008 | Posted in History and Culture, Household, Hunger, International | Comments closed

(Pro)portions Sell

I drive by this sign every day. Assuming the ‘large portions’ refer to the first and not the last item, here’s a clear example of a restaurant (likely a franchisee) pushing overeating or waste. The message I’m getting is: ‘Eat an unhealthy amount or throw away a whole bunch. It’s your choice. Either way, check […]

February 6, 2008 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Zeitgeist: Thrift

How do I know this trayless dining hall thing is really taking off? Harvard is giving it a whirl. As The Harvard Crimson reports, Quincy House will eliminate trays during Thursday dinners in February. While four nights isn’t a huge commitment, that hasn’t stopped students from complaining. To wit, this whiny lead: The daily challenge […]

February 5, 2008 | Posted in College, History and Culture, Trayless | Comments closed

Leftover Buffet

Boulder, Colo., is contemplating curbside food waste collection by truck. Alternately, they could reduce costs and emissions by sending around Ralphie (see right). Well, most of the emissions. — — This interesting New York Times piece examines North Jersey beefsteaks, the mostly male, meat-eating affairs. In it, the author (who also keeps an entertaining blog […]

February 4, 2008 | Posted in History and Culture, Household, International, School | Comments closed

Super(bowl of) Waste

After nearly two weeks of hype, it’s time for some arm wrestling wood chopping surfing football. By kickoff, the greater Phoenix area will have provided a whole lot of “hospitality.” Those gala events, in turn, provide food waste. Fortunately, the local food recovery group Waste Not in coordination with the NFL Environmental Program will recover […]

February 1, 2008 | Posted in Events | Comments closed