From Farm Straight to the Trash: Why We Need Innovative Food Waste Solutions Right Now
- Peter Lehner wrote in Environment, Food and Waste

Forty percent of the food in this country—almost half—is never eaten. We know we can reduce this waste once we put our minds to it.  We’ve done it already, with great success, with energy. Governments, working with and encouraged by advocacy groups, designed programs to educate consumers and to prod manufacturers to design better products—light bulbs, refrigerators, cars—that made saving energy easier. Activists and innovators are just starting to develop solutions for food waste. We need a similar movement to build momentum behind these efforts and start bringing these solutions, literally, to the table. And to farms, stores, restaurants and dining services everywhere.

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This month, we’re challenging the GOOD community to host a dinner party and cook a meal that contains fewer ingredients than the number of people on the guest list. Throughout March, we’ll share ideas and resources for being more conscious about our food and food systems. Join the conversation at good.is/food and on Twitter at #chewonit.

Hacking Energy Culture: Join a Hackathon with GOOD at MICA
- Keith Bormuth wrote in Technology, Environment and Waste

Next weekend, we’re bringing designers, developers, educators, and storytellers together to rethink our global relationship to energy. GOOD’s Hacking Energy Culture hackathon, organized by Senior UI Designer Doris Yee, will be held February 8 to February 10 at Maryland Institute College of Art.

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London Restaurants Shame Drinkers Into Saying No to Plastic Straws

A new green campaign called “Straw Wars” aims to reduce waste by pushing back on the use of cheap plastic drinking straws (complete with a witty tag line, “Don’t be a sucker”). But if businesses are going to promote more sustainable choices, they should promote choices that matter.

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Sick of having to toss your water bottle at airport security and then buy another one at exorbitant prices? Virgin America’s new marketing scheme has you in mind, thirsty traveler. And it helps cut down on bottle waste, too:

Call this common sense marketed well. Virgin America has installed “hydration stations” at San Francisco International Airport’s “green” terminal. Normally, after the TSA pats you down, X-rays your undies, and confiscates your Poland Spring, you have to shell out $4 or so for monopoly-priced airport water. Not any more—well, not at SFO, anyway.

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‘Tis a sad state of affairs in the GOOD offices today. As you can see from the image above, our July challenge to waste less is much harder than we’d imagined. Though the recycling bin is just a few feet away from the waste basket, it’s amazing how quickly the trash fills while the recycling stays mostly empty. When you consider it, it’s really terrifying how instinctual it’s become to just throw things away–big things, little things, everything.

We’re working our hardest to change our sinful ways, though. Besides picking through that trash pile in the picture to dig out the recycling, we’ve also promised ourselves to only do draft beers at happy hour tonight (cuts down on the cans). Let’s get less trashy, people.

It’s time for a new 30-Day Challenge! In July, GOOD is going to try and waste less. Way less. Like, only produce one standard grocery bag of trash per person per week. Senior editor Cord Jefferson explains:

Every year the residents and businesses of Phoenix alone send one million tons of solid waste to Buckeye, Arizona’s, SR85 landfill. That’s about one ton per resident, and it’s enough garbage to fill  the city’s pro football stadium from top to bottom seven times over. Outside of Arizona, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage per day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and in Mexico, households create 30 percent more trash than Americans. It all seems insignificant at first—a Starbucks cup here, a sandwich box there—but pretty soon you’re sweating while hauling giant Hefty bags to the curb yet another week in a row. Let’s stop being so trashy, and let’s start this month.

The response to last month’s challenge was overwhelming. Let’s make July even more awesome. If you’re in, reblog this post (or tweet!) with the text, “I’m joining @GOOD’s #30DaysofGOOD Challenge to waste less.”

In the video above, the GOOD staff explains how we’re each gonna make it happen. What are you going to change?

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“Smartphones have been married with trash cans to create new smart trash cans that made their debut at Santa Monica State Beach on Tuesday,” Susan Carpenter reports.

Photo: “Smart” trash cans at Santa Monica State Beach. Credit: Heal the Bay

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These trashcans were designed by Keith Scharwath, guest art director on The Neighborhoods Issue, The Energy Issue, and The Cities Issue: Starring Los Angeles. Get out to the beach and check them out!