This past Tuesday GreenFire held its annual Clean Plate Challenge, scraping the plates of Downer diners as they finished their meals in an effort to bring awareness to the issue of food waste. The nearly five hundred students who ate at Downer from 5-7 p.m. discarded eighty pounds of edible food and four gallons of beverages.
While some food waste is inevitable, there are steps we can all take to reduce that waste. When trying a new food item, take a small amount so little is thrown away if you dislike it. Also, take less than you need when you are serving yourself food and beverages. You can always go back for more, but you cannot return what you do not consume.
Reducing food waste at Downer saves money because less food needs to be purchased; the extra funds then go towards purchasing foods of higher quality, which is something everyone with tastebuds can appreciate.
If you would like to learn more about the Clean Plate Challenge, or the GreenFire environmental club in general, join us at our meetings. They are held every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in Sabin House.
Clean Plate Challenge
