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Tuesday, January 18, 2011 |
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SOCIAL JUSTICE: CURBING FOOD WASTE IN A HUNGRY WORLD
By St Mary Administrator @ 10:32 AM :: 186 Views ::  :: Social Justice
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This is the time of year when people remember the hungry and contribute to meal programs and food pantries with extra effort. We are especially thankful this year for what is spread on our tables since so many are doing without – hunger endures. But even our generosity will not solve the problem of hunger. What will solve it is a more robust economy which shares prosperity with struggling families. And it would be a good idea to send to our elected representatives our conviction that it is unacceptable that working people, and particularly children, are still hungry in such a rich nation.
Because there is so much food available to us, we tend to take it for granted. One of our New Year’s resolutions should be to minimize food waste, which will not only help our budget but also the environment. Did you know that about 40% of the food produced in the U.S. isn’t consumed? Every day, Americans waste enough food to fill a football stadium – and our national food waste habit is on the upswing. We should remember that our wasteful eating habits waste not only food but also the fossil fuel that went into growing, processing, transporting and refrigerating it! So here are some food rules which we could adopt in the New Year: buy smarter, rethink portion sizes, eat ALL leftovers, and for the inevitable amount of food waste we have (hopefully small), start a compost pile, which returns the food nutrients to the soil instead of the landfill. It’s self-evident: keep food out of the trash!
A PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR
Loving God,
we glorify your name;
we honor all creation
in whom you breathe your spirit.
As you touch Earth
and all who live upon her,
touch our hearts,
enrich our will,
expand our minds
to understand with compassion
and to act with justice
in all of our choices
affecting Earth
and every living thing.
Then can we
raise our voices higher
with your wisdom,
your compassion,
and incomparable joy
for all. Amen.
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