The link between food waste and climate change, and what California is doing about it
According to CalRecycle, Californians send 11.2 billion pounds of food to landfills each year, while millions of Californians don’t have enough to eat. Additionally, methane emissions from decomposing food waste contribute to climate change. SB 1383 requires that, by 2025, California will recover 20 percent of edible food that would otherwise be sent to landfills to feed people in need.
This panel will describe the efforts of state agencies (CalRecycle), local agencies (San Luis Obispo County), and non-profits (San Diego Food System Alliance and ReFED/Pacific Coast Collaborative) to reduce food waste, feed hungry people, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Our Panelists
Alex Rosado is an Environmental Scientist in CalRecycle’s Organics Unit. Alex’s work focuses on increasing food waste prevention in California. She also serves as a technical lead on CalRecycle’s Food Waste Prevention and Rescue grants and is a part of the team helping implement California’s short-lived climate pollutant law, SB 1383. SB 1383 targets a large portion of California’s waste stream – food. SB 1383 includes two organic waste disposal reduction targets including a 50% reduction in statewide disposal of organic waste by 2020 and a 75% by 2025. SB 1383 also included a statewide goal that no less than 20% of currently disposed edible food be recovered for human consumption by 2025. In today’s session, Alex will focus on SB 1383’s edible food recovery goal and the regulations that have been developed to help California achieve it.
Patti Toews is the Deputy Director for the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA). Daily, she provides administrative and strategic program leadership for a wide range of waste diversion programs, overseeing the management of hazardous and universal waste material diversion and safe disposal, solid waste, recycling, food scrap and green waste diversion programs, and battery, fluorescent lighting, paint, mercury thermostat, sharps, and unwanted medication retail-taking back programs.
Katy Franklin serves as ReFED's Operations Director, supporting organizational development and strategy and designing systems for effective program implementation and management. Previously, Katy managed operations at Sustainable America, where she gained a deep understanding of successful food waste reduction programs with consumers, food service providers, private firms, and at major events. Katy has authored industry and academic research on food waste and opportunities to solve this global challenge. Katy also helped develop Further with Food, a public-private partnership convened to address food loss and waste.
As Program Director of the Wasted Food Prevention Program at the San Diego Food System Alliance, Geertje Grootenhuis oversees technical assistance, consumer education, and network development initiatives to support government agencies, institutions, businesses, nonprofits, and residents throughout San Diego County in their efforts to reduce wasted food. A San Diego native, Geertje is passionate about implementing food system solutions that synergistically benefit the local economy, environment, and society. Her career spans the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including experience in sustainability consulting, data analytics, zero waste program development, and environmental education.
Registration
This event is free for AWWEE members and up to two additional guests. Non-member registration is $20