During the just finished 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) that was hosted in Scotland, Governor Kate Brown spoke about the work the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality had done so far on food waste reduction.
Her presentation took place during the session hosted by the Pacific Coast Collaborative, the panel including members of the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment, a partnership of local, state, and provincial governments with businesses and food vendors such as Walmart.
Food production is, after transportation, the industry responsible for producing the second highest rate of greenhouse gases (GHGs) globally, but in Oregon, emissions due to agricultural activities are in sixth place. The state’s greenhouse gas reporting system can be found on the Air Quality Programs website.
It has been estimated that food grown but not consumed accounts for 4% of the U.S. greenhouse emissions caused by human activities. According to the Think.Eat.Save website, in the past decade an estimated half of the fruit and vegetables produced globally was wasted.
To address food waste as a source of emissions, Brown included a directive in her 2020 Executive Order 20-04 on GHGs, which instructs the DEQ to “take actions necessary to prevent and recover food waste, with the goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030.”
Brown also included the Bad Apple Campaign in her presentation as another example of climate change counteraction taken in Oregon.
To learn more of food impact on the environment, visit https://www.oregon.gov/deq/mm/food/Pages/default.aspx
To see Brown’s presentation visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibGaK-kkoA&list=PLdoQGLvqcm5aLe_NJWNralJYkAtFnYqI_&index=26
By Joanna Rosińska
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com