Testimony in Support of LD 1009, An Act Regarding the Reduction and Recycling of Food Waste Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Vanessa Berry. I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to Read More
Food Waste News
An astounding 40% of the food produced in the US is wasted. This excessive and unsustainable amount of food waste is a real tragedy for both our environment and our people. The U.S. agriculture industry accounts for about 10 percent of our total energy used, 80 percent of our freshwater consumption, and 50 percent of our land. And almost all uneaten food ends up in landfills where it decomposes and releases methane gas—which has 25 percent more heat-trapping capability than carbon dioxide. When we waste food, we waste all of the resources used to make that food, and we contribute harmful greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Read news stories about Maine food waste.
LD 1002, Require a 30-Minute+ Lunch to Reduce Food Waste
Testimony in Support of LD 1002, An Act to Require a Lunch Period of at Least 30 Minutes for Students and Reduce Food Waste Senator Rafferty, Representative Brennan, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, my name is Vanessa Berry. I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Read More
Technical School Students Create Accessible Composter in Brunswick
We know many will agree with the sentiment that backyard composting is a lot of fun, and you don’t need expertise to do it right. But the truth is, composters are not designed with everyone in mind. The backyard composting systems on the market can be cumbersome and require physical strength and space that many Read More
Full Circle School Lunch: From Compost to Farm to Table
The Sebago Elementary School students had a very special Maine harvest lunch. The wonderful kitchen staff prepared roasted root vegetables made from locally sourced beets, carrots, and potatoes. For dessert, apples from Douglas Hill Orchard, owned by the Lucy family, were made into a delicious apple crisp. The most special part of this fantastic meal Read More
5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home While Practicing Social Distancing
Chances are that you went to the grocery store (at least once) recently and impulsively bought way more food than usual. And I suspect that may have led to an unanticipated consequence: food waste. (Or perhaps you just guilt-ate way more than you should to prevent your food from going bad!) Reducing food waste is Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 524, Resolve, Regarding the Promotion of Composting
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 524. NRCM is dedicated to advancing policies and Read More
Belfast Elementary School Student Group Starts Zero Waste Lunch Program
By Courtney Cortright WABI-TV news story Watch full news video. BELFAST, Maine (WABI) – In a school lunchroom, it’s common many students are eating sandwiches that mom or dad have wrapped in plastic and put in a brown paper bag. But, lunch at a Belfast elementary school looked a little different Thursday. Maila Demers, FoodCorps Read More
Maine Schools that Divert Food Waste
The number of Maine schools that are diverting food waste is growing! Some schools have signed up for a composting service, while others compost their food waste on site. Other schools send their food waste to an anaerobic digester or partner with local pig farmers. If you don’t see your school on the list we Read More
Why Develop School Food Waste Reduction Programs?
Maine K-12 schools generate an estimated seven million pounds of food waste annually (1). That is a staggering amount for our small state, and it reflects the larger, global food waste problem. At home, almost one-third of the garbage Mainers throw out is food waste and scraps. Meanwhile, one in five Maine kids may not Read More
