Food: Too Good To Waste

Good morning and happy Tuesday! Today is Tuesday, April 7^th , 2026. Coming off the holiday, there is a high chance that there is a good amount of food that you have leftover in your fridge. Whether ham, green beans, or carrot cake. Whichever delicacy it may be, it is highly likely that the environmental impact of this food is negative. Today, you will learn the ins and outs of food waste, test your knowledge, and learn ways that you can help reduce your footprint. 

Food waste begins in the fields where the produce is harvested and the fields where the protein is raised. There are two common types of wood waste that occur at different stages of production. When focusing on produce, the first is “food loss” which is the produce that is lost in the fields before it is distributed. The second type of food waste is “food wastage”, this is the food that is produced but is discarded instead of consumed. The literal discarding of food is not the main factor in its environmental impact, the demand is. When food is wasted and humans still need energy from food, the demand for this food increases and more must be produced. When producing food energy, water, and fuel is required. All three of these necessities for growing food involve limited resources. The higher the demand, the more resources that are required, further taking away from earth’s natural resources. Resource consumption is one of the environmental factors in the production stage, but another factor is the transportation and packaging of foods. Transporting foods, that eventually go to waste, release harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Jet fuel and other transportation fuels release NO_x, SO_x, CO₂, and other metals. We will save the environmental effects of air pollutants for another newsletter-trust me they’re unattractive. Another environmental effect is packaging. A few weeks ago we went over the environmental effects of plastics and inputting more single-use plastics into our environment, through the production of food, will harm marine ecosystems. A direct effect of food waste in the kitchen, besides increasing demand, is the rotting of food. The decomposition of food releases methane into our atmosphere, which is twenty-five times stronger than CO₂. Methane is effective in trapping heat and is a leading contributor to climate change.

Similar to produce, the raising of proteins requires lots of resources. For example, raising beef requires massive amounts of land, water and grains/feed (another example of food waste). On average, beef produces 40.89 kg of CO₂ for every 100 g of protein. These numbers are similar to other proteins including lamb, pork, and chicken (chicken being one of the best options with minimal environmental impact in proportion to its protein). Knowing this, maybe try out some vegetarian options but remember, eat it all!

Three tropical cyclones have developed near the equator in the western pacific and are expected to hit late this week. Recently, a stretch of westerly winds has entered the western equatorial pacific that has pushed warm water eastward. These signs of abnormal water temperatures are signals for a strong El Nino event later this year. In fact, on March 12^th, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NOAA, issued an El Nino watch. To put into understanding, an El Nino event is a weather pattern that brings unusually high temperatures, increased rainfall and flooding in the southern US, Peru, and Ecuador, drought in Australia, Indonesia, parts of southern Africa, and parts of northern South America, and the higher likelihood of hurricane activity. This year could even be a super El Nino.

If food waste were a country, where would it rank in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions?

A. 1st

B. 2nd

C. 3rd

D. 4th

Correct answer at the end of the newsletter!

There are many different ways that you can help reduce food waste right in the comfort of your kitchen! Easy yet effective strategies include planning your weekly meals and creating a strict list to follow at grocery stores to avoid purchasing unnecessary items that you may not finish. To enhance this strategy, try sorting through your pantry and refrigerator to eliminate buying duplicate items. These strategies will help decrease the demand for food and you will decrease your environmental footprint by doing so. If you are in the mood for a pastry or prepared food, however, try purchasing a mystery bag from Too Good To Go; an app that has an abundance of mystery bags from different stores where food is sold on a discount to help prevent food waste. Download the app for free and see what’s available in your area!

And that will do it for this week’s edition of The Environmental Edit. Make sure to share this with friends and family to help spread environmental advocacy and awareness. The answer was C! Now I’ll let you get to work on those leftovers.

Tuesdays for a Greener Tomorrow!