Month: April 2019

By Henry Zheng

How to Compost!

As excessive food waste and teeming landfills are becoming increasingly problematic, many are looking to the old art of composting in order to keep Earth clean and green.

A study done by compost advocate Sodgod showed how a household that composted ended up removing roughly 500 pounds of organic.

Composting is the act of taking organic materials and decomposing then into a decomposed solution that is then commonly used as plant fertilizer.

As murky and unappealing compost is, it is one of the most effective ways that individual households can go green.

The mixture is almost like superfood for plants, containing ample nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon, which allows plants to grow past expectations and truly thrive.

Not only does composting benefit plants, but it also benefits us. People who compost more are inclined to be green and garden, as well as gain confidence towards the path of self-sustenance and providing for oneself.

As complex as composting seems, the process is actually quite easy, and requires a few ingredients you probably already have.

1. The perfect composting base needs a perfect amount of carbon and nitrogen. This is where the concept of “browns and greens” come in. Browns usually consist of leaves, straw, and woody materials, which all contain tons of carbon. On the other hand, greens like fresh scraps, food scraps and manure have ample nitrogen content. It is important to note that you shouldn’t use any meat, dairy, and fatty leftovers in your compost as this will attract pests and possible spread diseases to your plants.
2. After obtaining the perfect compost mix, we have to look for a good composting spot. When choosing your designated compost spot, look for somewhere that’s shady and dry.
3. Then, get a leftover recycling bin or a cardboard box and layer your compost in layers of “browns” and “greens.”
4. Water your mixture to moisten it up and turn your compost with a shovel every so often to ensure the breakdown process happens as efficient and evenly as possible.
5. And you’re done! Wait for your compost to be ready. It should take a few weeks or so, depending on the amount that you put in your composting bin.

Even if outdoors composting is not an option, the US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) suggests indoors composting as a valid alternate that will produce nearly the same results. However, if this route is taken, there needs to be extra caution when developing your compost so that you don’t attract various pests and unwanted insects into your home.

Once your compost is ready, it’ll be able to serve you on all your plant needs.

###
439/350

The Digest of Food Waste

By Devonna Dang

An issue overlooked, mostly because it is so accessible to us, is food waste or food that goes uneaten and discarded. Around a third of the food produced is wasted, and with it, all the energy, time, resources (water, land) and money that went into growing, packaging and shipping it.

Food waste comes from a plethora of places. One of those places include farming. In order to hedge against disease and weather, some growers plant more crops than there’s demand for. Our high aesthetic standards for food contributes to food waste as well. Some produce goes unpicked because it doesn’t meet standards for shape and color. Culling produce is the sorting of fresh-harvested produce into marketable lots, with the non-marketable lots being discarded.

“After crops have been gathered from the fields, farmers tend to cull produce to make sure it meets minimum standards for size, color and weight,” according to The Washington Post.

Another contribution to food waste is the processing and distributing of food. Food can sit too long at improper temperatures and spoil.

Retail and grocery stores greatly contribute to food waste as well. Stores would rather overstock their shelves and throw out the remainder than look empty.

“There’s also the issue of ‘sell by’ expiration dates. The report cites one industry estimate that each store throws out, on average, $2,300 worth of food each day because the products have neared their expiration date. Yet most of this food is still edible,” said The Washington Post.

Restaurants and diners contribute and fostered a culture to over-serve their consumers.

“And, on average, diners leave about 17 percent of their food uneaten. The report notes that portion sizes are a big reason for this, as portions have ballooned in the past 30 years. Restaurants also try to keep more food than they need on hand to make sure that everything on the menu is available,” said The Washington Post.

Food waste often comes from our own home.

“American families throw out between 14 and 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy. This can cost the average family between $1,365 to $2,275 annually. A big factor here, the NRDC report notes, is that food has become so cheap and readily available,” said The Washington Post.

In order to combat this first-world epidemic, there are various solutions.

Government plays a role in reducing food waste. One strategy with big impact is centralized composting, which is already starting to happen in cities such as New York. Centralized composting is the process of transforming organic waste into humus, a critical component of healthy, fertile soil.

However, centralized composting is not the only way the government can get involved.

“In France, for example, supermarkets are banned from throwing away food; they must compost or donate leftovers. Germany’s minister of agriculture recently announced the goal of cutting the country’s food waste in half by 2030,” said The Washington Post.

Some ways we can combat food waste is by storing herbs in waste in order to extend freshness, freezing individual meal servings, and trusting smell and taste more than “sell by” dates.