Take a second right now and reflect on your daily eating habits. How much food do you normally eat? How much do you throw away?

The United States is ranked second in the world for countries with the most food waste per capita. Second in the whole world. On a daily basis, about one pound of food is wasted per American. That is nearly 206 billion pounds total. Despite having 37 million food insecure Americans, nearly 40% of all food in the United States is wasted or lost. Clearly, some changes need to be made to the way in which food consumption is approached.

Why is this relevant to the environment?

Food waste has an irrefutable link to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; about 6-8% of all human generated greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste. The producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing of this wasted food releases emissions equivalent to that of 37 million cars or 42 coal-fired power plants, just to put it in perspective. Additionally, agriculture takes up 80% of all water consumed in the US, wasting about 21-33% of all water distributed in the country per year.

What can be done?

At this point in time, we should be aiming to feed more people while wasting less food. The implementation of a few small practices in your everyday life could make all the difference. If you are looking for a way to be civically engaged and help prevent climate change, then this is for you.

1. Plan ahead and buy or take only the food you know you will eat.

Depending on circumstance, you may be getting the majority of your meals from a dining hall or cooking. Either way, think ahead about how hungry you will be and realistically how much food you will be able to eat. Try not to go food shopping on an empty stomach. If you are at a buffet style dining area, take a small amount of food and come back for additional servings later. 

1. Make the most of leftovers.

If you are going to shop, think about how you can incorporate your leftovers to make the most of the food you bought. Use your freezer as well to keep items fresh for a long period of time.

1. Talk with your friends and family about making changes.

The only way to bring about change is awareness. Tell those around you about the steps you are taking to reduce food waste, and hopefully they will follow suit.

Perhaps one of the most pressing environmental issues in the US throughout the past year has been plastic production and pollution. The United States is one of the leading countries in plastic waste generation, creating about 287 pounds of plastic waste per person annually. This totals to 42 million metric tons of plastic waste.

Not only is the amount of plastic concerning, the production of this plastic is responsible for the release of 232 metric tons of greenhouse gasses every year. In fact, the production of plastics is set to outpace coal plants in the US by 2030.

Why is the Issue So Bad?

Simply put, the United States cannot keep up. Recycling infrastructure as it is cannot handle the growth in plastic production that this country is seeing. Each year, an estimated 1.13-2.24 million metric tons of waste are leaked into oceans and the environment. Most of these materials are made from fossil fuels and take hundreds of years to decompose. In the meantime, this plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, consequently reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to the climate change these plastics contributed to in the first place. This circles back to have a direct effect on food production capabilities and social well-being. The physical, chemical, biological, and even economical effects are seriously concerning.

What is the Government Doing?

One of the actions taken that directly affects consumers is introducing restrictions on single-use plastic bags. Several states have opted to completely get rid of these plastic bags in retail stores. Consumers now have to buy or bring reusable bags instead.

Additionally, certain states (Maine, for example) have implemented Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR policies that place responsibility for the disposing of packaging materials and waste on the producers and manufacturers who made them. More states are aiming to implement these kinds of policies in the coming years.

What Can We, The Consumers, Do?

The first and most simple thing is to be aware of how much plastic you are buying and using. If you are given the option between one-use or reusable utensils, for instance, go with the reusable ones. Be mindful of separating your recyclables properly. At least 85 percent of municipal plastic waste is sent to landfills.Try to buy products with less plastic packaging. It is understandable that, for most people, it is not feasible to switch to a waste free lifestyle. However, we should try our best to be as resourceful and waste-less as possible.

With all of the attention it has been receiving over the past month and a half, this blog post will focus on the Willow Project.

The Willow Project is a massive oil drilling project by ConocoPhillips located on Alaska’s North Slope in the National Petroleum Reserve. It was originally approved by the Trump administration in 2020 and was passed on to the Biden administration for final approval.

However, there has been an uprising of activism against the project, particularly online, with citizens sending over 1 million letters to the White House in protest and putting more than 5 million signatures and counting on a Change.org petition. 

So why is this project so controversial?

The Willow Project will have a footprint of 499 acres of land that will include hundreds of miles of pipelines and roads, airstrips, a gravel mine, and a new processing facility planted in the middle of Alaska’s pristine Arctic tundra and wetland. Estimates predict that this project will release about 287 metric tons of CO2 over a 30-year period of time. Supporters of the project say it would bring a needed new source of revenue and jobs for the region, as well as decrease reliance on foreign oil. However, this could lead to an increase in American reliance on fossil fuels.

One of the main drawbacks (and a source for the pushback) is the damage it would inflict on local ecosystems, animal populations, and air quality with the additional potential for harmful leaks, spills and blowouts. The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate – nearly four times faster than the rest of the world – and this project may only amplify the accelerated erosion.

In spite of this, the Biden administration has approved the project on March 13th. The reason they cite for doing so is that Conoco had existing and valid leases in the area. The courts determined that they could not legally reject or significantly reduce the project without facing steep fines and legal action. 

Activists still have hope that the Willow Project can be stopped. They argue that we are too far along in the climate crisis to be approving a project such as this. Conservation groups have filed a US lawsuit against it. Those against the project continue to raise their voices in opposition of the plan by writing the White House, contacting advocacy groups, getting in touch with local representatives and using social media to #StopWillow.

An Ohio Disaster

With air pollution being one of the most pressing environmental issues faced by the United States today, it seems appropriate to discuss a very recent case of toxic air and water pollution. 

Around 9 p.m. on February 3, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. This is only 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, making the issue very relevant for residents of Pennsylvania. The source of the problem came from what this train was transporting. Eleven out of fifty train cars involved in the derailment and crash had been carrying hazardous materials. A massive fire erupted and any chemicals that escaped during the crash were burned in it, releasing a thick smoke cloud into the air. One of the hazardous materials carried by the train was vinyl chloride, a very toxic and very flammable chemical. To avoid an explosion, authorities performed a controlled release of the vinyl chloride into a nearby trench and burned it off. 

The big problem comes in when you consider the side effects of burning vinyl chloride. It decomposes into gas that includes hydrogen chloride and phosgene. Both can cause various types of skin and lung irritation. As of now, there has been no clear communication from health services or authorities on whether this poses a health threat to residents of East Palestine and neighboring areas. 

What Does This Mean for the Environment?

This unfortunate incident raises attention to how toxic chemicals affect the environment. Potential negative effects that their release into the environment may have include destroying animals and plants in contaminated areas and overall limiting the ability for an ecosystem to survive. Chemicals like these can enter the environment through any number of sources including landfills, factories, incinerators, tanks and more.

Harmful accidents like this Ohio incident may release chemical pollution, which is one of the main drivers of putting the Earth at risk. It amplifies planetary crises of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and degradation of ecosystems.

What Can Be Done To Combat The Issue?

The best way to combat chemical pollution is to stop it at the source. In other words, prevention. Not only is it more cost effective to prevent chemical pollution at the source than to pay for control, but it lessens the negative impacts on human health and the environment. At the local level, this can be done through simple actions such as switching to “green cleaners” and using reusable water bottles instead of throw-aways.

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, accounting for about 20% of all emissions. However the real issue is, methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of trapping heat in the atmosphere. 

Methane has seen an alarmingly large increase in presence within the atmosphere since records began nearly 40 years ago. Well, methane is a bigger issue than we could have imagined. As the world gets warmer it breaks down organic materials such as dead plants and animals in areas like wetlands and peatlands. This releases more methane into the atmosphere. The warmer it gets, the more quickly this process happens, ultimately resulting in a feedback loop. 

The United States is among the biggest emitters of methane in the world. Along with China, Russia, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Mexico we are responsible for nearly half of all methane emissions. So what is being done to combat this very serious problem and what can we do as citizens?

Sources of Emissions

Depending on the country, the source of emissions is different. For example, China’s emissions are largely the result of coal mining and Russia’s emissions are mainly from natural gas and oil systems. Here in the US, there are three major contributors: oil and gas systems, landfills, and livestock enteric fermentation. 

Governmental Interference

In November of 2021, a plan called the Global Methane Pledge to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030 was agreed to by more than 100 countries. Some of the largest emitters, however, have yet to join this agreement. Since then, however, only a small portion of these countries have actually submitted their plans to reduce emissions. 

Local Level Interference 

Generally, methane emissions from agriculture could be reduced if farmers switched to more productive cattle herds or if they produced more plant-based food rather than food from livestock. There has been a recent wave in veganism the last several years. There are more plant-based substitutes than ever before (even some that replicate the texture and taste of meat).

A plant-based diet won’t be all good for the environment, as production of synthetic fertilizers, for example, contributes to methane emissions. But if switching over to a plant based diet can help reduce the amount of livestock needed in the country and hopefully combat livestock enteric fermentation emissions, then it may be worth considering.

The United States recycling system is broken. Hearing about the recycling practices in many of my friends’ home towns and reflecting upon my own town’s systems after coming to Penn State has brought this issue to life in my mind. In 1960, Americans produced about 2.68 pounds of garbage a day. By 2017, that number had risen to an average of 4.51 pounds. That puts the total generation of municipal solid waste in the U.S. at 267.8 million tons that year. Although many Americans now recycle on a daily basis, their efforts are put to waste. The reason? Because the system is not set up to succeed.

Recyclables can easily become contaminated. If a single item is placed in the wrong bin, or a dirty food container makes its way into the mix, the entire batch of material cannot be recycled. Beyond this, certain facilities can only process certain materials. Some things that people place in recycling bins, such as plastic bags, takeout containers, plastic utensils and more, end up incinerated or in a landfill. This is hurting our planet in more ways than one.

Problem 1:

Landfills are huge producers of methane gas. The burning of large, open piles of trash emits dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide. The release of both gasses is one of the great contributors to global warming and climate change. Not only that, but recyclables are taking up space that trash would otherwise occupy. Our landfills are overflowing and pollution is becoming an even more pressing issue, as a result.

Problem 2:

Waste production affects all life on Earth. One of the biggest issues, though, is its effect on marine life. Our trash often ends up in waterways or the ocean. For marine life that can’t distinguish between waste and food, consumption of trash leads to certain death. Most animals do not have the stomach acidity to break down plastics, and so they will starve to death because they cannot handle the plastic fragments they have ingested.

So how do we fix the issue?

Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. A certain amount of change must happen on both the corporate end and the consumer end. For one, end-of-life management needs to be integrated into product packaging designs. Moreover, greater public awareness needs to be drawn on how to properly dispose of different types of waste and recyclables, as well.

I think it would be beneficial to take inspiration from other countries’ recycling models. For example, Germany is currently leading one of the most successful recycling initiatives. They have strong government policies on the matter, high public awareness, and a mandatory waste sorting system. No system is perfect, of course, but we should learn from others’ successes in this area to better the United States and ultimately the world.

Again, there is no easy solution. But that does not mean we should ignore the problem at hand. Here is a link to help better your own recycling practices, and hopefully the system will see some significant improvements in the coming years.