From the section on global inequality in his Laudato Si encyclical, Pope Francis tells us “we know that approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor” [LS 50]. This fact is backed up by research in the United States by the EPA and the USDA. Discarded food then becomes a major component of landfill waste (~22%), where it produces both CO2 and methane gas as it decomposes (methane being many times more problematic than CO2 at warming the environment). Our Week 29 Way to Care for Creation is to be more proactive regarding food waste at home, in our schools, our church, and the restaurants we visit. Planning ahead better, creatively using food waste, and home or municipal composting are excellent solutions.
For more information contact Mary Tankersley ([email protected]) or the OLOF Care for Creation ministry, or see laudatosimovement.org.