Currently there are no federal laws or regulations in the U.S. specifically aimed at getting fast food chains to reduce, reuse or recycle their waste. Businesses of all kinds must always obey local laws pertaining to what must be recycled versus what can be discarded. And a small number of cities and towns have local laws specifically designed to force businesses to do the right thing, but they are few and far between.
Voluntary Fast Food Waste Reduction Makes Headlines
There have been some strides in the fast food business with regard to packaging materials and waste reduction, but it has all been voluntary and usually under pressure from green groups. McDonald’s made headlines back in 1989 when, at the urging of environmentalists, it switched its hamburger packaging from non-recyclable Styrofoam to recyclable paper wraps and cardboard boxes. The company also replaced its bleached paper carryout bags with unbleached bags and made other green-friendly packaging advances.
Some Fast Food Chains Offer Vague Policies on Waste Reduction
Both McDonald’s and PepsiCo (owner of KFC and Taco Bell) have crafted internal policies to address environmental concerns. PepsiCo states that it encourages “conservation of natural resources, recycling, source reduction and pollution control to ensure cleaner air and water and to reduce landfill wastes,” but does not elaborate on specific actions it takes. McDonald’s makes similar general statements and claims to be “actively pursuing the conversion of used cooking oil into biofuels for transportation vehicles, heating, and other purposes,” and pursuing various in-store paper, cardboard, delivery container and pallet recycling programs in Australia, Sweden, Japan and Britain. In Canada the company claims to be the “largest user of recycled paper in our industry” for trays, boxes, carry out bags and drink holders.
Fast Food Recycling Programs Can Reduce Waste and Save Money
Some smaller fast food chains have garnered accolades for their recycling efforts. Arizona-based eegee’s, for instance, earned an Administrator’s Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for recycling all paper, cardboard and polystyrene across its 21-store chain. Besides the positive attention it has generated, the company’s recycling effort also saves it money in garbage disposal fees every month.
A Few Communities Require Fast Food Waste Recycling
Despite such efforts, though, the fast food industry is still a large generator of waste. Some communities are responding by passing local regulations requiring recycling where applicable. Seattle, Washington, for example, passed an ordinance in 2005 prohibiting businesses (all businesses, not just restaurants) from disposing of recyclable paper or cardboard, though violators only pay a nominal $50 fine.
Taiwan Takes a Hard Line on Fast Food Waste
Perhaps policymakers in the U.S. and elsewhere could take a lead from Taiwan, which since 2004 has required its 600 fast-food restaurants, including McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC, to maintain facilities for proper disposal of recyclables by customers. Diners are obliged to deposit their garbage in four separate containers for leftover food, recyclable paper, regular waste and liquids.
“Customers only have to spend under a minute to finish the trash-classification assignment,” said environmental protection administrator Hau Lung-bin in announcing the program. Restaurants that don’t comply face fines of up to $8,700 (U.S.).
source - http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/fast_food_waste.htm
Progress is Slow on Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Fast Food Waste Some fast food chains cut waste voluntarily, but tougher regulation is needed
By Larry West, About.com
Dear EarthTalk: What are the fast-food chains doing to cut back on--or at least recycle--the huge amount of paper, plastic and foam they use daily? Are there any laws or regulations to force them to be good environmental citizens?
-- Carol Endres, Stroud Township, PA
EATING MATTERS
FOLLOW THESE WISE EATING TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR DIET' CARBON
FOOTPRINT - AND ENJOY HEALTHIER, FRESHER FOODS .
The average American diet is energy intensive—our food requires huge amounts of fossil fuels to cultivate, package, market and distribute. By making a few smart food choices every day, you can save tons of fuel and other resources—and you’ll also be eating healthier and fresher foods.
1. EAT LOCAL. Shipping food from other regions or countries demands energy and fossil fuels. Refrigerated transportation requires even more. A typical meal travels an average of 1,500 miles to reach your plate.
Visit your local farmer’s market. Local choices will drastically reduce the amount of fossil fuels used for shipping, plus you’ll help create a demand for diversity within the neighboring farming communities.
2. LOOK FOR GRASS-FED, NATURAL AND ORGANIC MEATS AND DAIRY. Large-scale, conventional factory farms use immense quantities of water, grain and fuel. The United Nations estimates that livestock activities contribute 18 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions—more than transportation. The waste from livestock operations also contributes to air and water pollution. Dairy cows in conventional factory farms are sometimes given genetically engineered growth hormones to increase milk production. These drugs are persistent in the environment, and their long-term effects on humans are largely unknown.
Many reputable organic meat and dairy companies raise animals without antibiotics and hormones and with higher standards of responsibility toward the animals, the environment and human health. Cattle that graze produce less methane gas than their factory farm counterparts because cows can digest grass more easily than corn. And eating meats with fewer additives will reduce their accumulation in our own bodies.
3. INCLUDE MORE PLANT-BASED PROTEINS IN YOUR DIET. Americans are eating substantially more meat than they did 50 years ago, largely because factory farms have expedited meat production, making meat less expensive and more readily available. But so much meat in our diets isn’t necessary and may not be healthy. Beans, nuts, quinoa and sprouts are all great plant-based protein sources that are delicious, nutritious and eco-friendly. Eaten in combination, beans and grains supply complete proteins.
4. BUY ORGANIC. When possible, buy certified organic foods or those from farms where practices include crop rotation, natural pest control, and soil and water conservation. Organic foods are also produced without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), chemical pesticides or petroleum-based fertilizers.
5. CHOOSE FOODS FROM THE EARTH. Packaged food requires more energy to make than foods that go straight from the farm stand or grocer to the kitchen. Factory processing and transportation of packaged items requires fuel. The containers—especially those made from plastic—require even more petroleum.
Eat fresh from the farm or produce section whenever possible. When you do buy packaged or processed food, look for minimal packaging made with biodegradable or recycled materials, and soy-based inks. Also look for packaged foods with short ingredient lists and ingredient names you recognize.
6. DRINK TAP WATER. Americans spent nearly $11 billion on more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water in 2006, then tossed more than 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash, according to The Green Guide (www.TheGreenGuide.com). In bottle production alone, the more than 70 million bottles of water consumed each day in the United States drain 1.5 million barrels of oil over the course of one year.Take advantage of readily available tap water with a reusable stainless steel bottle. You’ll save precious natural resources (and avoid possible leaching toxins) by using less plastic, and you will also save a significant amount of money—bottled water costs about 4,000 times more than tap, according to a report by The Sierra Club (www.SierraClub.org).
Plus, bottled water quality is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which has weaker regulations than the Environmental Protection Agency tap water regulations, the report says.
7. GROW YOUR OWN. By growing what you eat—and giving some away to friends—you will reduce your carbon footprint and may even develop a new appreciation for the produce that grows seasonally. Get your community and family involved, too!
8. EAT MORE WHOLE GRAINS. Try brown rice or quinoa—or switch to unbleached wheat flour in your next recipe. Refined sugars and flour require more processing—read more energy used and less nutrients retained. Most whole grains are loaded with nutrients.
9. MAKE DESSERT NATURALLY SWEET. Each person consumes the equivalent of 1 bushel, or 56 pounds, of corn a year. Because corn is used as livestock feed, as an inexpensive sweetener, and as an ingredient in many processed foods, you might be unaware of the amount of corn you actually eat. Processed foods produced from corn require a lot of fossil fuels to create. Try honey, molasses or fruit juices in recipes, and look for pure cane sugar in sodas and bakery goods.
10. EAT LEFTOVERS. Restaurant portion sizes are usually huge, so don’t forget to bring leftovers home (ask for paper or foil rather than foam, or bring your own reusable containers). Cooking extra meals and storing them for later makes sense, too. Not only do these tactics save food and energy, they save money and time.
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/2008-07/Conscious-Kitchen-Eating-Matters.aspx
The Slow Food movement
Slow Food
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Slow Food movement was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy to combat fast food. It claims to preserve the cultural cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within an ecoregion. It was the first established part of the broader Slow movement. The movement has since expanded globally to over 83,000 members in 122 countries.
Slow Food organization
Slow Food began in Italy with the foundation of its forerunner organization, Arcigola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonalds near the Spanish steps in Rome.[1] The Slow Food organization spawned by the movement has expanded to include over 83,000 members with chapters in over 122 countries. All totaled, 800 local convivia chapters exist. 360 convivia in Italy — to which the name condotta (singular) / condotte (plural) applies — are composed of 35,000 members, along with 450 other regional chapters around the world. The organizational structure is decentralized: each convivium has a leader who is responsible for promoting local artisans, local farmers, and local flavors through regional events such as Taste Workshops, wine tastings, and farmers' markets.
Offices have been opened in Switzerland (1995), Germany (1998), New York City (2000), France (2003), Japan (2005), and most recently in the United Kingdom. The head offices are located in Bra, near the famous city of Turin, northern Italy. Numerous publications are put out by the organization, in several languages. In the US, the Snail is the quarterly of choice, while Slow Food puts out literature in several other European nations. Recent efforts at publicity include the world's largest food and wine fair, the Salone del Gusto in Turin , a biennial cheese fair in Bra called Cheese, the Genoan fish festival called SlowFish, and Turin's Terra Madre ("Mother Earth") world meeting of food communities.
In 2004 Slow Food opened a University of Gastronomic Sciences[2] at Pollenzo, in Piedmont, and Colorno, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Carlo Petrini and Massimo Montanari are the leading figures in the creation of the University, whose goal is to promote awareness of good food and nutrition.
Objectives
The Slow Food movement incorporates a series of objectives within its mission, including:
* forming and sustaining seed banks to preserve heirloom varieties in cooperation with local food systems
* developing an "Ark of Taste" for each ecoregion, where local culinary traditions and foods are celebrated
* preserving and promoting local and traditional food products, along with their lore and preparation
* organizing small-scale processing (including facilities for slaughtering and short run products)
* organizing celebrations of local cuisine within regions (for example, the Feast of Fields held in some cities in Canada)
* promoting "taste education"
* educating consumers about the risks of fast food
* educating citizens about the drawbacks of commercial agribusiness and factory farms
* educating citizens about the risks of monoculture and reliance on too few genomes or varieties
* developing various political programs to preserve family farms
* lobbying for the inclusion of organic farming concerns within agricultural policy
* lobbying against government funding of genetic engineering
* lobbying against the use of pesticides
* teaching gardening skills to students and prisoners
* encouraging ethical buying in local marketplaces
From time to time, Slow Food intervenes directly in market transactions; for example, Slow Food was able to preserve four varieties of native American turkey by ordering 4,000 of their eggs and commissioning their raising and slaughtering and delivery to market[citation needed]}.
Impact
It is difficult to gauge the extent of the success of the Slow Food movement, considering that the organization itself is still very young. The current grassroots nature of Slow Food is such that few people in Europe and especially the United States are aware of it.
Statistics show that Europe, and Germany in particular, is a much bigger consumer of organics than the US.[3] Slow Food has contributed to the growing awareness of health concerns in Europe, as evidenced by this fact, but on society as a whole, Slow Food has had little effect. An example of this is the fact that tourists visit Slow Food restaurants more than locals, but Slow Food and its sister movements are still young. In an effort to spread the ideals of anti-fast food, Slow Food has targeted the youth of the nations in primary and secondary schools. Volunteers help build structural frameworks for school gardens and put on workshops to introduce the new generation to the art of farming.
Slow Food USA
Victory Garden at San Francisco Civic Center Plaza
As of 2008[update], Slow Food USA has a membership of roughly 16,000. Notable members include, Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan.
In 2008 Slow Food USA hosted its largest gathering to date when 50,000 people descended on San Francisco for the inaugural Slow Food Nation. Founded by Alice Waters it was the largest celebration of American food in history.[4]
Slow Food at Boston University was started in the fall semester of 2007.
resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food
Stop thinking, start doing!
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