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Food Waste: The Impacts, and Ways to Reduce It
Sustainable management of food is a systematic approach that seeks to reduce wasted food and its associated impacts over the entire life cycle, starting with the use of natural resources, manufacturing, sales, and consumption, and ending with decisions on recovery or final disposal. Sustainable management of food can save money, help those in our communities who do not have enough to eat, and conserve resources for future generations. Building on the familiar concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” this approach shifts the view on environmental protection and more fully recognizes the impacts of the food we waste. “Most people don’t realize how much food they throw away every day — from…
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Aging Water Infrastructure and Impacts to Vulnerable Communities
Infrastructure has been in the news a lot over the last couple of years, and not for positive reasons. Across the U.S., roads, bridges, pipelines, and other public infrastructure are in need of replacement and repair. Water infrastructure — our pipes, mains, valves, pumps, treatment facilities, and reservoirs — is also aging. Many of our water systems were built in the 1900s (or earlier!) and are reaching the end of their designed life. Part of the problem is that the initial cost for a lot of water infrastructure was paid for in large part by the federal government in the form of direct investment, low-interest loans, or grants. Today, those…
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Ways to Mitigate Water Scarcity
More than two-thirds of our planet is covered with water, but only a tiny percentage (less than 0.0003%) of that is fresh and available for humans to use. This tiny amount of fresh water is under increasing pressure, not just because of the rising human population and demand, but also because humans have not always been good stewards of water. Water scarcity and water pollution are growing problems across the world. In fact, the UN estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living under “absolute water scarcity” even though there is enough fresh water on the planet for everyone if we manage it sustainably. Below are some ways…
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An Open Letter to President Trump from Mormon Women for Ethical Government
Dear Mr. President, We welcome you to our beautiful state. You probably do not know much about Mormons, so let us take a minute to introduce ourselves to you. First and foremost, we are followers of Jesus Christ, and we take seriously and literally his commandment to care for the poor, the sick, the needy, the children, and the widows. We are peacemakers. We believe in kindness and charity, in decency and compassion, in light and goodness. We believe in truth, and know that God can help us distinguish truth from fiction. We believe that we are all God’s children–every single one of us, regardless of skin color, creed, nationality,…
