Consumerism Over the Holiday Season

Written by: Nour Abdullah

The holiday season is just around the corner. Gifts are not the only hallmark of this joyous time but also the delicious feasts we all look forward to. Many of us will be expecting family to join us in celebrating the season. Your mom wants to cook everyone’s favorite dishes, so while strolling down the aisle at the nearby supermarket, the last thing on her mind is the amount of food that will be wasted. However, the reality is that at this time of year many individuals amass an excessive amount of food in the spirit of “the more the merrier.” After an unforgettable meal and a Thanksgiving or Christmas to remember, inevitably large quantities of food become leftovers. Even with the good intentions of preserving the food in the fridge, let’s face it, no one wants to continue eating the same turkey for days.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, Americans throw away 25% more trash than normal which is heavily impacted by leftovers during the holiday season, according to Vanderbilt University. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit organization located in New York, reported that America is responsible for the waste of about 165 billion dollars worth of food each year. Solely turkey during Thanksgiving is responsible for 293 million dollars worth of waste. During this holiday season, it is anticipated 200 million pounds of turkey will be thrown out by consumers. In addition to the leftover turkeys that go to waste, 150 million pounds of potatoes, green beans, and other vegetable sides will also be discarded. Even 15 million pounds of dinner rolls are estimated to be never eaten and consequently dumped.

Along with the financial losses incurred by the excessive amount of food wasted, these leftovers end up in landfills where they will decompose, in turn releasing the greenhouse gas known as methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 86 times more formidable compared to its fellow greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in terms of confining heat within the atmosphere over the span of 20 years. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), "If food loss and waste were its own country, it would be the world’s third-largest emitter—surpassed only by China and the United States."

Being mindful during the holiday season is important, here are 6 tips you and your family can use to decrease food waste and help the environment:

Have enough storage in the fridge to ensure that the leftovers stay as fresh as possible.
Keep in mind the realistic portions one will be eating when going out to shop for food.
- The Love Food Hate Waste organization provides an excellent planner on the “perfect portions” for your meals and great recipes for reusing those leftovers.
  - https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/party_portions
Create an exact shopping list to avoid buying unnecessary items
Consider composting those extra food scraps rather than quickly throwing them out.
- Composting is a great way to enrich the soil, limit the use of chemical fertilizers, and isolate carbon, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Donate to a nearby food bank
- Here is a link you can use to find a local food bank: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
Raise awareness and inform your friends and family to be conscious of their food scraps this holiday season!