Wasting Food = Wasting Water

             Day 33: I learned this week that one third of the food produced around the world goes to waste. This means that the resources used to produce that food are also lost. Since 70% of our freshwater is used to produce crops think of not only food getting wasted but also trillions of gallons of water as well. I read this week that the average American family of four throws out around 100 lbs of food each month.

          This is picture of our scrap bucket, we fill one of these up once or twice a week. We then take it out and dump it in a pile next to our garden where animals eat on it and some decomposes back into the ground or we turn it over into the garden in the fall.  I used to have a type compost container, but a large animal kept tearing it down.  As many of you know, I don't even like the thought of having a bear anywhere in the area and I kept having to repair the container so now, we just throw it in a pile. We started this mainly because we wanted to decrease the cost of hauling our trash to the dump since they charge by weight. Having done some reading this week, We've been doing a good thing and didn't even know it! Yeah,  but we've been doing our share of letting too much food in our refrigerator go bad.... I  learned that wasted food in the landfill contributes to global warming.  Decomposing food produces methane, a large contributor of greenhouse gasses.
        So what are some solutions? Compost leftovers, freeze what you can't eat when you've cooked a large meal and plan your meals before grocery shopping. These are things we can do as individuals but what about the large grocery stores that throw away produce because they have a few spots? I've heard that there are regulations that won't allow some grocers to give foods away that are close or at expiration date to homeless shelters or food pantries. Even restaurants that have food left over from a slow night have to throw it away. We are such a suing nation! We will let a person go hungry but by Golly  we couldn't possibly take the chance of them getting sick! Regulations regulations regulations. I guess the intentions are good. Why do we feel like a piece of fruit has to be blemish  free to be good to eat?
       Here's a link to an interesting idea to reduce food waste, help those in need and support local economies. It's an online food exchange concept. Check it out. http://www.shared harvest.net.



Leviticus 19:9-10 Says:  "When you harvest your land, don't harvest right up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings from the harvest.  Don't strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick up the fallen grapes.  leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am God, your God."

Chick-Fil-A's Cow Says " Eat More Chicken

But maybe they should say:    "Eat More Vegetables". 

          At the "World Water Day 2012"  held just a few days ago in Italy, the slogan that was used allot was:


      "The World Is Thirsty Because We Are Hungry."



                      



         According to an article from UNwater.org, it takes about 1500 liters of water to produce 1 kg of wheat BUT it takes 10 times more water to produce 1 kg of beef.  It is estimated that we eat about 37 kg of meat per person per year and our demand for meat goes higher each year, which means that much more of food for animal consumption will need to be grown and which means much more potable water will be needed to water and process our livestock.

         Are there solutions to these seemingly impossible problems? I would say Yes! definitely! I began this project believing this to be a problem that was over there...... but have found that maybe the water problems over there........ are coming over here.... faster than any of us care to think much about.  The money I have raised will definitely go to Blood:Water Mission for the building and restoring of wells in the African Nation because that is where my heart hurts, but that is just not good enough anymore.  As an individual I need to do my part in caring for the water that I come into contact with every day and so should you. We should stand up when individuals or corporations are mishandling our water sources, become educated about best water practices.  Here is an interesting video with some possible solutions you might like:

Fish harvesting from our rivers has increased about 6% each year since 1970.  Fish require a healthy environment to thrive in. ( I cooked my guppies one time because the water heater malfunctioned.) The importance of maintaining ecologically sound water sources are far reaching......

Fish, Meat, Vegetable

Genesis 1:28-30  God blessed (Adam and Eve) them and said to them,   "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue (manage)  it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. "  Then God said, "I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground, everything that has the breath of life in it , I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Have we been good stewards of what God has given us to manage?