A Few Incredibly Easy Things You Can Do to Help on Earth Day 2021

In preparation for Earth Day 2021 (April 22^nd, 2021) let’s talk about one of the easiest ways the individual and help positively impact the Earth. We all need to eat! So by supporting certain food manufacturers that produce upcycled food, you can do your part to combat global warming…and we all know what Aristotle said about parts…”The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

Ok…now I’m sure some of you are asking what is Upcycled food and why the hype?

Here’s the textbook definition:

“Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment.”

Here are a few examples of how food can be upcycled:

• Stems from vegetables turned into chips
• Leftover juice pulp turned into granola
• Surplus bread used to brew beer
• Overripe bananas turned into chips
• Overripe fruit turned into liqueur

And here is an explanation of why it’s so important:

Each year, America alone produces 52 million tons of unwanted or unused foods. That’s a lot of wasted food! Think of the amount of water used to produce that amount of food not to mention the greenhouse gases that are needed to break down all of that food sitting in a landfill.

According to UpcycledFood.org, 8% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions come from food loss and waste. Globally, we lose around $1 trillion per year on food that is wasted or lost. The United Nations put it in perspective when they described the impact of food waste. They said if food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, only behind China and the U.S.

And here are a few examples of companies that make Upcycled Food (thank you www.marthastewart.com):

• The White Moustache – Healthy tonics from leftover whey after making yogurt
• Rubies in the Rubble – Condiments (like chutneys and chilis) from surplus and “ugly” produce
• Barnana – Energy snacks from imperfect bananas
• Earnest Eats – Hot on-the-go cereals from discarded coffee fruit
• Pulp Pantry – Grain-free granola from fruit and vegetable pulps leftover from juicing
• WTRMLN WTR – Watermelon water from discarded or imperfect watermelons.
• Repurposed Pod – Cacao juice from discarded cacao fruit
• ReGrained – Supergrain bars from spent grain from beer breweries
• Ventura Spirits – Strawberry brandy from blemished and overripe strawberries
• Stony Brook Whole Hearted Foods – Cooking oils from leftover squash seed
• Forager Project – Chips from vegetable pulps leftover from juicing

Here’s what you can do to help:

1. Mindfully shop for only what you need to reduce wasted produce
2. Curtail your meals to reduce leftovers (if your house is like ours the fridge is a great place to keep leftovers before you throw them in the trash)
3. Use and support companies that produce upcycled foods.

It’s that easy!