“Food is national security. Food is economy. It is employment, energy, history. Food is everything.”
Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen
With the high cost of food these days, people seem more conscious about what they are buying. Yet despite how expensive it is, Americans still waste a mind-blowing amount of food. And all that waste is making the planet warmer. Community fridges are a creative solution to two big problems: hunger and climate change.
A solution to two big problems
If you have been reading for a while, you know food waste is a hot button for me. When we throw food away, not only are we wasting money, but we are contributing to climate change. How? When food decomposes in landfills, it releases methane, which traps even more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. We have also wasted all the energy and resources it took to produce and transport the food in the first place.
Food for thought
- Over 44% of Americans face food insecurity
- Nearly 40% of food produced each year in the US is wasted
- Wasted food creates more greenhouse gas than the entire airline industry, or about 10% of all emissions
A creative solution
Community fridges, also known as freedges, love fridges, and friendly fridges are refrigerators on streets in communities around the country where people can drop off their extra food for people in need. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity, and tackles both food insecurity and methane emissions.
The refrigerators are set up and maintained through local organizations or individuals, and the only overhead is the refrigerator and the power to keep it running. Also, both donors and recipients are anonymous, so it preserves the dignity of those who need a hand.
What can we do?
- Focus on reducing food waste at home
- Find out if there is a community fridge near you
- Volunteer with an organization focused on food rescue (I’m involved with a place called Feeding Charlotte, and there are similar organizations all over)
- Donate to a local or national organization that redirects surplus food to hungry neighbors
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.