Change (IPCC). From here, there’s some complicated math involved to quantify the GHG emissions of a product. In terms of say, beef, methane is the GHG; however, methane is a short-lived gas, and quantifying the methane produced by ruminant animals is a little bit tricky. Due to the difference in methane’s shorter lifetime, carbon footprints of foods such as beef or lamb don’t really reflect their long-term impact on temperature.
Chapter 3
Getting Your Head in the Zero Waste Game
IN THIS CHAPTER
The benefits of zero waste cooking go beyond the obvious (less food wasted). You’ll also save money, reduce your garbage at home, and feel better about adding less methane to landfills. You may even experience personal health benefits. You may find yourself eating more vegetables at home and ordering smaller portions when you dine out. In addition, your community can benefit from more food donated or otherwise available. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
The first step to realizing all these benefits of zero waste cooking is to get your head in the game. This chapter helps you process the idea of zero waste and helps you kick-start your journey with some simple strategies that help you plan to use more and waste less.
You find out more about how to reuse food and ingredients in Part 2 and you can find inspiration from the recipes in Part 3.
Doing Your Homework: Analyzing Your Food Waste Habits
We’ve all thrown away food. Life gets busy, and sometimes we just go through our daily routine without a second thought. Still, you picked up this book because you’re at least a little concerned about wasting food and its toll not only on your budget but also on the environment. It’s perfectly okay to start small.
The first step to zero waste cooking is to think about what your current food waste habits look like. The following list helps send you in the right direction.
Think about what is in your refrigerator and pantry right now — or heck, go look! Are there items shoved to the back that you forgot about? Do you have stockpiles of certain items, more than you’re likely to use in the next few weeks?
Think about how often you dine out. Do you order more than you need? Are you bringing leftovers home? Are you making good use of your leftovers or forgetting that they’re in the fridge?
Think about the types of foods you routinely have on your shopping list and bring home. Do you know what you’re going to do with each item you buy? Do you commonly buy specialty items that you use for only one or two recipes? Are there food items that you often buy but don’t finish before they expire?
Think about how you decide what meals and snacks to prepare each week. Do you pick recipes that have ingredients in common so you have fewer items to buy? Do you consider what leftovers certain meals will provide for use later in the week?
Think about your trips to the grocery store. Do you make a detailed grocery list before you go, or do you wing it when you get there, buying whatever sounds good in the moment?
Think about how you store food items. Are you storing foods in a manner that preserves them longer? Do you utilize your freezer? Are you using reusable containers, or do you consistently buy, use, and throw away single-use items?
Think about your cooking habits. Do you find cooking to be a chore? Do you try to save yourself some time and hassle by prepping batches of certain foods in advance?
Think about how you determine whether a food item is still fresh or good to use. Do you decide whether to keep or pitch something solely by the date on the box, bag, or can? Are you open to eating or cooking with produce that’s no longer picture perfect?
Think about what you put in your trash can. Does it fill up quickly with food packaging? Do you thrown away all food scraps, or do you compost?
Creating and implementing a plan for how you buy, use, and store food will help reduce what goes into your garbage can and, ultimately, the landfill.
Keeping the Environment and Your Wallet in Mind
A lot of things may come to mind when you think about the environmental impact of your grocery shopping habits. You may think about how foods are packaged, whether they’re grown organically or conventionally, and whether they’re local or international. However, throwing away less of the food you buy likely has a greater impact. In addition, shopping only for what you need and wasting less food, saves you money.
Adopting more of a zero waste lifestyle requires you to ask yourself a few questions. For example, how are you going to use the food you buy? Are some of the foods on your list multipurpose items that you can use in multiple ways (such as fresh produce, rice, or canned beans; see Chapter 6)?
When shopping: Will I use this?
To reduce overall kitchen waste, you need to think differently when you shop for groceries. However, the simplest way to zero waste cooking is asking yourself this question when shopping: Will I use this?
Consider what you typically do with food each week. What do you often throw away? What did you buy that you didn’t need?
When you put food into your grocery cart, you should know exactly what you plan to do with it. By making a mental note as you shop, you’ll be sure to use what you buy. Why do I need this? How and when will I use it? If the answer to the last question is “I don’t know” or “Probably not this week,” then you may rethink the purchase, unless you intend to freeze it.
Become aware of what you’ve routinely pitched in the past. For instance, if you’re always throwing away luncheon meat, maybe you need to buy just half a pound instead of a pound. In general, fresh fruits and vegetables get wasted most, followed by dairy products, breads, and meat.
Also, think about how you grocery shop. Do you go to the store weekly, biweekly, or monthly? Maybe you buy things in bulk and find you never get around to using it all. If so, consider freezing some of it in serving sizes that fit your family. If you buy two loaves of bread or two packs of English muffins, you can pop one in the freezer for the following week. Or maybe you need to reconsider your membership to that warehouse store, or shop with a friend and share the goods.
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