🚮 Think about what you’re wasting

It may not seem like much but every time the spinach in the bottom of your fridge gets mouldy or you throw out some old leftovers you’re adding emissions into the atmosphere. Every Australian produces around 312kg of food waste every year. This adds up to as much as 10% of Australia’s carbon emissions.

This doesn’t just put carbon into the atmosphere, it costs every household an estimate of $2500 and wastes the resources and water it takes to grow this food. As a country we grow enough food to feed everyone three times over. By thinking about what you buy or eating seasonal local produce you can limit your emissions and save money.

🐛 Turning waste into black gold

This food waste can easily become something many farmers call “black gold” – compost. By combining green materials, like kitchen scraps and coffee grounds, with brown materials like cardboard boxes or shredded paper, you can compost at home. This is a great way to reduce emissions and help keep your garden lush as these scraps are full of nutrients needed by plants to grow. Check out Gardening Australia’s 101 guide if you’re unsure where to get started.

You can also check if your council accepts food waste in your green bin, as many are now turning this waste into compost to be used in your local area. By keeping a small bin in your kitchen, you can easily collect these kitchen scraps and make sure they go to the right bin. Many councils have these available for free. This can be an easy way to reduce your emissions, especially if you’re short on space.

🪴 Growing your own food

Often our food can travel halfway around the world before it ends up on our supermarket shelves. Everything adds up and the impact of food miles being 6% of global emissions with most of what’s shipped being fruit and vegetables. Along with the methane emissions from burping cows and livestock (a gas 28 times more potent than CO2), every meal can have massive impacts on our atmosphere.

The easiest way to reduce the footprint of what you eat is to include more locally grown fruit and vegetables into your diet. What’s more local than your own backyard?

Growing your own food can be intimidating but reaching out to community gardens and seed banks can be a cost-effective way to get started. This is a great way to learn what species do well near you and what seasons are best for different produce. Some species, like tomatoes and basil, grow better when planted together so community gardens can also be a great place to learn about companion planting and permaculture from local green thumbs. Fruit trees often produce much more than needed for one home, so you can arrange for fruit swaps with friends or add extra produce on FallingFruit.Org.

Not only does this cut your emissions but it also tastes great and saves you money in the long run, especially if you’re able to make your own compost, which will limit the number of additives and fertilizers you need to use in your garden. 

If you don’t have the time to grow your own, buying in season locally grown produce can end up cheaper and support Aussie farmers. Check out if there are farmers markets near you to support farmers in your local area and find out what’s in season. What’s better than farm to table?

🌿 Try native alternatives

Australia has more than 6000 edible native plants. But only 50 are commonly used by westerners. If your gardens are thirsting through recent dry months, you can try a native alternative. Many species have been used for food and medicine by Traditional Owners for tens of thousands of years.  Often these are more suited to local conditions and can be a choice for time poor gardeners as they’re adapted to your local climate and soil. They even have an added bonus of supporting local wildlife and biodiversity.

Saltbush or pepper berry can be a wonderful addition to most dishes. Native raspberries can often grow better than their European counterparts and Bower Spinach or Warrigal Greens are a hearty alternative to European spinach packed full of Vitamin C. Kalkani Choolburra has some tips to get you started with a native garden here. Ceres Calso also has some guides on native edibles on Wurundjeri Country.