Issues > Health Main Page > All Health Documents

Green Eating Guide

Tips for making healthy food choices for you and the planet

Watch Your Waste

According to a recent study, the average American household wastes 14 percent of its food purchases. But it's not just the food that is being wasted -- all of the water and energy that went into producing, packaging and transporting the discarded food also goes to waste.

Most of this food waste ends up in landfills, where it releases methane pollution as it decomposes, further contributing to global warming.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

  • Purchase only the amount of food that you are able to consume before it expires.
  • Compost your food waste. Get tips from NRDC's OnEarth magazine.

Sign up for NRDC's online newsletter

See the latest issue >

Clean Energy Common Sense - Buy Now
Mercury Contamination

Related Stories

Simple Steps
A healthier you. A healthier home. A healthier Earth -- one step at a time.
Is Organic Food Worth It?
The short answer is yes -- get the lowdown from This Green Life.
Pet Products May Harm Both Pets and Humans
Poisons in many pet pesticide products are not safe for pets or humans.
Dispatch from Toxic Town
The people of Anniston, Alabama, talk about what it's like to live with the lead, PCBs, and chemical weapons that have made their small town terribly toxic.

Find NRDC on
YouTube