#food waste news

[reasonsforhope]

"In Saskatchewan, Canada’s first free grocery store is set to open as a flourishing food bank continues to look for ways to support the community.

Located at 1881 Broad St. in Regina, the Food Hub will be stocked like any old grocery store, and unlike similar projects that operate out of churches or community centers, it will feature a produce section, floor-to-ceiling display fridges, and be open all week.

The Regina Food Bank believes that allowing people who rely on the food bank for food security to fill out a cart just like a normal grocery store gives back agency, and may actually help feed more people by reducing waste.

“None of us fit in a box, but that’s what we give our clients today,” Regina Food Bank vice-president David Froh told CBC News. “When you give choices, you give not just dignity, but actually, we figure we can feed about 25% more people.”

One client explained that getting handed a crate of canned/boxed goods put together in a hurry based on what was in stock rarely provides a selection that accounts for things like dietary restrictions, allergies, proper nutrition, or even just synergistic flavors between the foods.

“Normally I barter with my neighbors and we swap back and forth, so it kind of works out that way. But a lot of people don’t do that,” said food bank client Jon White. “So there’s a lot of stuff that just goes to waste.”

The Regina Food Bank doesn’t just support the unhoused or others in dire need of aid; 18% of its clients work full-time, and 2,000 students receive school snacks and meals through their work. Part of their overall objectives with the Food Hub is to reduce societal stigma against using a food bank.

Food banks do not receive government subsidies, so Froh and his colleagues had to look for private donations to raise the CAD$3.7 million they needed to get the Food Hub off the ground. Some of this came from piggy bank-sized gifts, but they also received a CAD$1 million donation from The Mosaic Company.

Much of the stock is produced, grown, or processed in Saskatchewan—part of Regina Food Bank’s goal to improve the sustainability and nutritional quality of the food their clients rely on."

-via Good News Network, June 4, 2024

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Agrivoltaics for sustainable food, energy and water management in East Africa

“[… C]ertain crops […] thrived under the partial shade provided by solar panels. The shade also helped to reduce water loss through evaporation, leading to more efficient water usage. Additionally, rainwater harvested from the panels could be used to supplement irrigation needs.”

2. The world’s largest wildlife crossing is now standing in California

“The structure crosses a 10-lane freeway and has been built to help protect all sorts of wildlife[….] And it’s not just for fauna: some 5,000 plants grown from seed collected within a five-mile radius have been nurtured in two specially created nurseries. The bridge will be topped with wildflowers, shrubs and native grasses that will also benefit insect populations.”

3. Judge rules the military must cover gender-affirming surgery for members' dependents

“[Judge] Torresen found that [gender-affirming] surgery is indeed medically necessary and that the Defense Department had not shown that any important governmental interest was advanced by denying the coverage.”

4. Social Media Can Boost Caracal Conservation

“The team found that searches on the species doubled after the project [using “social media to educate about the caracal”] launched. […] ”The research demonstrates how a public interest in urban ecology and the global phenomenon of ‘cats on the internet’… can be harnessed to leverage conservation action.””

5. US Labor Board Bans Captive Audience Meetings to Ensure 'Truly Free' Worker Choice

“[T]he National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday ruled that employers cannot force workers to attend anti-union speeches. [… W]orkers will no longer have to take part in so-called "captive audience meetings," which employers often use as a union-busting tool and a form of coercion.”

6. Study links grazing with plant phenology and abundance

“In general, plants where caribou or muskoxen were present experienced earlier green-up and greater abundance later in the growing season. “We're used to thinking of the timing of plant availability as impacting the productivity of grazing animals, but not the reverse," Post said.”

7. Frog populations once decimated by disease mount a major comeback

“"These results provide a rare example of how reintroduction of resistant individuals can allow the landscape-scale recovery of disease-impacted species, and have broad implications for amphibians and many other taxa that are threatened with extinction by novel pathogens."”

8. California Announces Special Session To Protect Trans People

“Newsom’s directive is clear: safeguard reproductive healthcare, support immigrants, and shield LGBTQ+ people from what is viewed as existential threats to civil rights and democratic norms. […] California has a unique opportunity to set the blueprint for other states in resisting a Trump administration[….]”

9. When ‘OK, Boomer’ Means ‘Let’s Go Protest’

“Youth activists across the country recognize the efforts of their eco-minded predecessors and welcome them as mentors, role models, and collaborators in their battle against the climate crisis. […] “The idea that Boomers don’t care, he said, is “just misinformation.””

10. How Aussie Waste Warriors are Redirecting Excess Food to Those in Need

“A growing movement is working to reduce perfectly good food going to waste by redirecting it to homes and charities. [… C]haritable organisations [… are] transforming fresh produce that would otherwise have gone to waste into millions of cooked, nutritious meals for people in need each year.”

November 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[nelkcats]

Ghost Train

It was no secret that the trains in Gotham were damaged, whether it was from all the explosions that flooded the city on a daily basis or the fact that the rails were broken wasn't completely clear. At that point, what was once a train station was nothing more than an empty place used by some homeless people to sleep.

Or that's what it was supposed to be, because while the station was damaged and underneath the city, it was actually active. It just had another kind of train, a slightly more interesting one.

In Danny's defense, he was extremely bored and there was an abandoned train station he could use to play with. All it took was calling in a favor from Technus and a fully functional ghost train connected the Infinite Realms to Gotham.

The ghosts, of course, used this for fun. Fighting each other, chasing each other, celebrating, having concerts. It was a way to go to the human world without anyone causing trouble for them, not that anyone was paying attention anyway.

Or at least, no one was supposed to be paying attention, because Waylon was dumbfounded at the sight. He had escaped to the old rails when he had no other choice, his sewers were compromised and he needed a way out. He didn't expect to walk right into a party, or be offered a sandwich with a smile instead of a shout.

He could also observe a clearly glowing train and the fact that everyone there was glowing. They could be metas, or another completely new creature, but Waylon didn't care, they gave him food and he wasn't a snitch.

[so-very-small]

thinking of a young adult, freshly moved into his first home, which happens to have an elderly borrower couple living in the walls. the elderly couple is a little noisy and long lost all subtly when borrowing, so the guy discovers them quickly, but doesn’t let them know he’s aware of them. he lets them borrow in peace, and thinks they’re utterly adorable.

until he suddenly has to make sure no spoiled food is in range because they will steal and eat ANYTHING, no matter the expiration date. he has to put railings on the counter because they’re a little unsteady and his heart drops every time one almost has a fall. he has to act oblivious when he hears them bickering at a huge volume because they don’t realize how loud they are. he’s sneakily stealing their old worn supplies like rope or bags and replacing them with new ones that won’t break or hurt them.

and when the tinies do find out he knows about them? oh, little Grandma and Grandpa TAKE ADVANTAGE. they now have a strong young man who will go to the grocery store and get them applesauce whenever they ask. Grandpa is having the guy do heavy lifting and construction work for them. Grandma is sitting on his shoulder and fussing at him for slicing veggies wrong. they nag him to take them to visit their grandkids, they tell him to cut his hair and get a better job, they sneak little trinkets into his hand and run off before he can politely decline.

and he utterly loves it. he loves his tiny grandparents

[chrollohearttags]

for my girlies who wear wigs, what’s the most ur willing to pay for an install and unit?

[kandicon]

I love the "he asked for no pickles" meme with doorkeay bc I've only ever seen it with Gerry being the one talking and u just KNOW it's not bc Michael doesn't want to correct the food staff, but that it wants to correct them a little too much. Gerry has to step in otherwise they'll be there for at least another hour of Michael spinning some philosophical bullshit and scaring some poor fast food worker, and while Gerry doesn't necessarily mind Michael doing that in and of itself (he knows the thing he's in love with), as the only one of the two of them who actually needs material food he would like to eat that food before it gets cold tyvm.

[lake-cosay]

new headcanon that one of their favorite ways of spending time together is trying need and weird foods

jesse loves food, he loves weird stuff, lake presumably loves doing dumb shit for fun, and they get to experience all the foods they never had on the train

they get each other weird foreign snacks, lake introduces him to midwestern food, jesse gets lake to try apache recipes

[aniseandspearmint]

https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2024100296403/news-feed/is-the-food-in-the-fridge-still-good-california-wants-to-end-the-guessing-game

Can't get the link to come out right but GOOD ARTICLE.

California is implementing a new law to take effect by 2026 where disingenuous 'best by' and 'sell by' dates must be replaced by actually accurate information.

As things stand now, there's no actual regulation on the dates you see on food, so they're not always accurate, leading to a great deal of food waste (estimated at around 20% of food waste).

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The disposal of truckloads of apparently edible oranges at a Metro Vancouver transfer station is highlighting concerns about food waste.

Sonia Rivest, who works as a gardener, began to see the massive piles of oranges show up at the North Vancouver transfer station in early November.

“I just assumed it was fruit that either had gone bad or had some kind of biological issue,” she told Global News.

“It was shocking. Maybe even the next week I saw it again, and I was like, ‘OK, maybe there is a really big amount that went poor and could not be sold or used safely,’ again assuming there was a good reason this was happening.”

As far as Rivest has been able to discern, that wasn’t the case.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[aesthetic-day-dream]

once you realize that life really isn’t that serious, it gets so much better. like im serious. im well aware there are a million posts and sayings just like this, but it’s true. I used to be so crippled by the worry of what other people thought of me (granted i still struggle at times) but once you realize that nothing matters. it’s so freeing. like yeah. maybe that person thinks you dress weird. or that you have a funny hairstyle. or a million other things. who cares??? you’re never gonna see them again! you get one life! live it! be weird! be yourself! be authentic! who cares?? once i started looking at life as this one experience, i wanted it to be a great one. no more caring what other people think. doing things because i want to and because i like them. someone thinks my plushies are childish? who cares? they make me happy. they’re mine. i love them. why should someone else dictate what i do with my life. it’s mine for a reason. i don’t tell you what to do with yours, don’t tell me what to do with mine. once you start living like you’re stuck in a studio ghibli movie, life gets 100% more bearable, enjoyable even. i used to be stuck in such a self-deprecating, depressing, anxious cycle. now? yeah i still have those moments, but they’re smaller and more manageable. because i know. life is full of so many beautiful things. and if i need to indulge in my inner child to get through the day, then i will. i implore you. do the same.

[reasonsforhope]

"Of South Korea’s countless kilograms of annual food scraps, very few will ever end up in a landfill. This is because of two reasons—the first is that it’s been illegal since 2005, and the second is because they have perhaps the world’s most sophisticated food waste disposal infrastructure.

While representing a significant burden on the economy, the food waste disposal nevertheless produces ample supplies of animal feed, fertilizer, and biogas that heats thousands of homes.

As the New York Times’ John Yoo and Chang Lee reported from Seoul, South Korean cuisine tends to lend itself to creating food scraps, since many staple dishes come with anywhere from a few to a few dozen sides.

With the culture erring on the side of abundance rather than restraint, many of these small dishes of tofu, kimchi, bean sprouts, and other bites would be tossed in the landfill if it wasn’t illegal to do so.

The government put the ban hammer on it because the mountainous terrain isn’t ideal for landfill construction.

Instead, restauranteurs and street hawkers pay the municipality for a sticker that goes on the outside of special bins. Once filled with food scraps, they are left on the road for collectors in the morning who take 90% of all such waste in the country to specialized collection facilities.

At apartments and among residential housing areas, hi-tech food waste disposal machines are operated by a keycard owned by residents under contract with the disposal companies.

Once taken to the recycling facilities, the food is sorted for any non-food waste that’s mixed in, drained of its moisture, and then dried and baked into a black dirt-like material that has a dirt-like smell but which is actually a protein and fiber-rich feed for monogastric animals like chickens or ducks.

This is just one of the ways in which the food scraps are processed. Another method uses giant anaerobic digestors, in which bacteria break down all the food while producing a mixture of CO2 and methane used to heat homes—3,000 in a Seoul suburb called Goyang, for example. All the water needed for this chemical process comes from the moisture separated from the food earlier.

The remaining material is shipped as fertilizer to any farms that need it.

All the water content is sent to purification facilities where it will eventually be discharged into water supplies or streams.

While one such plant was shut down from locals complaining about the unbearable smell, many plants are odorless, thanks to a system of pipes built into the walls that eliminate it via chemical reaction.

It’s the way South Korea does it. Sure, it costs them around $600 million annually, but they have many admirers, including New York City which hopes to implement similar infrastructure in the coming years."

-via Good News Network, June 15, 2023

[kyeree]

Just thinkin about Albin...

[a2zillustration]

May Baking 2024

Chocolate Cupcake Cookies - 4/5

Oops I'm late. Also I made these at the beginning of May and they lasted me so long I'm only just now making this post and I legitimately could not remember what this recipe was.

These were fine. The chocolate frosting was a little bland, but the cookies were nice and soft.

Notes for next time:

add a SMALL amount of corn starch to the dough for better rise

figure out a way to get the chocolate frosting to taste stronger (espresso??)

This recipe made SO MANY, way too many, cut it in half if you don't want 3 dozen normal-sized cookies.

[sydmarch]

it was so stupidly difficult to find any nutritionist who has experience with arfid & takes insurance so after having to go through all these referrals my therapist sent me & jumping through hoops I lowkey hate the lady lmao feels like such a waste of time & energy

[luneariann]

Sigh