If every U.S. household made this shift, we could save the energy equivalent of 13 million gallons of petroleum per year.

Did You Know…?

Each American consumes an average of 64 pounds of beef, 48 pounds of pork and 59 pounds of chicken each year.
Livestock are responsible for 18 percent of global carbon emissions

TRUTH

Throwing food waste in the trash is better than putting it down the garbage disposal

Believe it or not, it’s actually better to throw food away and have it be taken to a landfill than to turn it into puree via the kitchen sink.

Pushing food scraps into the garbage disposal does not make them disappear. It only adds to the solid waste that enters the wastewater treatment facility. This sludge not only requires additional chemicals for treatment, but when strained-out must ultimately be transported to a landfill anyway.

Unfortunately, not all sewage arrives safely at the treatment plant. Some pipes break, sending raw sewage spilling into streets, rivers, or beach areas and wreaking havoc on aquatic environments and human health and comfort.

A common cause of such spills is a buildup of fats and grease—from people pouring food waste down the drain.  In fact, grease is the most typical culprit of pipe blockages and home sewage disasters—yet another reason to go vegetarian.

Aside from kitchen grease—which may be recycled into biofuels in some regions of the country—the best option for excess food waste is a compost pile. If you don’t compost at home, check to see if your curbside greenwaste bin will accept fruit and vegetable trimmings in addition to leaves, sticks, and grass clippings.

Don’t bother buying commercial produce spray washes to clean your fruits and vegetables. Research shows that they are no more effective at cleaning your produce than cold running water and a vegetable brush. Save up to $25 or more annually if you typically buy four bottles of produce wash per year. Save the energy and resources used to manufacture, transport, and dispose of the plastic spray bottle and its chemical contents.

Shift it tip:  Make your own vegetable and fruit cleaner with vinegar and a dash of salt.

Occupation: Actor, Writer

My Shift of Habit is: I’ve gotten a lot better at recycling

If you can ask everyone in the world to shift one habit it would be: using transportation that is more fuel efficient and environmentally sensitive

Proudest Moment: I feel I could be doing much more but I guess there’s a sense of satisfaction in participating in the BP Solar Neighbors program, where I got solar panels put in my home and at the same time BP donated a solar system to a low income family in California – permanently reducing their energy bill while being more environmentally responsible.

Wildest Dream: That the solutions offered in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth are enacted by governments around the world beginning with ours

Inspiration: I think this quote from Emerson is inspiring  “The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.”

My perfect planet is: Its pretty perfect the way it is, isn’t it? I guess that’s the whole point we gotta keep it this way.

Use an electric pressure cooker instead of your stovetop or oven to cook meals.
Save up to $35 or more per year in energy costs if you use it instead of your electric range an average of three times per week. Save roughly 165 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. Pressure cookers take a fraction of the time—merely minutes—required to cook a meal on the stove or in an oven. Unlike those of a generation ago, today’s models are designed with safety in mind. And rumor has it they can cook almost anything.

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned ones. The average U.S. household of four buys about 450 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables per year (although some of this weight is the can itself and liquid the food is swimming in). If instead you purchased an equivalent amount of fresh seasonal fruits and veggies, you could save $225 per year or more. The growing, processing, packaging, and transport of canned goods consumes many times more energy than the production of fresh varieties. Additionally fresh produce tends to have better flavor and is more versatile when it comes to preparing meals. Try to buy canned products only for long-term or emergency storage.

Shift It Tip: If you can’t find fresh varieties of the produce you’re looking for, check out the freezer section. Frozen fruits and vegetables have more flavor and nutrition than canned ones.

Save up to $600 per year if all the chicken you purchase (est. 4 pounds per week) is whole instead of as boneless skinless breasts.  Reduce consumption of energy, resources and waste involved with processing, packaging, and transport.

Make new meals out of your leftovers you can save up to $520 per year or more if re-purposing leftovers can save you $10 per week on food costs. Additionally you will  reduce food waste. Just because it’s decomposable, doesn’t mean it will decompose in a landfill. Bring the Thanksgiving sensibility to the rest of your life. Some things really do taste better the next day!

Buy food packaged in bulk instead of individually wrapped single-serving packages. You can save up to per year or more. Additionally you can save the planet by keeping an estimated 500 pounds worth of packaging waste out of the landfill and conserve the resources to make that packaging and the energy used to transport it. Buying 100-calorie packs of cookies, crackers, and chips are popular ways to control portion size, but, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, they cost twice as much as family-size packages.

If you’re going to drink juice made from concentrate, buy the frozen variety and add the water yourself instead of buying a pre-diluted carton in the refrigerator section. Save up to $300 per year or more. A small frozen cardboard container produces less waste and costs less to transport than a plastic jug or wax paperboard carton.

Shift-It-Tip: If you prefer ready-to-drink juices, try to find varieties labeled “not-from-concentrate.”