Transcript:
For many families, Thanksgiving does not feel complete without turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pies, grandma’s ambrosia salad, and more. It adds up to a lot of food – much of which can end up in the trash.
Burnett: “Often at the end, that host is sitting there with pounds and pounds and pounds of food that they couldn’t possibly consume by themselves.”
Sara Burnett of the nonprofit ReFed says food waste is bad for the climate.
When it rots in a landfill, it emits methane, a potent global warming gas. And producing and transporting all that food creates a lot of carbon pollution.
ReFed projects that this Thanksgiving, people in the U.S. will throw out about 320 million pounds of food. And they estimate that will cause as much carbon pollution as driving 190,000 gas vehicles for a year.
So to reduce food waste this holiday, Burnett suggests cooking a little less of each dish. With so many options on the table, most people take smaller portions anyway.
And invite your guests to bring takeout containers to share the leftovers.
Burnett: “Everybody loves, you know, a good after-Thanksgiving meal of your favorite sides.”
So you can host a delicious feast – and help protect the climate, too.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
