Entitled Americans:
How our Excessive Food Waste Contributes to Climate Change
Briana Clementz
Denver South high school
Spring 2017
Abstract
How large of an impact does the food we waste have on the environment? Or better yet, how much food do we actually waste annually? According to Ira Flatow of NPR, we waste approximately 33 million tons of food in the United States every single year. By using scientific and argumentative resources, I was able to research just how large of an impact food waste in America has on the environment. Through this research, I was able to argue that because Americans are so greedy and entitled, we are contributing to climate change through our extensive amount of food waste. First of all, climate change …show more content…
I wanted to be able to use this knowledge to educate my peers about what they can do to reduce their food waste, and ultimately their impact on climate change. I came across a blog written by Rob Greenfield (2017) on his website “Robgreenfield.tv” Greenfield has written a number of blogs about his experience in reducing his impact on the environment. A couple of those blogs talk about how he’s reduced a big part of his food waste, and gone dumpster diving to feed hungry people. I read the book titled “Fast Food Nation” written by Eric Schlosser (2001). I thought this book would give me a better insight on how wasteful Americans are. However, I found that the book just gave me a better understanding of the development of fast food restaurants in America. While this was very interesting, it didn’t accomplish what I wished it would. I also read a transcript of an interview "The Ugly Truth About Food Waste In America." done on NPR by host, Ira Flatow (2012). He interviews Jonathan Bloom, an author and Dana Gunders, a scientist. They discuss the impact food waste has on the environment and how we, as Americans can reduce our food waste. I read an article written in 2017, by Roff Smith, National Geographic, titled, “How Reducing Food Waste Could Ease Climate Change." (2017). Smith wrote about how impactful food waste is on climate …show more content…
We don’t know the true value of food, and therefore squander it. In Roff Smith’s (2017) article, posted to National Geographic, “How Reducing Food Waste Could Ease Climate Change.” he explains how Americans don’t value food. He states, “We tend to take our food for granted in the developed world.” Anyone could easily argue that America is well developed. However, because we have so much food, we don’t realize how precious it is. Because we have such a humongous amount of food, we treat it as if it is expendable, when in reality, it is not. Food takes a lot of energy and resources to make, and we only have so much of the two. The resources we have on this planet are not unlimited. They will run out one day. But in the meantime, our extensive use of these resources is only further damaging the environment. It’s a nonsense cycle of using sources which damages the environment, to waste these resources, which also damages the environment. Rob Greenfield (2017), an activist who works to spread the message that reducing food waste is not only easy, but very helpful for the environment, said “About 50 million of our 317 million Americans are food insecure yet we produce enough food to feed over 500 million Americans.” Which means we clearly have more than enough food to feed all Americans, yet we’re wasting it, damaging the environment, and not helping the hungry people of America. So if we have all of this
How our Excessive Food Waste Contributes to Climate Change
Briana Clementz
Denver South high school
Spring 2017
Abstract
How large of an impact does the food we waste have on the environment? Or better yet, how much food do we actually waste annually? According to Ira Flatow of NPR, we waste approximately 33 million tons of food in the United States every single year. By using scientific and argumentative resources, I was able to research just how large of an impact food waste in America has on the environment. Through this research, I was able to argue that because Americans are so greedy and entitled, we are contributing to climate change through our extensive amount of food waste. First of all, climate change …show more content…
I wanted to be able to use this knowledge to educate my peers about what they can do to reduce their food waste, and ultimately their impact on climate change. I came across a blog written by Rob Greenfield (2017) on his website “Robgreenfield.tv” Greenfield has written a number of blogs about his experience in reducing his impact on the environment. A couple of those blogs talk about how he’s reduced a big part of his food waste, and gone dumpster diving to feed hungry people. I read the book titled “Fast Food Nation” written by Eric Schlosser (2001). I thought this book would give me a better insight on how wasteful Americans are. However, I found that the book just gave me a better understanding of the development of fast food restaurants in America. While this was very interesting, it didn’t accomplish what I wished it would. I also read a transcript of an interview "The Ugly Truth About Food Waste In America." done on NPR by host, Ira Flatow (2012). He interviews Jonathan Bloom, an author and Dana Gunders, a scientist. They discuss the impact food waste has on the environment and how we, as Americans can reduce our food waste. I read an article written in 2017, by Roff Smith, National Geographic, titled, “How Reducing Food Waste Could Ease Climate Change." (2017). Smith wrote about how impactful food waste is on climate …show more content…
We don’t know the true value of food, and therefore squander it. In Roff Smith’s (2017) article, posted to National Geographic, “How Reducing Food Waste Could Ease Climate Change.” he explains how Americans don’t value food. He states, “We tend to take our food for granted in the developed world.” Anyone could easily argue that America is well developed. However, because we have so much food, we don’t realize how precious it is. Because we have such a humongous amount of food, we treat it as if it is expendable, when in reality, it is not. Food takes a lot of energy and resources to make, and we only have so much of the two. The resources we have on this planet are not unlimited. They will run out one day. But in the meantime, our extensive use of these resources is only further damaging the environment. It’s a nonsense cycle of using sources which damages the environment, to waste these resources, which also damages the environment. Rob Greenfield (2017), an activist who works to spread the message that reducing food waste is not only easy, but very helpful for the environment, said “About 50 million of our 317 million Americans are food insecure yet we produce enough food to feed over 500 million Americans.” Which means we clearly have more than enough food to feed all Americans, yet we’re wasting it, damaging the environment, and not helping the hungry people of America. So if we have all of this