Category Archives: Energy

Friday Buffet

Santa Barbara has had a commercial composting pilot program for the last two years. Now they’ve hired a consultant to ascertain whether or not people think it’s ‘yucky.’ My guess: yes. My hope: no. — — The idea of going fridgeless is interesting. While I fear it could mean more food waste, which could undo […]

February 6, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Farm, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Household, School | Comments closed

California Dreaming

Sometimes I wish I lived in California. Other times, I don’t. Either way, I’ll always appreciate the state’s pioneering attitude on food waste recycling. San Francisco and several East Bay communities already collect food waste from residents and restaurants in rolling green bins. While this leads to some further questions, it’s still very progressive. Now […]

July 16, 2008 | Also posted in Composting | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Seattle never ceases to amaze. The Seattle Food Recovery Initiative is doing wonderful things, including this Hunger Map that encourages and facilitates food donations. The map has helped restaurants like the Capitol Grille do their part. — — Here’s an insightful Hartford Courant editorial, which, I couldn’t help but notice, notes that my alma mater, Wesleyan University, […]

June 6, 2008 | Also posted in College, Composting, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

While the prices of many foods are rising, you can’t say that about some edibles. This graphic shows some traditional barbecue items have decreased in the last ten years (after adjusting for inflation). — — Here’s a neat web segment (and accompanying blog post) in which a restaurant owner explains why she composts. Oh Portland, […]

May 30, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Events, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

In food-waste-to-energy news: If the state of California processed all of its 5.9 million tons of food waste by anaerobic digestion, it would produce enough energy to power 75 percent of the Bay Area. This according to an East Bay Municipal Utility District study. — — Staying in California, The California bill to allow hotel […]

May 2, 2008 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Household, Waste Stream | Comments closed

No Tray Earth Day

The 109 schools listed below all went trayless on Earth Day (4/22). That means that they removed trays from at least one dining hall, cafe, student union or other food service venue to reduce the amount of food waste and energy and water usage. And these are just the Sodexo-supplied schools (well done!) that went […]

May 1, 2008 | Also posted in College, Trayless | Comments closed

Food as Fuel

Somewhere, Doc Brown is smiling. OK, OK, he’s a fictional character from Back to the Future, but still… If Metro Vancouver gets its way, it will soon build a plant to convert food waste to fuel. Instead of fueling Deloreans like Doc B did, the plant could power municipal vehicles. Apparently, this is done in […]

April 17, 2008 | Also posted in Technology, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Fridges Fingered

I was at a sustainable energy conference yesterday and someone threw out this statistic: From 1974 to 2003, the average refrigerator volume increased from 17.5 to 22.5 cubic feet. (Sorry, I don’t have a link right now.) On the plus side, refrigerators’ energy efficiency has increased by 74 percent. The average 1974 ‘fridge used 1825 […]

April 9, 2008 | Also posted in Household, Stats | Comments closed

08 Food Waste Wishes

It’s 2008, y’all (Happy New Year!), and high time to cut the amount of food going down the drain. Here are eight wishes for preventing food waste in this year: 1. Wal-Mart resumes food donations of edible but unsellable goods (The store halted its program two years ago). 2. More cities and towns follow the lead of Seattle, […]

January 1, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, General, Household, Restaurant, Technology | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

From Kansas City to Washington, food scrap collection is progressing. The King County (Seattle area) food waste Web site is filled with useful tips and facts like: The average single-family household in King County throws away 45 pounds of food scraps every month. — —  Years ago, you left your heart in San Francisco. Today, you can […]

November 30, 2007 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed