Eat Smart, Waste Less
Save your food from going to waste!
What is your favorite way to learn? If you said “videos!”, you are in luck. We have a list of videos and films to help you get a better understanding as to why wasted food is an important issue and how you can take action at home, at work and in your community.
The first few videos are short and snackable - 15 minutes or less. For longer documentaries, scroll down to find films perfect for a more in-depth tour of the issues. Consider these for movie nights or for screening at your workplace, with a group you belong to or your classroom.
Short videos - 15 minutes or shorter
The extraordinary life and times of a strawberry
Follow the journey of a strawberry from the farm to the refrigerator to understand all that it takes to bring your food to you.
The global food waste scandal
In this TED talk, Tristram Stuart, an expert on the environmental and social impacts of food, talks about food waste and how social norms, rigid rules governing how food ‘should look’ and improper storage contributes to a shocking amount of waste food.
How to reinvent your leftovers in 15 minutes
Watch Chef Alison pull leftovers from a fridge and reinvent them into a hearty meal in under 15 minutes. Did you catch the tips and skills she uses to make it easy to revive leftovers? 1. Store components separately. 2. Use a blender to transform ingredients. 3. Understand what the date labels mean and learn how to tell if a food item has actually 'gone bad'. 4. Sometimes you can just cut off the ugly part of an onion.
How to cut vegetables
Here is a quick tip for cutting veggies with less waste. Find more tips on the Washington County Reduce food waste at home Youtube playlist.
Food waste is the world’s dumbest problem.
See how addressing food waste at home, school and work can make significant progress on the issues of climate change, environmental degradation, and hunger.
Where do you store meat?
Join Master Recycler Veverly at the Eat Smart, Waste Less magnet board to test your food storage knowledge. Do you know the best spots in the refrigerator for different food items?
For more tips, check out the Master Recycler Youtube playlist Snackable tips on food waste, reduce, reuse, compost and recycling.
EXPIRED? Food Waste in America
A patchwork of state laws and regulations about food labeling is part of a national problem that that creates customer confusion, limits retailers’ ability to sell or donate wholesome food, and causes unnecessary food waste. This film is a collaborative effort between two programs at Harvard Law School. One aims to provide hands-on opportunities for students to learn about and improve the laws and policies shaping the food system. The other aims to test and teach media advocacy techniques in the context of real-world practice.
Long-form documentaries
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
Filmmakers and food lovers Jen and Grant dive into the issue of waste from farm to retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, they pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away.
Contact Washington County Solid Waste and Recycling if you’d like to host a movie screening.
Food Chains
The documentary takes a deep look at the lives and working conditions of American farmworkers. Particular attention is paid to the case of workers in Immokalee, Florida, one of the largest tomato-producing regions in the U.S. See how food waste not only wastes natural resources, but also the often exploited efforts of the people in the agricultural and food processing industries.
Wasted: The story of food waste
The issue of food waste is told through the experiences and stories of famous chefs. See how they make the most of every kind of food, transforming what most people consider scraps into incredible dishes that create a more secure food system.
Film is available on Kanopy, a free streaming service offered through the libray systems in Washington County, Clackamas County and Multnomah County. https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/11359824
Ten Stories About Food Waste
This documentary is made up of 10 stories or chapters to inspire sustainable cooking and eating. Hear a chef, an urban-farming pioneer and a food-tech specialist and others talk about global challenges and bite-sized solutions.