1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,899 Dining halls are great and with endless 2 00:00:01,890 --> 00:00:06,298 and endless supply it can seem 3 00:00:03,899 --> 00:00:08,340 like a bounty of delicious food you may 4 00:00:06,299 --> 00:00:09,510 be tempted to try everything but do you 5 00:00:08,340 --> 00:00:11,190 think about how much food you'll 6 00:00:09,510 --> 00:00:13,500 actually eat when putting it on your 7 00:00:11,190 --> 00:00:15,299 plate? RecyclingWorks Massachusetts 8 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:17,970 reports that the average residential 9 00:00:15,299 --> 00:00:20,550 college student creates 142 pounds of 10 00:00:17,970 --> 00:00:21,900 food waste every year. With approximately 11 00:00:20,550 --> 00:00:24,480 three thousand eight hundred fifty 12 00:00:21,900 --> 00:00:26,430 students living on the Tufts campus that 13 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,650 means that an estimated five hundred 14 00:00:26,430 --> 00:00:30,779 forty seven thousand pounds of food are 15 00:00:28,650 --> 00:00:33,059 wasted on our campus every single year 16 00:00:30,779 --> 00:00:35,610 from students alone. Where does this 17 00:00:33,059 --> 00:00:37,980 waste go? Most colleges and their dining 18 00:00:35,610 --> 00:00:40,079 halls on average throw away 22 million 19 00:00:37,980 --> 00:00:42,779 pounds of unused food according to the 20 00:00:40,079 --> 00:00:45,030 Food Recovery Network. The UN Food and 21 00:00:42,780 --> 00:00:47,579 Agriculture Organization reports that 22 00:00:45,030 --> 00:00:50,610 global food waste generates 3.3 billion 23 00:00:47,579 --> 00:00:52,739 tons of co2 emissions annually. Those 24 00:00:50,610 --> 00:00:54,629 average 22 million pounds of thrown-away 25 00:00:52,739 --> 00:00:57,059 food from college campuses end up in 26 00:00:54,629 --> 00:00:59,820 landfills or that organic matter creates 27 00:00:57,059 --> 00:01:01,709 methane. Methane and co2 are generated 28 00:00:59,820 --> 00:01:03,690 from uncontrolled anaerobic digestion 29 00:01:01,710 --> 00:01:05,090 and are the leading causes of climate 30 00:01:03,690 --> 00:01:07,770 change 31 00:01:05,090 --> 00:01:09,540 EPA's overview of greenhouse gases 32 00:01:07,770 --> 00:01:11,820 explains that methane traps up to a 33 00:01:09,540 --> 00:01:13,740 hundred times more heat than co2 does in 34 00:01:11,820 --> 00:01:16,350 the atmosphere within a span of five 35 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:18,658 years. This trapped heat from both gases 36 00:01:16,350 --> 00:01:20,669 causes climate change but that's not the 37 00:01:18,659 --> 00:01:22,409 only environmental impact that stems 38 00:01:20,670 --> 00:01:24,689 from food waste. 39 00:01:22,409 --> 00:01:26,479 Think about all the resources it takes 40 00:01:24,689 --> 00:01:29,038 to create that food at the first place. 41 00:01:26,479 --> 00:01:33,560 Imagine four quarter pound hamburgers. 42 00:01:29,039 --> 00:01:36,179 That alone equates 1847 gallons of water 43 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,659 260 square feet of land to grow the feed 44 00:01:36,179 --> 00:01:41,819 and 20 pounds of carbon dioxide released 45 00:01:38,659 --> 00:01:43,710 reported by Business Insider. Now imagine 46 00:01:41,819 --> 00:01:45,869 all of those resources going straight 47 00:01:43,710 --> 00:01:48,210 into the trash and that's just one 48 00:01:45,869 --> 00:01:51,360 carbon heavy pound of the 22 million 49 00:01:48,210 --> 00:01:53,428 generated by universities alone. Now you 50 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,679 can start to see why food waste matters. 51 00:01:53,429 --> 00:01:57,450 With compost the food gets broken down 52 00:01:55,679 --> 00:01:59,939 rather than rotting and releasing 53 00:01:57,450 --> 00:02:01,740 methane. That's why municipal composting 54 00:01:59,939 --> 00:02:05,279 programs are extremely beneficial for 55 00:02:01,740 --> 00:02:07,530 the environment. Composting is a natural 56 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,750 process in which microorganisms break 57 00:02:07,530 --> 00:02:11,790 down organic material into the essential 58 00:02:09,750 --> 00:02:15,739 component of soil called humus or 59 00:02:11,790 --> 00:02:15,739 compost this material