We Need a Green New Deal for Farmland

The new Data For Progress memo builds on the Green New Deal resolution—a sweeping proposal to build out a carbon neutral economy, inspired by the package of Roosevelt administration social policy that lifted the United States out of the 1930s Depression and created the largest middle class in history. The Green New Deal, advocates say, would mobilize similar infrastructure and jobs programs, but with a focus on climate mitigation and resilience, and a more broadly construed focus on equity. (While the original New Deal met many goals expressed by organized labor, it failed to address racial inequality).

What Composting Looks like in South Korea

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 10: Food scraps are seen in a compost bin at The Slanted Door restaurant on December 10, 2010 in San Francisco, California. One year after the San Francisco board of supervisors passed the nation's strictest recycling law, the residents of San Francisco have composts more than any other city in the country, with a 200 percent one year jump in composting. The city has also achieved a better than expected 77 percent diversion from landfill goal that was set at 75 percent by 2010, the nation's highest for any city. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Today recycling materials are picked up for free and all other trash has a fee calculated by the size and number of bags. Today people in South Korea generate around 3 quarters of a pound of waste a day, and a family in Seoul spends about 6 dollars a month composting.

Why Detroit Is More Susceptible to CoVID-19

In addition to having an abundance of people with pre-existing health conditions, Detroit has earned itself the title of the “Poorest Big city in the nation” with 1 in 3 residents living in poverty. Despite seeing growth in salary for the last two years the number of people in poverty has not changed, and as of January Detroit’s unemployment was double the state’s average at 8.8%. In the midst of the pandemic, unemployment has skyrocketed, due to business closures and the fact than an estimated…

Recycling, Yard Waste, and Composting During the Pandemic

Of course, the recycling industry was already in an era of massive upheaval BEFORE the global pandemic. COVID-19 is just making things worse. You’ve no doubt noticed the effect that the pandemic has had on gas prices. Low oil and gas prices mean recycling makes less and less sense economically – since plastic is made from oil, cheap oil means cheap plastic. And when oil is cheap, using virgin plastic makes more economic sense than using recycled plastic.

How Much of a Difference does Compostable Packaging make?

Compostable containers still take an extremely long time to break down and often times don’t fully break down with regular compost. One of the biggest differences between compostable packaging and organic matter is that compostable packaging does not break down in your backyard compost bin the same way organic matter does. This means compostable packaging often has to be taken to industrial composting facilities, where the energy output to get these compostable containers to break down is much greater than that of regular organic matter. However

One way to reduce food waste: Use it to make soil healthier

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generates over 39 million tons of food waste yearly. Strawberries rot on the vine for lack of labor to pick them. Food spoils during transport, at the grocery store or in our homes. More is lost during processing, due to inefficiencies and lack of markets for byproducts.

Why Composting Is In The Green New Deal

The change that we as a society need seems daunting and unlikely. A lot has to happen in a very short period of time. If you’re not feeling too apathetic, you may find yourself often wondering what one person can do. The good news is that we have a way for you to dramatically reduce your environmental footprint – and there’s a good chance you’re not already doing it.