An estimated 312 million pounds of food will be wasted this Thanksgiving. In this week’s episode, host Sarah Backer is joined by ELI Senior Attorney Linda Breggin and Research Associate Elly Beckerman to discuss the food waste problem and some easy solutions for this holiday season—and throughout the year. Linda is the co-director of ELI’s Food Waste Initiative which conducts research and works with stakeholders to prevent food waste, increase surplus food donation, and recycle the remaining food scraps. Elly joins to discuss her personal experiences as a home cook invested in reducing food waste over the holidays.  

Relevant Resources: 

National Museum of the American Indian, Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving

Smithsonian Magazine, Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective

NRDC, Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill  

ReFED, Americans Will Waste Nearly 312 Million Pounds of Food This Thanksgiving  

EPA, From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste