Food Waste Summit

Community, nonprofit, government, and business leaders will join forces on October 6^th from noon to 5 P.M. at Jacobs Center for the first ever Food Waste Solution Summit held by the San Diego Food System Alliance.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 percent of food is thrown away somewhere between farm to fork, equating to a $165 billion loss each year for the US in resources including energy, land and water. In San Diego County, almost 500,000 tons of food waste is landfilled annually, where it decomposes and creates methane.  According to the EPA, methane’s impact on climate change is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that 25 percent of the manmade global warming we’re experience today is caused by methane emissions.

In addition to the economic and environmental impacts of wasted food, there are societal impacts.  One in six San Diegans, or about 500,000 people annually, don’t know where their next meal is coming from.  This food system challenge also provides a unique opportunity. “It would only take about 10 percent of the half a million tons of food going into landfill each year to support the half a million food insecure individuals in San Diego County,” says Elly Brown, Facilitator of the San Diego Food System Alliance.
 
“This summit is an important start to convening leaders from different sectors to collectively address the issue of food waste and hunger in our county. Food waste impacts everyone. We are encouraging not only organizational leaders but also community members to participate and be a part of the solution,” says Brown.
Speakers at the Summit include:

• Rick Nahmias, Founder & Executive Director, Food Forward
• Dr. Dean Sidelinger, County of San Diego Child Health Medical Officer
• Chuck Samuelson, Founder, Kitchens for Good
• Michael Wonsidler, Recycling Program Coordinator, County of San Diego
• Sarah Boltwala-Mesina, Founder & Executive Director, Inika Small Earth
• Ana Carvalho, Environmental Specialist, City of San Diego
• Chuck Voelker, VP Sales & Operations, San Pasqual Valley Soils, Inc