Category: Food Waste

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Tools to help reduce food waste this holiday season

Close up of plate of food including a turkey leg, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and greens.
Photo by Fred Zwicky, © 2024 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

It’s the fall and winter holiday season, and the downside of upcoming festivities is the amount of waste they entail, especially food waste. When we waste food, we also waste the resources that went into its production (e.g., water, land, energy, labor, etc.), and contribute to the generation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as methane. Wasted food causes 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills (U.S. EPA, 2023). Wasted food also means wasted money; according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the cost of food waste for each U.S. consumer is approximately $728 per year, or an average of $56 per week for a family of four. With increasing prices for groceries, it’s even more important that prevent food waste whenever possible.

The following tools and resources will help you reduce food waste associated with your holiday celebrations and hopefully help you establish new habits to prevent food waste year-round. As always, please keep in mind that links to specific products or services are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.

Meal planning

  • The Guest-imator from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Save the Food website is an interactive calculator to help determine the right amount of food to prepare for a party. You can enter the number of guests based on whether they’re light, average, or big eaters, and even factor in how many leftover meals you’d like when the party’s over. That’s great if you’re the type of person who likes to cook extra food for holiday gatherings so you can send home care packages of leftovers with your guests. You can then choose the style of meal (vegetarian, classic dinner party, or a little of everything smorgasbord), input details on the types of entrees, sides, and desserts you want to get measurements such as the number of pounds of meat to prepare, the ounces of veggies to cook for sides, the number of pies to makes, etc. based on the parameters you’ve entered. Note that for whatever reason, clicking on “Finalize the menu” button does nothing (regardless of the browser you’re using); however, once you’re at the point to add or subtract mains, sides, and desserts, the measurements you’ll need will update on the table graphic at the top of the page with each addition or subtraction. Just scroll back up to see the new information.
  • Utah State University Extension—Meal Planning. This website guides you through the process of assessing what you already have in your pantry, thinking about your meals for the week, and creating a grocery list. It also includes free printable templates for planning nutritious meals and creating relevant shopping lists, and describes free meal planning apps for your phone to make planning simpler.

Proper storage & food safety

  • Store It. A key strategy for preventing food waste is storing your ingredients and leftovers properly to keep them viable for as long as possible. This section of the NRDC Save the Food website provides information on how to store a wide variety of foods, including when and how to refrigerate, how to freeze, and tips for using up the last bits of a given ingredient.
  • FoodSafety.gov (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). In particular, check out the Cold Food Storage Chart and the FoodKeeper App to learn about proper storage of different foods and ingredients. The FoodKeeper App is also available for Android and Apple mobile devices. Further, this website provides resources for keeping food safe by event and season. Following these guidelines can help prevent food waste caused by improper preparation or storage practices. Explore the downloadable guides for cooking for groups, guidance for parties and buffets, Thanksgiving and Winter Holidays, and more.
  • Oregon State University Extension Service Home Food Preservation. Scroll through this website for a wealth of guidance on freezing, drying, pickling, canning, and more to preserve ingredients and various foods prepared at home (since holiday meals often generate leftovers).

Get creative

Sometimes the best strategy to prevent food waste is to find inspiration on how to use an ingredient in a new way, use up a surplus of a given item, or repurpose leftovers in a new dish. The following websites and tools will help you create meals based on what you have on hand.

The 5 Ways website suggests using canned beans as a substitute for half of the fats in baked goods like brownies and cookies to use them up and add protein to treats. Photo by Andrei Starostin – – stock.adobe.com (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign).
  • 5 Ways With Commonly Wasted Foods. This section of Canada’s Love Food Hate Waste website allows you explore new options for using various ingredients. Images of items are presented with a list of 5 different uses. Click on any image for details, which include links to specific recipes. You can also explore the “Recipes” section of the website to search for items you have on hand that might not be featured on the “5 Ways” page.
  • Food Hero. Another excellent resource from Oregon State University Extension, this site provides a database of recipes, resources to help celebrate the food of different cultures, gardening tips, and other guidance to support a healthy lifestyle. You can search their resources by ingredient to find recipes, videos, and other inspiration for items in your pantry or fridge.
  • Of course, you can always just perform an Internet search for your available ingredients, but you might be overwhelmed by the number of search results. Check out these additional recipe database sites to help you find what you’re looking for more easily. Many of these are also available as apps for your phone.
    • Supercook. Use the dropdown menus to select multiple ingredients at a time.
    • MyFridgeFood. If you’re a creative chef, this site not only allows you to search for recipes based on what you have, but also to submit recipe ideas to assist others.
    • Cookpad. Similarly, you can search and share your own recipes. You can search without creating a free account, but need one to submit recipes.
    • Cookin’ With Google. This is a Google Customized Search engine that lets you input multiple ingredients and find relevant recipes.
    • Use Up Leftovers. Enter three ingredients and get results from a database of over a million recipes. Don’t worry about being overwhelmed; the results will consist of the five best matches from the database.

Happy holidays and good luck whittling down your food waste!

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Celebrate Pollution Prevention (P2) Week, Sept. 15-21, 2025

2025 P2 Week Poster, designed by Diana Henne. Available for purchase at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/2025-pollution-prevention-week-pollution-prevention-roundtable.html.

The third week of September annually is celebrated as Pollution Prevention, or P2, Week. P2 Week 2025 is September 15-21 using the theme: “40 Years of Pollution Prevention: Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future!”

As defined by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR, emphasis added), “Pollution is the contamination of air, soil, or water by the discharge of harmful substances. Pollution prevention is the reduction or elimination of pollution at the source (source reduction) instead of at the end-of-the-pipe or stack. Pollution prevention occurs when raw materials, water, energy and other resources are utilized more efficiently, when less harmful substances are substituted for hazardous ones, and when toxic substances are eliminated from the production process. By reducing the use and production of hazardous substances, and by operating more efficiently we protect human health, strengthen our economic well-being, and preserve the environment.”

Rather than being a burden on industry, NPPR points out that “Adopting pollution prevention practices and techniques often benefits industry by lowering a company’s operational and environmental compliance costs. By preventing the generation of waste, P2 can also reduce or eliminate long-term liabilities and clean-up costs. Furthermore, disposal costs are reduced when the volume of waste is decreased. This can also lead to a reduction in workplace exposures to hazardous materials which can affect workers’ health and hence, their productivity. If less waste is produced, there will also be a diminished need for on-site storage space. Furthermore, by preventing pollution there will be a greater likelihood that a company will be in compliance with local, state, and federal compliance statutes. Finally, as community pillars, businesses shoulder an important responsibility for protecting the environment and natural resources for their own good as well as that of society.”

In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act (P2Act), which states “The Environmental Protection Agency must establish a source reduction program which collects and disseminates information, provides financial assistance to States, and implements the other activities….”

The technical assistance experts within ISTC’s Center for Economic Impacts and Societal Benefits (CEISB) help businesses, organizations, institutions, and government agencies throughout Illinois and beyond prevent pollution and use resources more efficiently. This benefits our shared environment while also ensuring that companies and communities are more competitive and resilient.

CEISB technical assistance providers currently have federal funding to provide P2 assistance at no cost to certain industrial or market sectors. See the following brief descriptions and links to project flyers:

  • Advancing Beverage Resilience through Pollution Prevention. This collaboration with EnergySense Resilience Center supports breweries, wineries, distilleries, and other craft beverage businesses across the state of Illinois. Following their assessments, participants will also have the chance to assist in shaping the certification process for green beverage manufacturing in Illinois and to be recognized for their sustainability efforts through the Illinois Green Business Program.
  • Mississippi River Corridor Pollution Prevention. ISTC staff are working with partners at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Office of Pollution Prevention Services and Missouri State University to provide free industrial sustainability assessments across three states.
  • Pollution Prevention at Food Focused Businesses within DuPage & Kane Counties. Another collaboration with EnergySense Resilience Center, this project is providing free technical assistance to 10 small for and/or non-profit entities, such as restaurants, grocers, and other food-focused businesses and organizations in DuPage and Kane Counties. By getting assessed, businesses can lower operational costs, reduce wasted food & resources, and attract environmentally conscious customers.

Don’t see your sector or organization reflected in the projects listed above? Our team may still be able to assist you through other funding sources or fee-for-service work. Contact us at istc-info@illinois.edu or fill out our online site visit request form.

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Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week May 4-10, 2025

ICAW 2025 poster designed by Abbie Sawyer from Athens, Georgia. Abbie is an artist, nature enthusiast, and Compost Education Specialist for the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department.

International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is celebrated annually during the first full week of May and is a time to learn more about composting organic wastes (e.g., landscape wastes and food scraps) as part of fostering healthier soil and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A theme is chosen for ICAW in the US each year, and the theme becomes the focus of a poster contest, in which artists age 14 and older from around the world compete. The image above is the winning design for 2025, created by Abbie Sawyer from Georgia.

This year’s theme is “Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!” As explained on the Compost Research & Education Foundation website, “This theme was chosen with the goal of highlighting composting in all kinds of communities at any scale – from the backyard home composter to community composters, to large-scale facilities to all those who recognize the many benefits of using compost on our soils.  As has been done for the past several years, the theme was chosen by all of the international partners who are part of the International Compost Alliance – making it truly an international theme.  This year’s theme was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”*

In its press release announcing ICAW, the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition (IFSCC) explains the following benefits of organic waste recycling and compost use for Illinois communities:

  • Composting reduces methane emissions through aerobic managed decomposition, providing for a more sustainable community.
  • Composting lowers greenhouse gases by improving carbon sequestration in the soil. Getting the carbon back into the soil serves as a “carbon bank,” helping to store carbon thereby removing it from the atmosphere.
  • Compost provides essential nutrients for plants, promoting vibrant gardens and farms. Healthier soil leads to healthier, more nutritious food for our communities.
  • Compost use increases the water-holding capacity of our soils. This is important as our communities are more and more often seeing drought and or intense rain events causing soil runoff and erosion.
  • Community Gardens and Green Spaces: Compost plays a vital role in community gardens, fostering green spaces that provide fresh produce, recreational opportunities, and community gathering places.

Illinois will be hosting over 50 in-person and virtual events during ICAW in over 12 counties. To see a full list of events and find registration information for those that are vitual, check out the IFSCC ICAW 2025 webpage: https://illinoiscomposts.org/icaw-2025/.

If you’re interested in hosting your own ICAW event, check out the IFSCC’s ICAW Host Toolkit, which includes:

  • tabling signage,
  • resources for libraries,
  • a list of relevant children’s books,
  • resources for park districts,
  • social media resources,
  • activities for kids,
  • a guide for hosting a “compost giveback” event (aka a “compost giveaway” or a “bring your own bucket” event),
  • a link to a spreadsheet of food scrap municipal composting programs and drop-off locations, and
  • a link to IFSCC’s guide for where to buy finished compost in IL. (Note that this only includes IFSCC member organizations that are compost manufacturing facilities. If you don’t see a site near you, do an Internet search or consult your county solid waste agency or recycling coordinator for guidance.)

If you’d like to learn more about how to start composting at home, see https://illinoiscomposts.org/composting-at-home/. You can also check out resources from Illinois Extension at https://extension.illinois.edu/composting.

Happy composting!

*Learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how ISTC technical assistance efforts relate to them at https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/tap-alignment-with-un-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs/.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center is an organizational member of the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition.

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ISTC is proud to be a 2025 Food Waste Prevention Week partner

Mark your calendars for Food Waste Prevention Week, scheduled to take place April 7-13 this year. 

The US EPA estimates that in 2019 alone, 66 million tons of wasted food was generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors, and most of this waste (about 60%) was sent to landfills. Food Waste Prevention Week (FWPW) is a collaborative effort to raise awareness about food waste and its negative impacts on our society and environment, while also sharing resources to help individuals, families, and organizations reduce their food waste. Because the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Zero Waste team has experience working on food waste reduction and management projects, ISTC is proud to be a FWPW partner organization for the third year in a row!

Be sure to check ISTC’s social media platforms during April 7-13, for highlights of relevant projects, as well as facts and resources to help you on your food waste reduction journey. If you’re not already following us on social media, you can connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

How do I get involved?

The FWPW website provides a wealth of information to help various sectors with food waste prevention efforts, including descriptions of webinars presented by partners across the country. Here are just a few suggestions for relevant activities and webinars, arranged by sector, including links to ISTC and partner organization resources, as well as links to appropriate sections of the FWPW website for further information and inspiration. Links to specific programs or services are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Colleges & Universities

See https://www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/universities for additional ideas.

Local Governments

See https://www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/cities for additional suggestions for municipalities.

K-12 Schools

See https://www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/k-12schools for additional resources for K-12 schools.

Events, Hospitality, & Sports Teams

See https://www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/events-hospitality for more suggestions for events and hospitality. See this link for more info for sports teams.

Restaurants

 

Individuals & Families

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Free sustainability assessments for small food businesses in DuPage & Kane Counties

Photo by onephoto for Adobe Stock Images, Education License – University of Illinois

Uncover cost-saving and efficiency opportunities for your food-focused business! The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) and the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), units of the University of Illinois, are providing free technical assistance to 10 small for and/or non-profit entities, such as restaurants, grocers, and other food-focused businesses and organizations in DuPage and Kane Counties in Illinois. By getting assessed, businesses can lower operational costs, reduce wasted food & resources, and attract environmentally-conscious customers. 

Assessments will focus on helping entities reduce costs and/or reduce environmental impacts through pollution prevention, energy efficiency, water reduction, alternatives to hazardous chemicals, and waste reduction including purchasing and disposal. 

What will the process look like?

Step 1: Initial conversation. This will take the form of a brief introductory phone call to discuss the assessment process and expectations. There will also be discussion of utility data collection. (Participant time commitment: 30 minutes)

Step 2: Pre-Assessment Data Collection & Analysis. The participating business will share utility billing data as available. Providing this information helps our team quantify savings opportunities found on-site. (Participant time commitment: 30 minutes)

Step 3: Facility Walkthrough. On-site visit to discuss and tour the facility to review current conditions of the facility including infrastructure and operational processes. Identify sustainability opportunities for cost and resource savings. (Participant time commitment: 1 hour)

Step 4: Providing Recommendations & Resources. ISTC and SEDAC will use data and information from previous steps to develop strategies to reduce costs and/or reduce environmental impact. Recommendations and resources will be shared with the participating business via a written report and presentation with Q&A.  (Participant time commitment: 1 hour)

Step 5: Implementation. ISTC and SEDAC will assist businesses that are interested in implementing recommended strategies. Implementation assistance includes further guidance on equipment and/or process upgrades, as well as connecting to incentive or funding opportunities. (Participant time commitment will vary.)

Step 6: Case Study (Optional).  A case study will be developed to showcase opportunities uncovered and strategies implemented. (This step is optional. If you decide to share your experiences with peers and customers, your time commitment will be approximately 1 hour to review drafts and provide feedback/approval.)

How do I sign up?

Interested businesses should fill out the short form at https://go.illinois.edu/FoodBusiness.

Participants will be selected on a rolling basis and ISTC and SEDAC will work with participants upon selection until December 2026. Questions can be directed to Zach Samaras at zsamaras@illinois.edu.

This opportunity is made possible by a grant from US EPA Region 5.

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Public comments sought on food date labeling

Two women look at labels on beverages in front of a cooler.
Photo by Stephen Ausmus. Image Number D1830-30, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA)  Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are seeking public input on food date labeling. This Request for Information seeks information on industry practices and preferences for date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of date labeling, and any impact date labeling may have on food waste.

From the Federal Register:

“On June 12, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration released the final National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics (the National Strategy). The National Strategy lays out a path for the U.S. to meet its national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in 2019, 66 million tons of wasted food was generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors, and most of this waste (about 60 percent) was sent to landfills. An additional 40 million tons of wasted food was generated in the food and beverage manufacturing and processing sectors. Wasted food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. Wasted wholesome and safe food represents nourishment that could have helped feed families in need. Additionally, water, energy, arable land, and labor used to produce wasted food could have been used for other purposes. Effectively reducing food waste will require cooperation among federal, state, tribal, territory, and local governments, food manufacturers, agriculture producers, faith-based institutions, environmental organizations, communities, and others, all along the entire supply chain.

In response to the draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, FSIS and FDA received comments encouraging an update of the Federal date labeling requirements, including standardizing date labeling. Commenters noted that food manufacturers use a variety of phrases such as “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Best By” on product labels to describe dates on a voluntary basis. According to commenters, the use of different phrases to describe dates may cause consumer confusion and lead to the premature disposal of wholesome and safe food, because it is past the date printed on the package.

As explained in the final National Strategy, both FSIS and FDA recommend that food industry members voluntarily apply the “Best if Used By” food date label, which notes the date after which quality may decline but the product may still be consumed. The “Best if Used By” label aims to lessen consumer confusion and reduce wasted food. In addition, the “Best if Used By” label was the most frequently perceived by consumers as communicating quality, among the food date labels assessed by researchers at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF), which supports standardizing this label. Although FSIS and FDA encourage the use of the phrase “Best if Used By”, current federal regulations do not prohibit industry from using other date labeling phrases, such as “Sell By” or “Use By,” if they are truthful and not misleading. It should be noted that industry groups have taken steps to address consumer confusion. However, the number, diversity, and complexity of food products in the marketplace along with significant variability in the environmental, storage, and distribution conditions of food create challenges for standardization of food safety or quality date labels.

FSIS and FDA are requesting additional information on industry practices and barriers for standardizing food date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of food date labeling, and any impact date labeling may have on food loss and waste. The information may be used to inform future policy decisions, guidance, or consumer education campaigns on food date labels intended to help reduce the premature discard of wholesome and safe food. Commenters should provide any data, studies, or other evidence that supports their response.”

See 89 FR 96205 for full details, including questions for commenters. Comments must be submitted by February 3, 2025.

Submit comments by one of the following methods:

  • Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website allows commenters to type short comments directly into the comment field on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions at that site for submitting comments.
  • Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
  • Hand- or Courier-Delivered Submittals: Deliver to 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E, Washington, DC 20250-3700.

Learn more and read the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics.

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Holiday gifts to foster climate action

Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Whichever winter holiday(s) you observe, you’re likely considering showing your appreciation for loved ones through gifts as part of your celebration. It’s worth noting that consumerism has real consequences for climate change, as outlined by Renée Cho on the Columbia Climate School’s blog, State of the Planet. Last holiday season, we outlined holiday gifts with sustainability in mind, including some ideas that didn’t involve consumption, such as giving experiences and donations to charity. This year, we’ll highlight gift options that, despite involving consumption, may help the recipients reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or otherwise foster climate action. Please note that links and companies mentioned in this post are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as endorsements by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.

Food waste reduction

US EPA infographic on the climate impacts of food waste. It states up to 40% of food is wasted in the US and lists emissions impacts throughout the lifecycle of food.
US EPA infographic on the climate impacts of food waste.

The US EPA estimates that up to 40% of food is wasted nationally, and greenhouse gas emissions occur throughout the food production, distribution, and disposal process. Thus, wasting food contributes to climate change, and each year the emissions caused by wasted food are greater than the emissions from all domestic flights in the US plus all international flights run by US airlines. Here are just a few gift ideas that might help the recipient waste less food:

  • Check out The Original Green Pan’s guide to 10 Sustainable Cookbooks to Help You Reduce Food Waste for ideas for using up items that may often be disposed of as scraps. The foodie in your life might appreciate one of these volumes.
  • Make sure your recipient has the URL for Save the Food’s Interactive Storage Guide (https://savethefood.com/storage) with tips for proper storage of various foods, and consider adding a set of clear glass storage containers. Being able to see the food stored in your refrigerator provides a visual prompt to use it up, hopefully avoiding the cliché of an unrecognizable moldy mess in an opaque container at the back of the fridge.
  • A marker and some label tape can help your recipient keep track of when they stored various items, so they’re more likely to eat older items first before spoilage. You could even print off the US EPA’s “Eat First” sign and suggest they keep a bin in their fridge for produce and containers that need to be used up first.

Composting

US EPA infographic showing the benefits of composting and how it impacts climate change.
US EPA infographic explaining how composting decreases GHG emissions, sequesters carbon, and improves soil health and resilience.

For unavoidable food scraps, such as eggshells, bones, peels, etc., it’s still better for the climate if you can compost instead of sending those to a landfill. Here are a few suggestions for helping your loved one compost their food scraps:

  • Check out the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition (IFSCC) list of residential food scrap haulers and food scrap drop-off locations. If your recipient lives in a part of the state where commercial food scrap composting is available, consider a gift card or paying for a trial month or two for a pickup service or providing information on drop-off bins and an offer to help them transport their scraps to the drop-off location. Giving the gift of trying out composting services might help your loved one form a positive habit.
  • If they don’t live in an area where composting services are available, or if they’re more of a DIY-type, check out IFSCC’s resources on composting at home through a backyard bin, worm bin (vermicomposting), or bokashi (using micro-oganisms in an airtight container). The Strategist’s list of The Very Best Compost Bins provides suggestions for countertop food scrap collection (before transporting to an outdoor bin), as well as gear for worm composting or bokashi. This Green Lunchroom Challenge post on home composting includes links to YouTube videos with tips for simple home composting, even if your recipient is an apartment dweller.

Energy efficiency

Gifts that help your recipient save energy can reduce their use of fossil fuels and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Here are just a few ideas:

Raising awareness and hope

While most people have heard about climate change, not everyone may feel knowledgeable about it or feel they have enough of a handle on how they can make a difference. These items can help your recipient learn more and feel empowered:

  • Daybreak board game. A potential option for a family gift, this is a “cooperative boardgame about stopping climate change. It presents a hopeful vision of the near future, where you get to build the mind-blowing technologies and resilient societies we need to save the planet.” The game is for 1-4 players, ages 10+, and takes 60-90 minutes to play.”
  • Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katherine Hayhoe is a book that helps readers learn how to talk about climate change with anyone, even those who may hold very different worldviews from them. Dr. Hayhoe suggests that talking about climate change and making human connections, without focusing on changing minds, is an effective way to inspire action.

Additional resources

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Composting pumpkins and other ways to green your Halloween

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash

Did you know that IL leads the nation in the production of pumpkins? You may not realize it, but pumpkins are mostly water! A great deal of labor, land, water, and other resources are invested in growing, harvesting, distributing, and processing pumpkins in our state, so if you care about conserving resources, it’s scary to think about how many pumpkins end up in landfills once Halloween has passed.

After the neighborhood kids have finished collecting their treats, some folks leave their pumpkins out for squirrels and other wildlife to feed on. Others may have a backyard compost pile for returning jack-o-lanterns to the soil. If you’re not lucky enough to have the space or time to create your own compost, many cities and towns throughout IL host collection events in early November for composting decorative pumpkins. Such an event is called a “Pumpkin Smash.” Some collections may involve fun activities in which people can literally “smash” their pumpkins by throwing them into a designated dumpster or compost heap. SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the state’s first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting over 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2023, Pumpkin Smashes were being held at over 95 sites in IL and beyond, and in that year over 241 tons of pumpkins were composted!

If you’re interested in coordinating a Pumpkin Smash in your community, SCARCE has just released an updated how-to guide for pumpkin collections, available for free on their website. The revised guide includes tips for on-site composting at community gardens and small farms. This option is great for areas of the state without access to a commercial compost processing site that will accept food scraps.

The main Pumpkin Smash page on the SCARCE site provides other resources including diversion statistics from last year, downloadable promotional materials to help spread the word about your local event, a link to register your Pumpkin Smash site, and a map to help you find Smashes in your area. Visit https://www.scarce.org/pumpkins/ and keep scrolling to find these resources. Note that there are two “official” dates for Pumpkin Smashes this year–Saturday, November 2, and Saturday, November 9.

Other festive ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle

Please note that links and/or mentions of organizations or businesses are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements by the Technical Assistance Program, ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.

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Video resources for Pollution Prevention (P2) Week

In a previous post, we noted that September 16-20, 2024 is Pollution Prevention (P2) Week, and highlighted some relevant projects of the ISTC Technical Assistance Program (TAP). To conclude the week, we’ve compiled some video resources that may be of interest, whether you’re unfamiliar with “pollution prevention” or a seasoned practitioner.

“Pollution prevention,” also known as “source reduction,” is any action that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source before recycling, treatment, or disposal. While the term may at first evoke images of smokestacks spewing dirty clouds into the sky or pipes discharging visibly dirty liquids into waterways, P2 is not just for industrial facilities. We all use natural resources, and we all encounter materials at work, regardless of the sector we work within, or in our schools or homes that may cause harm to human or environmental health. So we all have opportunities to use raw materials, water, energy, and other resources more efficiently, or to substitute less harmful substances for hazardous ones. The old proverb, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true in terms of protecting human and environmental health, as well as strengthening our economic well-being.

To learn more about P2, check out these videos:

  • What is Pollution Prevention? (1 minute, 5 seconds) from the U.S. EPA. This is a very basic overview.
  • Pollution Prevention Playlist (8 videos) from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). This includes an explanation of the circular economy; tips for individuals such as donating goods, using reclaimed building materials, composting, and xeriscaping; and housekeeping tips for auto shops.
  • Pollution Prevention #P2 for Businesses (1 minute, 28 seconds). Also from ADEQ.
  • Pollution Prevention (P2) Mini-Webinar Series (5 brief videos per year). Each year the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) produces a short video for each day of P2 Week. For 2024, videos include “Waste Hierarchies” presenting different strategies for managing waste, “Coffee Machines,” focused on an easy way to save energy, “Conductivity Probes,” focused on saving water in industrial settings, “Anesthetic Gases” on a surprising source of greenhouse gas emissions in healthcare settings, and “About MnTAP” introducing the organization and its services. Be sure to check out archives from past years, going back to 2021.

If you’d like to learn more about perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS):

To learn more about choosing safer products in a variety of settings including your home, check out the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Videos collection, also available in Spanish.

Instructors interested in integrating P2 into curricula should explore videos from last year’s “P2 Works” student storytelling challenge. High school and college students used the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) P2 Search Tool to identify facilities reporting source reduction practices. The students created videos telling a compelling story about how these case studies benefitted relevant businesses, communities, and the environment. Visit this website for descriptions and links to the winning videos.

A webinar recorded earlier this week by the Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) entitled “Pollution Prevention in EJ Communities” (1 hr., 8 min., 28 sec.) summarizes the results of a recent two-year project funded by the U.S. EPA, including adjustments made throughout the project for better reach, engagement, and service to participating businesses.

Finally, the ISTC Sustainability Seminar Series frequently features P2 topics. Visit the series webpage to learn more and explore archived recordings going back to 2007.

 

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August 1, 2024, marks “Earth Overshoot Day”

Earth Overshoot Day Logog

Since 1971, the Global Footprint Network has calculated “Earth Overshoot Day” to highlight the impacts and implications of human resource consumption. As stated on the event website, “Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

“To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day for each year, Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days of that year that Earth’s biocapacity suffices to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year corresponds to global overshoot. Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by the number of days in a year. This year, as we are in a leap year, it is 366 days:

(Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 366 = Earth Overshoot Day”

In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day falls on August 1st.  Collectively, humanity would need 1.75 Earths to meet its resource demands.

The numbers get worse if you look at consumption at the country level. If everyone globally lived like the residents of the United States of America, Earth Overshoot Day would have occurred on March 14th this year, and humanity would need the equivalent of five Earths to match resource demands.

Graphic showing the relative environmental footprint of different countries.

See https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/2024-calculation/ to learn more about how this year’s Earth Overshoot Day was calculated.

Clearly, none of this is sustainable. So what can we do to #MoveTheDate later in the year, so our demands better match the ability of Earth to regenerate ecological resources? The Global Footprint Network presents potential solutions to pursue individually and collectively as “The Power of Possibility” in five main categories:

  • Cities: How we design and manage cities
  • Energy: How we power ourselves
  • Food: How we feed ourselves
  • Population: How many of us are there
  • Planet: How we help nature thrive

See https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/power-of-possibility/ to learn more about potential strategies in each of these categories in detail. For each strategy, the Earth Overshoot Day website explains how much implementation would shift the overshoot date and how the strategy is scalable. The website also provides classroom activities and a link to a personal environmental footprint calculator to help individuals understand their lifestyle impacts.

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, who created the concept of the environmental footprint with Professor William E. Rees in the early 1990s, provides an online primer to understanding the implications of overshoot and how to respond. He states “Because the accumulated stock of nature is finite, overshoot will inevitably end as stock get depleted. The question, therefore, is not whether it will end, only how. It can end by design or by disaster – most likely it will be a combination of both.” Let’s work together to do our best to end overshoot by design.

#MoveTheDate graphic