Food Rescue MAINE featured in Maine Public program on climate change

In a Maine Public radio show aired on May 17, Food Rescue MAINE team leader Susanne Lee discusses how food waste is a climate problem and what some Mainers are doing to control food waste by making better use of leftovers.

“In the U.S., 30% to 40% of food is wasted. The EPA estimates that the yearly amount of carbon emissions generated by producing this wasted food is equal to that of 42 coal-fired power plants. And that doesn’t even account for the methane emissions from the food as it rots in landfills. Households account for almost half of this wasted food.

Minimizing food waste takes some effort, but as Susanne Lee says it’s an effective way for individuals of any income level to take action on climate change.

“Maybe the positive side of it is, it’s so easily controlled, right? Like, not everybody can afford to go out and get a new car, you know, to buy an electric vehicle or something like that,” she says. “But everybody can decide, you know, everybody eats food, first of all, and then has some control over what they do.”

Excerpted from Maine Public.

Click here to listen to the complete Maine Public segment