Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away in the documentary “Just Eat It,” screening at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov 3, at Oak Park Library, 848 Lake St., in Oak Park.
By Susan Messer
Just a few weeks ago, I went to a family gathering to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday. Like most family gatherings, this one involved meals and food aplenty, as one always wants the table to be bountiful and generous. Unfortunately, the desire for a bountiful table doesn’t always square well with a plan to avoid wasting food, and we were faced with many leftovers. Pretty much everyone was from out of town, staying in hotels, so finding a way to use/eat all that extra food was beyond us. I confess, with a heavy heart, and significant regret, that we threw much of that food away—and I’m feeling especially guilty as I write this article, intended to bring people’s attention to the problem of wasted food.
Now picture the upcoming holiday season and all the laden tables that surround it. How can we become more mindful about food--buying only what we need, using what we buy, and avoiding food waste?
To address this question, the Village of Oak Park has proclaimed the week of November 3, 2019, Food Waste Awareness Week, rallying citizens, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations to become more environmentally responsible with regard to food. The Village proclamation notes the following:
Food waste represents the largest single category of waste in landfills in the United States.
Food waste decaying in landfills emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to climate change.
Forty percent of all food thrown out happens at the individual or household level.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that an average family of four tosses out about 1,000 pounds of food each year, wasting roughly $1,500.
The Village of Oak Park continues to expand the food-scrap composting collections program, which encourages residents to minimize their footprint by reducing wasted food.
And this: The Village wishes to bring attention to two upcoming events designed to educate and activate the community on strategies for reducing food waste.
Thank you, Village of Oak Park, for endorsing this effort. And thank you especially to the Interfaith Green Network, Green Community Connections, and the One Earth Film Fest for bringing us these two opportunities for learning:
At 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, don’t miss the screening and discussion of Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. This documentary tells the story of Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin who, after learning about the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, pledge to survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away. https://www.foodwastemovie.com/ All ages are welcome, and admission is free, but please register at https://tinyurl.com/y5qj97t6. Place: Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St., 2nd Floor Veterans Room.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, please attend Oak Park’s second Food Waste Workshop, where an all-star panel of professionals will share their knowledge. Following the panel discussion, attendees can visit action tables to learn from such community partners as Imperfect Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sugar Beet Food Co-op, D97 School Green Teams, Triton College, Angie's Pantry, and possibly, the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition (IFSC) about what they’re doing and what we all can do to reduce waste. The workshop is free, but please register at https://tinyurl.com/y6ojsa86. Place: Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St., 2nd Floor Veterans Room.
As Just Eat It filmmaker Jen Rustemeyer said in an interview on NPR, “Really, we shouldn't even call it food waste, because of all the connotations associated with that word. It's surplus. It's extra food in our system that should not be in the landfill, that needs to get to people who need it.” https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/11/18/456489490/in-just-eat-it-filmmakers-feast-for-6-months-on-discarded-food