Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

Today, we’re answering a question from Ada, a student from Bristol, Rhode Island. 

Ada: My question is, what’s the best thing we can do at home, like small thing, to help stop climate change?

Megan Hall: Great question, Ada! We had Maya Glicksman and Fatima Husain from our Possibly Team look into this. Welcome, Maya and Fatima! 

Maya Glicksman: Hi, Megan! 

Fatima Husain: Hello! 

Megan Hall: So, if you could narrow it down to one thing, what should Ada do to fight climate change?

Fatima Husain: Well, if Ada was older, we’d probably tell her to buy an electric car, insulate her house better, fly less, or eat less meat. These would make the greatest impact on her greenhouse gas emissions. 

Maya Glicksman: But, kids usually don’t have control over those kinds of big ticket items.

Fatima Husain: So we decided to focus on something that Ada can change. 

Maya Glicksman: To help us answer this question, I spoke with Kurt Teichert, a senior lecturer in environmental studies at Brown University. His advice? Focus on wasting less water. 

Kurt Teichert: Pretty much all the water that comes through the tap has had a lot of energy and a lot of treatment done to get it to the point that it’s drinkable.

Fatima Husain: It may not seem like wasting water is related to climate change, but it is.

The process of getting that energy Kurt’s talking about produces greenhouse gases. 

Maya Glicksman: Kurt says all of our water is processed that way, even the stuff that fills the toilet!

Kurt Teichert: We just want to honor the intensity of what’s gone into getting that water to us, and we want to be responsible with it.

Maya Glicksman: And when we do things like take a shower, for example, that water just ends up going right back down the drain and needs to be cleaned again. And this happens over and over…

Megan Hall: So, how much energy does it take to clean our water? 

Maya Glicksman: It’s hard to pin down those numbers, but a report from about 10 years ago estimated that treating and transporting our water uses about three to four percent of our nation’s electricity.  

Fatima Husain: Since then, many experts have said that the real numbers are probably even higher. 

Maya Glicksman: And to go even further, think about the energy it takes to heat the water you use for things like long, hot showers

Fatima Husain: So really, if Ada wants to cut down on her energy use, she can take shorter showers. She’ll still be clean, I promise!  

Megan Hall: How short should these showers be?

Maya Glicksman: Well, Kurt suggested we aim for under 5 minutes. And to do that, you can choose a song you love and bring it with you to the bathroom.  

Kurt Teichert: sing along as you’re taking your shower right enjoy it, but then when the song is over, you know, it’s time to get out of there. 

Megan Hall: That’s awesome! What song would you pick? 

Maya Glicksman: I’d have to go with “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind and Fire!

Fatima Husain: To go with our theme… probably “One Step at a Time” by Jordin Sparks! 

Megan Hall: Nice choices! But what about baths? I’m assuming those use WAY more water. Should Ada skip them altogether?

Fatima Husain: It actually depends. In general, baths are big water hogs. But, a shower that’s longer than 15 or 20 minutes can actually use more water than a bath. 

Megan Hall: Got it! Thanks, Maya and Fatima!

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio. 

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Q: How can we reduce food waste in the quarantine?

A: Try stocking up on foods with longer shelf lives like winter squashes, onions, root vegetables, potatoes, and yams. Make sure you use them up before they expire by getting creative in the kitchen – consider making stock out of old veggie scraps, or breadcrumbs from stale bread. And last but not least – remember to think of farmers during this time, and consider supporting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program to reduce waste, help farmers out, and get delicious veggies delivered to you!

Maya Glicksman and Marie Lachance from our Possibly team looked into this question.

Maya Glicksman: Hi!

Marie Lachance: Hey, Megan!

Megan Hall: So, Maya, let’s start with some background— why should we worry about food waste?

Maya Glicksman: Well, Marie and I aren’t experts on this topic, so we talked to someone who could help us! 

Jessica Berry: My name is Jessica Berry. I’m the director of the Office of Sustainability at Brown University. 

Maya Glicksman: Before Brown sent all of its students home, Jessica spent a lot of time thinking about how to prevent food waste on campus. 

Marie Lachance: She says that every stage of the food production process causes greenhouse gas emissions.

Maya Glicksman: From preparing farmland, to packaging produce with paper or plastics, to transporting it all across the country… really a lot of energy goes into the foods we buy.

Jessica Berry: and then somebody buys it and then they go home and they throw it away.

Megan Hall: How often does food we intend to eat get thrown away? 

Marie Lachance: Well, the United Nations estimates that almost a third of all food that’s made for humans is either lost or wasted.

Megan Hall: So now that we are trying to stay home and limit our trips to the grocery store, how do we make sure that the food in our homes lasts as long as possible and doesn’t go to waste? 

Maya Glicksman: Well, first Jessica gave us some advice on the types of vegetables we should be buying. 

Jessica: Winter squashes, onions, root vegetables, potatoes, yams, things like that … they last a really long time. 

Maya Glicksman: Those kinds of veggies are great to keep in the house for longer periods between grocery runs. 

Marie Lachance: Jessica also shared her trick for making sure food get eaten before it’s too late:

Jessica: every day I go to the refrigerator, and I look what I have, and I say, “Okay, what looks like it’s going to go bad,” It really takes practice to figure out when’s the last kind of responsible moment you can eat a food [haha]

Maya Glicksman: It doesn’t always work out perfectly – but there are plenty of ways to get creative in the kitchen. You can save veggie scraps like the ends of carrots and onions to make stock, or turn stale bread into breadcrumbs. And, of course, there’s always freezing foods for later.

Jessica Berry: Really the freezer is your friend. A lot of fruits can be frozen, and soups are really great. 

Megan Hall: Did Jessica have any other food tips for this pandemic?

Marie Lachance: Actually, yes. Jessica says farmers are being hit particularly hard right now, and the most important thing we can do is support them. 

Jessica Berry: If you can do one thing, it’s to invest in a CSA and / or farmers markets 

Marie Lachance: CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It’s sort of like a subscription box for produce. You pay a farmer in advance for a regular delivery of fresh vegetables, or other local foods.

Maya Glicksman: CSAs don’t necessarily prevent food waste, but they do help farmers out financially. Also, there’s very little packaging involved, and because the food is local, it can be delivered without emitting as many greenhouse gases.

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Maya and Marie! And thanks to Fatima Husain who also helped with today’s episode.  

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