Take a year-long journey learning the truth about the food we throw away.
Join BriarPatch Food Co-op for a year-long exploration to better understand the impact of food waste and what you can do to help reduce it. Throughout the year, we’ll share resources, links, activities and recipes. We hope to feel more empowered, have fun and make a difference, as we go on this journey together! Be sure to check in to this page each month to get the tools you need for your food waste journey.
DOWNLOAD THE FOOD TOO GOOD TO WASTE GUIDE
By making small shifts in our daily habits–how we shop, store and prepare food–we can keep the valuable resources used to produce and distribute food from going to waste.
Track Your Waste. Use the 7 Day Waste Journal to track how much food you waste and where it goes!
DOWNLOAD THE WEEKLY FOOD WASTE DIARY
Get the Tools. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as we bring you new resources and tips each month to help reduce your waste.
Set a Goal. What changes can you make to reduce food waste?
Join the Conversation. Share your successes and challenges on social media with your friends and neighbors at community events throughout the year.
DOWNLOAD THE PRODUCE STORAGE GUIDE
Learn lengthen the life of your produce with the simple tips for storing produce offered in this guide.
Tackling food waste — topics of 2020
January – Getting Started
February – Where Do We Go From Here?
March – Having a Plan
April – All About Bulk
May – Storing Food
June – Composting
July – Dining Out
August – Pantry Prepping
September – Kids
October – Donating Food
November – Party Planning
December – Putting It All Together
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
DID YOU KNOW?
GETTING STARTED
Food Waste is a big problem and there is a wealth of amazing resources out there. Here’s a list to get you started.
FOOD PRINT
EPA “Food Too Good to Waste” Guide & Toolkit
Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center
Composting Resources
UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County
Recipes
Creative Ways to Turn Leftover Food into New Meals
20 Quick and Easy Recipes for Your Leftovers
65 Amazing Meals You Can Make From Leftovers Today
Film & Video
We all love food. As a society, we devour countless cooking shows, culinary magazines and foodie blogs. So how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50% of it in the trash? Filmmakers and food lovers, Jen and Grant, dive into the issue of food waste and pledge to quit grocery shopping and survive only on discarded food for 6 months. Featuring interviews with author, activist, and TED lecturer Tristram Stuart, food waste expert Dana Gunders, and acclaimed author Jonathan Bloom, JUST EAT IT looks at our systemic obsession with expiry dates, perfect produce and portion sizes, and reveals the core of this seemingly insignificant issue in a cinematic story that is both deliciously entertaining and truly shocking.
The Extraordinary Life and Times of Strawberry
Follow the journey of a strawberry from the farm to the refrigerator to understand all that it takes to bring your food to you. Did you know that 40% of our food ends up wasted? Wasted food is the single largest contributor to landfills in the US—not to mention that it wastes water, labor, fuel, money, & love! Courtesy of The Natural Resources Defense Council.
Books
Waste Not, How to Get the Most from your Food, published by James Beard Foundation
Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food
Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals