Category Archives: Household

Monday Smorgasbord

Apologies for leaving you high and dry on Friday. On the plus side, it does prove once and for all that I’m a human, not an awesome-blog-post-producing machine. Anyway…I got so wrapped up in finishing the final edits for my book editing and complaining about World Cup refereeing that I missed a few items. Here’s […]

June 21, 2010 | Also posted in Composting, Restaurant | Comments closed

Guest Post: The Non-Consumer Advocate

Katy Wolk-Stanley is…The Non-Consumer Advocate. The hyphen-happy Portland native blogs about living on less and doing so with a minimal environmental impact. She was kind enough to share some thoughts on how she reduces food waste in her home. Take it away, Katy: With food prices so high, there’s simply no excuse for food waste […]

June 7, 2010 | Also posted in Guest Posts | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

A late addition to the steam table: New York’s Dept. of Ag says it’s okay to change the sell-by date on food. The rule itself isn’t terrible, considering the sell-by date is aimed at stores. But it seems like a bad idea in that it could lead to abuse. — — A year into San Francisco’s mandatory […]

June 4, 2010 | Also posted in Composting, Environment, Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Ch-Ch-Chain of Waste

Our friends at WRAP just released a comprehensive study on UK food and drink waste throughout the supply chain. I know I sound like a broken record about WRAP, but the British semi-governmental agency keeps releasing important findings on waste. [Note: this research includes drink and packaging waste] The study, which you can read in […]

April 5, 2010 | Also posted in International, Waste Stream | Comments closed

A Different Passover Story

My wife, son and I were invited to a Passover seder at our friends’ house and were tasked with bringing a dessert or two. I flipped through a Passover cookbook and decided on chocolate macaroons. It only had five ingredients, and macaroons are always the best Passover dessert. The recipe called for 3 egg whites, coconut, ground almonds, some sugar and chocolate. Keep that in mind. […]

March 31, 2010 | Also posted in History and Culture, Personal | Comments closed

Courting Change

Don’t look now, but they’re at it again in the UK. On Thursday, WRAP announced an extension of an existing voluntary agreement to reduce packaging and food waste. As of Thursday’s launch, 29 food retailers and producers had signed on to the second installment of the Courtauld Commitment. The first was signed in 2005 and involved […]

March 8, 2010 | Also posted in International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s a fascinating preview of an article on home food waste that’s due out in the spring (sort of like the movie trailer of the magazine world!). Based on the online piece, I can’t wait to read the real thing. — — A comment on the above page led me to discover my new favorite […]

February 26, 2010 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

In a move that should surprise no one, Portland will test a household food waste pickup system in 2,000 homes come April. Great idea, great quote: Portland’s solid waste and recycling manager, Bruce Walker, says, “We’re coming right into their kitchen saying, ‘Please change your habits.’ “ — — Keep sandwich thieves away with these […]

February 5, 2010 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, International, Storage, Technology | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The U.S. Capitol cafeteria has composted food for a bit, but now there’s plenty more eco-friendly changes in House office buildings. Since launching in 2007, Green the Capitol has diverted 75,000 pounds from landfills. — — I just heard about Hands for Hunger, a food recovery group in the Bahamas from this article. I’m not […]

January 15, 2010 | Also posted in Composting, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Hoppin’ into 2010

Black-eyed peas are thought to be good luck, which might explain the band’s success. It definitely explains why the legumes are eaten through the South on New Year’s Day. One theory–the one found on Wikipedia–posits that the tradition dates back to the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and that Sephardic Jews brought the tradition with them […]

January 1, 2010 | Also posted in History and Culture, Personal | Comments closed