Small and consistent wins the day. And the year.

Earth Day is today, and Hungry Harvest asked if they could sponsor me to write an Earth Day post (and run a giveaway for you guys!).   Of course, I said yes. Giveaway details are at the end of the post.

I have mixed feelings about Earth Day.

It’s not that I don’t care about the environment.

But as with all annual observances (Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc.), there’s a chance of Earth Day not making much of a difference.

For example, if you go all out for Valentine’s Day but then treat your significant other poorly the rest of the year, Valentine’s Day has little value.

And in the same way, if you get all lathered up about Earth Day but you spend the rest of the year doing nothing to help the planet, Earth Day hasn’t been worth much.

As Gretchen Rubin is fond of saying, what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.

So, while I see the value of marking Earth Day each year, I think what matters more are the small, consistent ways we can help the planet on the other 364 days of the year.

Food waste is a huge challenge for our environment, and unlike some other enormous environmental problems, this one is something we can actually do something about.

We can make a difference, right here in our own homes! And if every household made some small anti-food-waste efforts every day, imagine what could happen.

What’s the big problem with food waste?

On average, American households throw away up to 40% of the food they buy.

That’s a lot of edibles going to waste.

($1600/household/year, actually.)

The uneaten food generally ends up in the landfills, where it adds bulk and also slowly releases methane gas.

According to Climate Central, “If food waste could be represented as its own country, it would be the  third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the U.S.”

Yikes.

The supply chain also is at fault for producing food waste.

Excess produce from growers often doesn’t get sold to grocery stores, and perfectly edible produce that’s too small, too big, too uneven, or too ugly is also rejected by grocers (since consumers are picky about how their produce looks).

Plus, lots of resources, like water and oil, go into producing food, and when that food is wasted, those resources have gone to waste as well.

What can you do to help reduce food waste?

Feeling inspired?   Great.   I have three ideas to get you started!

1. Reduce food waste in your home.

On a household level, you can take baby steps to use up your food instead of throwing it away.   Buy only what you need, and when it doubt, freeze what you can’t use.

I know it’s hard, and I know it takes some extra work, but even if you made one or two small changes a habit, you could save pounds and pounds of food in a year’s time.

Plus, you will save money. Every time you chuck food into the trash, it’s like you’re throwing dollar bills away.

And if you’re reading a blog called The Frugal Girl, heaven knows you don’t like to throw dollar bills away.

To get you started, here are my top ten ways to avoid food waste.

2. Start a compost bin.

Moment of honesty: I do not love composting. I know some people are way into it, but I only do it because I’m convinced of its environmental value.

While it’s best to use up all the food you buy, when you have a compost bin, you can at least turn your moldy fruits and veggies into nutritious food for the soil.   That’s far better than sending it to the landfill to release methane!

Plus, you can compost all sorts of other produce scraps like pineapple peels, watermelon rinds, apple cores, and other inedibles that you’d normally throw away (plus things like tea bags, egg shells, shredded paper, leaves, and cardboard!)

Here’s how my compost bin works, and for more ideas, you can search the web and read info from passionate composters. 😉

3. Sign up for Hungry Harvest deliveries.

Hungry Harvest rescues perfectly good produce that would otherwise not be eaten, boxes it up, and delivers it right to your doorsteps.

Rejected produce could be ugly, randomly sized, or just excess.   No matter the cause for rejection, Hungry Harvest gives these fruits and veggies a brand new lease on life.

I love, love, love that Hungry Harvest provides a way for us consumers to help make a change both inside and outside of our own households.   You and I can’t individually rescue unwanted produce, or change the way that growers and grocers operate.

We’re just too small on our own.

But with the help of Hungry Harvest, we have so much more power!   We can rescue food and encourage change in the food system by becoming Hungry Harvest customers.

To learn more about the overall impact Hungry Harvest deliveries have made on the environment, check out the special Earth Day page on their website.

Getting a Hungry Harvest box each week is a way that you can consistently do something good for the earth all year long.

And as a side benefit, a Hungry Harvest box can do something good for your body all year long as well!

I find that having a produce box inspires me to eat way more veggies than I would otherwise, and that has to be a boon for my health.

Where does Hungry Harvest deliver?

Here’s a list of all the areas they deliver, from Jersey to Miami.

If you’re not lucky enough to be in their service area, sign up for the waitlist right here.   Hungry Harvest is rapidly expanding, and they use the waitlist to help determine where they want to open up deliveries.   Help bring them to your area!

How can I sign up for Hungry Harvest?

I’m so glad you asked!   Visit Hungry Harvest’s site, where you can easily and quickly sign up for an account.

Do you have a discount code for me?

Yup, yup! Use code FRUGALGIRL5 to get $5 off your first harvest. (expires June 1, 2018)

What about that giveaway??

To celebrate Earth Day, Hungry Harvest wants to give one Frugal Girl reader a free month (4 weeks) of Hungry Harvest deliveries.

Excellent!

To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite small way to consistently help the planet.

(and if you haven’t got one to share, it’s totally ok to say, “I just really want to win the Hungry Harvest boxes!”)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited.   Odds of winning depend upon the number of entrants.   Winner must reside within the current Hungry Harvest delivery area. Winner will be notified via email address left in comment form.