Monthly Archives: December 2012

Friday Buffet

At last–a peer-reviewed analysis of trayless dining! Two American University researchers found that removing trays at their all-you-can-eat cafeteria cut food waste by 32%. What’s more, diners use 27% fewer dishes, leading to water and energy savings. — — As we learn here, cutting food waste would go a long way toward making our food […]

December 21, 2012 | Posted in Anaerobic Digestion, College, Composting, Energy, Environment, Stats, Trayless | Comments closed

Yule Waste Less

Ashley Koff recently asked on Twitter when I was going to post some simple waste-saving tips for the holidays. Good question, Ashley! Here goes: While I already covered similar ground in a longer Thanksgiving post, here’s a simplified version: 1. Get a firm head count. Knowing how many people you’ll be hosting helps the planning. 2. […]

December 19, 2012 | Posted in History and Culture, Household | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The NRDC is at it again, this time publishing an issue brief on fruit and vegetable loss at the farm and packing level. Hot off the press! — — Here are a few Big Facts: 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally every year. That equates to 6-10% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. — […]

December 14, 2012 | Posted in College, Composting, Environment, International, Stats | Comments closed

Positive Signs

During my previous trip to Bucknell, where I have a series of week-long engagements, I visited Nancy White’s Mindful Consumption class a few times. The students then had an assignment to create awareness-raising signs on food waste. To my great delight, these signs are now hanging in Bucknell’s (trayless) cafeteria, where John Cummins and his […]

December 12, 2012 | Posted in College, Personal | Comments closed

Leftover Love from High Above

The UK Environment Secretary is a cabinet member and holds duties similar to the US Secretary of Agriculture and the head of the EPA. So when Environment Secretary Owen Paterson talks about the need to use our leftovers, my ears perk up. In a speech launching a sustainable food initiative with the Women’s Institute, Paterson […]

December 10, 2012 | Posted in International, Leftovers | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Thanks for the tips on avoiding food waste, Dr. Weil! — — There’s an appropriate mood to this fabulous European Union-made video on food waste. Lamenting? Melancholy? Also–awesome disclaimer at the end of the video: “All the food used during the shooting of this clip has been cooked and eaten by the crew.” — — […]

December 7, 2012 | Posted in Friday Buffet, International, Waste Stream | Comments closed

A Spot of History

Our friend Kirsten Bourne, marketing director for San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Market, was at a British-themed party recently and came across the tome to the right. She kindly sent me a passage from these instructions for US personnel headed to Britain during World War II. As you can see in the text below, the manual has […]

December 5, 2012 | Posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed

Zapping Bread Waste?

Texas company MicroZap has found a way to redefine bread’s shelf life by keeping it mold-free for 60 days. This isn’t done by using a freezer or all-powerful preservatives, but rather by sending bread through a “sophisticated microwave array” resembling an assembly line. While this solution feels a bit…unnatural, it’s similar to pasteurization of milk (which […]

December 3, 2012 | Posted in Food Safety, Household | Comments closed