One of the topics of our Building IoT + Food Systems program was to show learners the truth about food waste. Not many people are aware that we throw away up to 40 % of all of the food grown in the US today.

One article states that we throw away one per person per day which totals 150,000 tons of food a day. Rotting food clogs up landfills and releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. I know this, I teach this and yet I found myself throwing away strawberries, cucumbers and an old orange today. While tossing this into my compost pile doesn’t feel as bad as putting it in the garbage to go landfill, what about folks who don’t have compost options? Last week, while shopping in my grocery store, I saw store employees checking dates and piling food on carts to be removed. While some may be rescued, most of it will end up in a landfill. This saddens me, but what can be done?