(Celebrate Earth Day 2023)

Believe it or not-every person who lives on this planet is part of the solution. The problem? We are totally on track to an unlivable world. One that is filled with environmental pollution; food waste and plastics which are the big contributors to our environmental pollution; food waste and plastics are the big contributor to our congestion. Here are a few simple considerations and tips!

Use your freezer- fresh fruits and veggies are six times more likely to be thrown away unused than frozen, try frozen veggies like corn or peas; freeze old bananas to make bread or muffins, or limp leafy greens like kale and spinach for soup or smoothies.

Decipher Date Labels- Food is often thrown out because of a sell-by or use-by date, but those dates don’t denote food safety, according to the USDA, a sell-by date tells stores how long to display products; the use by date is the late date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality.

Compost- Keep a compost bin within easy reach in your kitchen, and throw in fruit and veggie leftovers and peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags, nondairy food scraps. Combine with mulched leaves and turn regularly to make a compost pile of rich soil.

Scratch Restaurant meal- portion sizes are usually doubled when dining out, so try and share and entrée with a friend so that you don’t over indulge.

Make the most of what you’ve got– look for the canned goods in your pantry to build a high protein meal.

Shop little and often- A lot of waste comes from doing big shops,  such as putting two-for-one “bargains” in the trolley.

Buy half your food locally- The shorter the food chain, the less waste created before it reaches your kitchen.

Plan ahead- Make the most of seasonal gluts and preserve vegetables in oils, vinegars, chutneys, ketchup and marinades, or freeze them. Blitz and freeze tomatoes in containers for pasta sauce all year round; make kimchi from cauliflower stalks and leaves; use beetroot in jams, vinegars and oil, then chop stalks and leaves to top pastas, pizzas, and curries. Make a big batch of soup and then freeze in small containers.