We attended Portland, Maine’s ‘Feeding the 5,000’ Festival on Oct. 7 by George Semler The Daily Meal news story On Friday, October 7th, Portland, Maine became the 41st global city to reenact the biblical miracle of the loaves, feeding a 100-percent gleaned vegan vegetable stew to just under 5,000 people in and around Monument Square Read More
Food Waste
An astounding 40% of the food produced in the United States is wasted. This excessive and unsustainable amount of food waste is a real tragedy for both our environment and our people. The U.S. agriculture industry accounts for about 10 percent of our total energy used, 80 percent of our freshwater consumption, and 50 percent of our land. And almost all uneaten food ends up in landfills where it decomposes and releases methane gas—which has 25 percent more heat-trapping capability than carbon dioxide. When we waste food, we waste all of the resources used to make that food, and we contribute harmful greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. Read news stories about food waste in Maine.
Feeding the 5000
By Molly Haley, staff writer Maine Today news story Portland’s Feeding the 5000 event featured local chefs and volunteers serving thousands of people a delicious, free lunch made entirely from fresh, locally grown food that otherwise would have gone to waste. The event is part of an international initiative to educate communities and reduce food Read More
Feeding the 5000: Free Lunch for Thousands Highlights Tragedy of Wasted Food
News Release Portland, Maine – Today, Feeding the 5000 Portland, Maine filled Monument Square with crowds of Mainers eager for a meaningful midday meal. The celebration featured a free lunch served to thousands made from perfectly good food that would otherwise have gone to waste, cooking demos by prominent local chefs, and helpful tips and Read More
In Key Advance, Food Waste Recycling-to-Energy Program Begins in Portland Area
By Peter McGuire, news writer Portland Press Herald news story A food waste recycling program launched Wednesday in Portland hopes to trigger the next big advance in southern Maine’s municipal trash business: collection of household kitchen scraps and other organic waste. Kitchen scraps, expired produce and other food waste make up close to 30 percent Read More
Ecomaine Launches Food Waste Recovery Service
By Patty Wight MPBN news story Open up a refrigerator and the chances of finding limp lettuce or soggy squash are pretty high. Here in the U.S., it’s likely that this food will find its way into the garbage — according to the USDA, at least 30 percent of the nation’s food supply is wasted. Read More
Farm Leftovers to be Used to Feed 5,000 in Portland
On Oct. 7, a coalition of groups concerned about hunger will feed stew made from produce gleaned from local fields to thousands in Portland. By Meredith Goad, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story On Oct. 7, a coalition of groups concerned about hunger will feed stew made from left-behind produce to thousands in Portland. Read More
Food Scrap Recycling Isn’t Just For Southern Maine Anymore. Rural Maine Takes A Bite At The Apple.
By Christopher Burns, staff writer Bangor Daily News news story It’s no secret that Mainers produce a lot of food scraps, most of which end up either in a garbage incinerator or a landfill, where those scraps take up valuable space and become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. But the day is coming Read More
Stop Wasting Food! Have Your Cake, and Eat It, Too.
As a micro-scale farmer who has put a lot of effort into every vegetable, egg and pork chop I sell, I’ve often thought it an unfortunate side effect of life in the land of plenty that most of us don’t really worry about throwing away food. But we need to start. Food waste may not Read More
