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We waste approximately 35% of our food supply in the US every year. When all of that food goes to the landfill, it decomposes and releases harmful greenhouse gases, totaling 20% of our methane emissions. If we’re serious about fighting climate change, we need to act now. Are you ready to make a change?
The 2021 Food Waste Fair brought together policymakers, innovators, thought leaders, and community members to end food waste. Explore this year’s programs and learn how you can join the fight against food waste in your community.
Schedule
8:45am – 11am
NYC Compost Project Hosted at Earth Matter NY: Compost Site Tour
Tour Earth Matter NY’s Compost Learning Center and learn about the Zero Waste Island Initiative. We will be in the midst of processing our weekly 15,000 lbs+ of NYC residential food scraps that are dropped off at GrowNYC farmers’ markets, along with Governors Island organics, generated by island visitors and vendors and blending these organics with the Island's horticultural materials such as leaves, twigs, and weeds.
Sold out!
12pm – 1pm
Food Waste Policy Action: Setting & Reaching National Targets on Food Waste
Food waste is a global issue, and it can be hard to know how and where to measure our progress. Learn about how national organizations, policymakers, and businesses are setting aggressive targets on food waste reduction and targeting policy change to achieve them.
Emily Broad Leib (Harvard Law School, Food Law and Policy Clinic)
Dana Gunders (ReFED)
Yvette Cabrera (NRDC)
Priyanka Malhotra (Unilever Hellman's Best Foods)
Claudia Fabiano (USA EPA)
3pm – 4pm
Upcycling: Food Waste as Opportunity for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Food waste reduction isn’t just about throwing away fewer scraps – it’s about changing the way we think about waste. Learn all about upcycled food and meet the entrepreneurs who are adding value while giving otherwise wasted materials a second life.
Turner Wyatt (Upcycled Food Association)
Julie Raskin (Sanitation Foundation)
Fumi Tsukamoto (Abokichi)
Ricardo Dias (Verum Ingredients)
Beth Kennedy (SECONDS)
Chris Oates (WAJU)
4:45pm – 5:15pm
DonateNYC & Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Host UES Food Rescue
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine in partnership with DonateNYC is excited to host a food rescue in the Upper East Side. Sign up on Eventbrite to pick up rescued food to transport to a local community organization in need. Enter through the main entrance and ask the staff member about the rescue.
Sold out!
8:15am – 12pm
DonateNYC Hosts City Harvest Volunteer Day
Through our Mobile Markets, City Harvest delivers fresh fruits and vegetables, free of charge, to thousands of New Yorkers each month. Community members gather in farmers’ market settings, where they receive fresh produce and non-perishable items.
12pm – 12:30pm
Fireside Chat: DonateNYC and NYC Hospitality Alliance
Join us on the @donateNYC Instagram page to learn more about the DSNY Food Portal and hear donateNYC's Senior Manager, Alissa Westervelt, chat with the NYC Hospitality Alliance's Andrew Rigie about the role restaurants can play in fighting food waste.
1pm – 1:30pm
A Voice for Zero Waste Premiere
Join us on the @SanitationFoundation Instagram page to hear about the launch of Dianna Rose's new "A Voice for Zero Waste" series. Dianna will premiere a teaser for new series, featuring a conversation with Gotham Greens, followed by a Q & A with Executive Director Julie Raskin.
2pm – 3pm
Stronger Together: Cities Leading the Fight Against Food Waste
Food waste is not a problem unique to New Yorkers. Across the country, cities and states are piloting programs to help their residents combat food waste, from new policies and legislation to innovative public-private partnerships. Hear from the municipal leaders across the U.S. taking on food waste in their own communities.
Bridget Anderson (DSNY)
Natasha Dyer (City of Atlanta)
Erin Hafner (City of Baltimore)
Alexa Kielty (SF Department of Environment)
Bryan Johnson (City of Madison)
4pm – 5pm
Scaling & Sustaining Food Waste Solutions: Planning for Beyond the Pandemic
For generations, grassroots efforts have helped keep New Yorkers fed. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the many mutual aid networks and community members stepping up to provide solutions to waste and hunger. As we begin to reach the light at the end of the tunnel, how can we sustain and scale up these solutions for a post-pandemic world?
Raj Borsellino (Robin Hood Foundation)
Desmon Lewis (Bronx Community Foundation)
Matt Jozwiak (Rethink Food)
Ben Collier (The Farmlink Project)
10am – 11am
NYC Department of Environmental Protection Virtual Tour of Newtown Creek
Join Alicia West, the Department of Environmental Protection's Director of Public Design Outreach, on an architecturally focused virtual tour of New York City's largest wastewater facility, Newtown Creek, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Following the virtual tour, Jennifer McDonnell will lead a live Q&A with the audience.
11am – 12pm
Food Futures: Creating a Waste-Free Restaurant Culture
After a devastating year, New York City’s restaurants are beginning to bounce back stronger and more creatively than ever. Learn about how chefs and restaurateurs are saving money and helping their City by building food waste solutions into their operations. And find out what we as diners can do to help create a waste-free restaurant culture in NYC.
Bao Ong (Eater)
JJ Johnson (FIELDTRIP)
Naama Tamir (Lighthouse BK)
Claire Sprouse (Hunky Dory)
Halley Chambers (The Oberon Group)
3pm – 4pm
Black Gold: Transforming Food Scraps into Profit
Compost isn’t just good for the planet -- it’s good for business. Learn from fellow business owners about how you can turn your waste stream into a revenue stream through composting and other operational changes.
Susan Thoman (Compost Manufacturing Alliance)
Ceci Pineda (BK ROT)
Sashti Balasundaram (WeRadiate)
Brian Fluery (WeCare Denali)
Rhonda Sherman (North Carolina State University)
6pm – 7pm
Now You're Cooking: Tips for Making the Most of Your Meals
Reducing food waste means saving hard-earned money, honoring culinary traditions, and helping the environment! Join us as we discuss everything from food labels & expiration dates to breathing new life into leftovers. Come learn chef-approved strategies for prepping, shopping, and making the most of your groceries by getting creative in the kitchen. This workshop will consist of a prerecorded video, followed by a live Q&A with our chef.
Yadira Garcia, Happy Healthy Latina
6pm – 8pm
Creative Ways to Compost Pt.II
We're covering the entire spectrum of composting in NYC—from homegrown solutions to microhaulers, to commercial organics services. And for those of you that have been composting for years and want to know how to take it to the next level, we'll be talking about advocacy and how to engage your community in one of the easiest (yet biggest) ways to lower your impact on the planet.
10am – 11am
Farm to Fork: Farming, Food Waste, and Eating Sustainably
Much labor, energy, and love go into producing the food we eat. Respecting growing practices is crucial for the caretaking of the environment and the future of our food. This panel will highlight what individuals are doing to reduce waste at large and small farms.
Garrett Broad (Fordham University)
Riyana Razalee (Re-Nuble)
Nicole Baum (Gotham Greens)
Rhys Williams (The Good Acre)
11am – 1pm
NYC Compost Project Hosted at LES Ecology Center: Compost Site Tour
As part of the NYC Food Waste Fair, the NYC Compost Project hosted by the Lower East Side Ecology Center will be opening their compost site for a public tour. Join the tour to learn how they turn your banana peels into nutrient-rich compost.
Sold out!
3pm – 4pm
Food as Medicine: Prescribing Imperfect Food to Fight Hunger & Illness
We’ve all heard the saying “food as medicine” but for chronically ill food and food insecure patients, that concept presents a host of challenges. Everything Food is tackling that problem with FoodFarmacy, a code matching software that identifies funding resources for health care professionals setting treatment plans for their chronically ill or food insecure patients.
Vitus Spehar (Everything Food)
Madeline Rotman (Imperfect Foods)
Clare Fox (Everytable)
9am – 10am
Connecting the Dots: Fighting Food Waste by Feeding More People
When COVID-19 hit NYC, government officials and restaurant owners alike suddenly had to deal with the dual problems of rising hunger and mounting food waste. Through strategic coordination and redistribution efforts, the City and its nonprofits have worked together tirelessly to divert food waste towards feeding people throughout the pandemic.
Senator Jessica Ramos (New York State Senate)
Kate MacKenzie (NYC Mayor's Office of Food Policy)
Racine Droz (City Harvest)
Rick Whitted (U.S. Hunger)
9am – 9:30am
DonateNYC & Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Host Williamsburg Food Rescue
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine in partnership with DonateNYC is excited to host a food rescue in Williamsburg. Sign up on Eventbrite to pick up rescued food to transport to a local community organization in need. Enter through the main entrance and ask the staff member about the rescue.
Sold out!
11am – 12pm
Keynote: Mi Keong Lim, Seoul Korea
Join us for our kick-off keynote with Mi Keong Lim, Director of the Living Environment Division of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, Seoul Metropolitan Government.
12pm – 1pm
Beyond Scraps: Strategies for Reducing Food-Related Plastics & Packaging
From grower to distributor to your local supermarket, waste associated with food production is generated all along the supply chain but is often overlooked. The plastics from packaging, single-use utensils, and shipping waste add up, so if we aim to eradicate food waste, we need to think beyond the plate and reduce packaging waste.
Allison Shapiro (Closed Loop Partners)
Anna Steffens (Apeel)
Adam Farbiarz (DeliverZero)
Sandra Noonan (Just Salad)
Dr. Claire Sand (Packaging Technology and Research)
3:30pm – 4pm
DonateNYC & Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Host FiDi Food Rescue
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine in partnership with DonateNYC is excited to host a food rescue in FiDi. Sign up on Eventbrite to pick up rescued food to transport to a local community organization in need. When at security, government issued ID is required.
Sold out!
9am – 9:30am
DonateNYC & Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Host Williamsburg Food Rescue
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine in partnership with DonateNYC is excited to host a food rescue in Williamsburg. Sign up on Eventbrite to pick up rescued food to transport to a local community organization in need. Enter through the main entrance and ask the staff member about the rescue.
Sold out!
11am – 12pm
Compost for Kids! Hosted by NYC Compost Project at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Learn how you can make compost by feeding your food scraps to worms! This in-person, outdoor workshop will walk families through how they can build their own "worm bins" at home. Space is limited to 10 participants to ensure COVID-19 safety protocols are met.
Past Programming
2021
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