(CNN) -- We're all familiar with the phrase "waste not,
want not," but how well are we applying these words today?
For many of us, we buy more than we need, we spend more than
we earn, we eat more than our fill. The consequence of excessive
living and waste affect not only us, but also our global neighbors
and future generations.
Over the past two decades, food waste and obesity have nearly
doubled at equal rates. The surface area of the average dinner plate
expanded by 36 percent between 1960 and 2007. Parallel to increased
portion sizes, between 1987 and 2010, the number of Americans diagnosed
with diabetes almost tripled to 20.9 million.
Read: How
Haitians hope for a greener future
While we are responsible for our own choices, the results we
are experiencing aren't merely a matter of choice. We are not genetically
programmed to turn down excess calories when they are in front of
us. Studies have shown that if our plate contains more food than
our body physically needs, we will eat it without conscious consideration.
A recent study shows 50 percent of all food produced on the
planet goes in the trash.
Even more disturbing, 90 percent of water consumed in the United
States is for animal and crop-related farm uses. That means food
waste accounts for more than a quarter of our total water consumption.
In short, water that is needed for farmland and animals becomes
a wasted resource when uneaten food gets thrown away.
A
study conducted last year analyzed the climate change and economic
impact of food waste in the U.S. to calculate greenhouse gas emissions
due to thrown out food. The results were appalling. It found that
food waste in the U.S. exceeds 55 million tonnes per year, which
produces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of at least 133 million
metric tonnes and costs $198 billion.
But this isn't just an American stereotype played out.
Read: World
wastes half of its food, study says
In Toronto, Canada more than 17.5 million kilograms of food
is thrown out every month and in Britain, the government's Waste
& Resources Action Programme estimates that $17.5 billion worth
of food is wasted every year.
The way our food
production system is structured, supplying demand, not need,
has an exponential significance on obesity and food waste at all
stages - supply, distribution, preparation and consumption.
The cost of oil, fuel, energy and harvesting labor that goes
into producing food all gets wasted when food from large portions
goes uneaten and tossed. Though this may feel like a catch 22, the
good news is it is 100 percent preventable.
A representative of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which
represents food manufactueres such as Kraft, Hershey and Coca-Cola
said it best, "there is no bigger opportunity for our industry
to simultaneously address hunger and our environmental footprint
than by reducing the amount of food sent to landfills by diverting
food to food banks and food waste to beneficial alternatives like
compost."
Read: Food
waste in numbers
Opportunities pop up everyday that provide the chance to be
responsible consumers. From going "halfsies" with your
portions to starting up your own personal compost -- the action
needed to spur behavior change and reverse our global food waste
epidemic is less challenging than you might think.
Our personal decisions matter. The earth cannot continue to
withstand our excesses and neither can our waistlines. Practicing
the "waste not" wisdom consistently over time will have
a profound
generational and global impact.
Editor's note: Rachel Smith is the co-founder of Halfsies, a
social initiative offering a choice to restaurant-goers that provides
a healthier meal portion, reduces food waste and supports the fight
against hunger. Follow
Halfsies on Twitter.
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