Food Waste

You have twenty seconds to brainstorm three ideas for how to use your super brown bananas that are starting to attract fruit flies: GO!

   (20 seconds later)

 Here’s my list (I really timed it, and honestly, whether you believe me or not, I did ask myself that question pretty spontaneously. Originally I was going to use a different fruit, but then my brain did a last-minute switch-up, which probably evened up the playing field between us a little).

1.  banana bread
2.  banana ice cream
3.  compost
4. vermicompost!
5.  teeth whitening
6.  shine your shoes

The United States produces roughly 35 million tons of food waste every year, 95% of which, according to the EPA, goes straight to our landfills and incinerators. That means food waste ends up in our municipal solid waste systems more than any other kind of solid waste. At Brainfood, we care a lot about our food: where it comes from, how it was raised or grown, how it’s preserved and stored, the way it’s seasoned, handled, and cooked, and the energy and nutrients it provides us. This month at Summer Institute, our students paused to think about simple, realistic strategies to make the most out of our food resources and reduce food waste.