Mindful Waste

MINDFUL WASTE WAS BORN ON A WORM FARM IN THE CHICAGO SUBURBS, AND RAISED IN SCHOOL CAFETERIAS.

Jennifer, a zoologist and educator, was pursuing a masters in conservation biology when she honed in on the school cafeteria as a major source of food waste. She timed cafeteria lines and conducted waste audits to quantify the problem – and once she saw the numbers, she knew she had to act. A scientist and doer at heart, she rolled up her sleeves and got down to work.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, Renee, a writer and educator, was perplexed by the existence of two waste cans in her sons’ cafeteria. One said “recycling” in barely visible letters, but the cans were used interchangeably. Even worse, they were full of food – not just sandwich crusts, but whole apples and bananas. She began observing and sorting to determine the root cause of the problem.

Fate intervened, and Renee was assigned to cover a story about a hop and worm farm at Jennifer’s family brewery. (That’s how most people meet, right?) Fast friends and like-minded educators, they began planning ways to teach kids to value food as a resource. They knew they couldn’t stop there, though: if food waste was happening in their children’s cafeterias, it was happening everywhere. They had to work to normalize composting as a practical solution for all.

HERE’S WHAT MOTIVATES US:

Our society turns a blind eye to the food waste that’s created at every point in the food supply chain. Meanwhile, 1 in 7 Americans is food insecure, and food waste is widely acknowledged as the third largest contributor to climate change. It’s a disconnect we have to correct.

Our Mission

INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING FOOD WASTE WARRIORS

Mindful Waste inspires and empowers learners of all ages to be mindful of the waste they create, to view it as a resource, and to become agents of change in their homes and communities. We are on a mission to eliminate food waste through education, prevention and recovery.

In the United States, many of us have the luxury of being disconnected from our waste. Our system of trucking it to landfills, incinerating it and shipping it – sometimes overseas – perpetuates our belief in a mythical land called “away.” Our food is often processed and packaged in the name of convenience, sacrificing our health and compounding the waste problem.

We can’t continue down the same path; the stakes are far too high. Our health is declining and industrial farming practices are depleting our soil. We believe that the best way to break the cycle is to empower everyone to identify problems, design solutions and implement programs that work to reduce waste.

WHY DO WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN SCHOOLS?

Children are always learning. When we fail to present environmentally, economically and socially responsible methods of sorting our waste, they learn that it’s not important to be thoughtful about the waste we create. We know that’s not the case, and focusing on the issue empowers students to make changes that have a positive ripple effect throughout their families, schools and communities.

We’re here to empower the next generation of eco-literate changemakers. Equipped with knowledge of responsible waste management, sustainable food production, soil regeneration and conscious consumerism, they will restore the earth.