Great new short video about reducing Food Waste – Drawdown Solution #3
One of the surprising conclusions of the Drawdown survey was that FOOD WASTE is a huge problem.
Good news is that California and several other states already have legislation addressing this:
In October 2014 Governor Brown signed AB 1826 Chesbro (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014), requiring businesses to recycle their organic waste on and after April 1, 2016, depending on the amount of waste they generate per week.
AB 1219 Oct 2017 expands liability protections related to organic wastes.
We’ve surveyed local food stores and food banks and done some investigation of school lunches. Much more needs to be done.
Composting is MUCH better than putting food in the landfill, but the best solution is to avoid creating waste by more careful planning and shopping.
Excellent websites: Save the Food EPA Food Waste Reduction Toolkit
Short video on a new type of Zero Waste shop 8/18/18
Food Waste Reduction 12/3/18
Food Waste Reduction
Life of a Strawberry – great short video 3/7/19
Milk down the Drain – Good 5 min Video
Food waste – California laws requiring appropriate treatment of food waste – 3/29/18
In October 2014 Governor Brown signed AB 1826 Chesbro (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014), requiring businesses to recycle their organic waste on and after April 1, 2016, depending on the amount of waste they generate per week.
AB 1219 Oct 2017 expands liability protections.
Composting
Composting is important not only as a better method of disposing of using organic materials (greatly reduces releases of the potent greenhouse gas Methane). It is also an important component of “Carbon Farming” helping to put carbon back into the soil. See more at this page
Local group picks up compostables on bikes- slide show below – modest costs!
Home Composting $40 Rebate Program
The City of Santa Cruz will give you a $40 rebate when you purchase a City approved compost bin or worm bin.
Apartment sized double Compost Bins The super-sized Mantis Compost Twin composter has two chambers, so you can let one side “cook” while you continue to add scraps and yard waste to the other side. It holds three 30-gallon trash bags) in each chamber!
Grey Bears Composting Grey Bears has two installations to recycle leftover food scraps from our daily lunch and Brown Bag Programs. Our six Earth Tubs churn out 30 tons of high-quality compost each year. Pick up a 20+ pound bag for just $10 at our Thrift Store. More details on Grey Bears Program
They also sell worm castings from our vermiculture installation. worm composting. If you’re interested in setting up your own home recycling with red worms, our Vermiculture expert, Marla King is here every Friday from 10-11am. Make an appointment by emailing Marla, mdkingmd@yahoo.com.
Food Waste Reduction Article about how Denmark has been working to reduce food waste, which is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions world wide. France also has laws reducing food waste. We all need to start working on this!!
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network 
