The numbers are in.
The environmental cost of food waste in Israel is estimated at NIS 3.2 billion (the US $945 million) annually,
Food waste in Israel amounts to 2.5 million tons (5.5 billion pounds) annually, with a market value of NIS 20.3 billion (the US $6 billion).
According to BDO estimates, Corona will cause 145,000 people to become food insecure. This will make the situation for the 1.87 million people experiencing insecurity before the pandemic worse.
Food waste is responsible for 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in Israel; equivalent to GHG emissions from 1.6 million cars per year – half the number of cars in the country.
Why should you care and what does this have to do with organizing?
If you have been in the group for a while, you probably know I take a holistic approach to organization.
Organization for me is not just the physical arrangement of your things but it is also the practical way you live your life – managing your time well and the ability to reach your goals.
When you buy things you don’t need, you think to yourself “I’ll just throw it away!”
It is true with physical objects and it is also true with food.
“Whoops! Something went bad in the fridge… I’ll just chuck it!”
“Darn! I forgot to make the veggies into a meal. No worries, I’ll toss them.”
“Oh no! The banana’s on the table all went brown? Just throw them out.”
But what does throwing it away really mean?
It’s away from you but not for someone else.
Here in Israel, you can see the big trash mountain on Route 4 near Ramat Gan/Givat Shmuel/Bnei Brak any time you drive down the road!
It’s away from me, but near someone else!
It also takes government resources to throw things away. So while YOU are throwing away money in a local sense, when you don’t use all the food you purchase you are also forcing the government to use more money to dispose of your trash when you throw food (or any item) away.
Reduced needs for trash disposal means reduced spending and fewer taxes spent on something more useful.
So how can you get more organized and help the environment?
You can:
- Plan your meals
- Shop with a list
- Use food before it goes bad by making soup stocks or freezing things for baking or smoothies later.
- Compost food waste, don’t trash it! >>LINK TO COMPOST<<
When you take the time to plan your meals and your shopping list you do several things:
- You save time in the long run
- You save money (Yours and the governments because food doesn’t get wasted)
- You save your sanity – no more last-minute rushing around
- No more conversations with your kids asking what’s for dinner and then listening to them complain – they will already know!
- You save the environment
Here is a link to my meal planner guide to help you get your meals organized and if you want to do something EXTRA!, donate to Leket Israel at LEKET.ORG today.
You can not only make a difference in your life now and get more organized, but you can also help others by doing so in the process!