Week 7 & 8: Exploring New Paths

An update

📌 Introduction

After a two-week silence, I’m back!

I have kept myself busy these past two weeks with research, interviewing more people, and coming up with different solutions. However, it became difficult to brainstorm new ideas on how to help people start composting. So, I decided to take a step back and question my current approach.

“Why composting? Why are you so focused on composting when what you’re trying to do is help people reduce their food waste?”

As I tried to answer –or find excuses as to why composting was the way to go, another thought came to mind: aren’t there other steps we can take to make a change? That’s when I realized my aim was wrong. But for some reason, this made me excited because it meant there could be more options out there to explore.

🤓 Research & Ideas

Let’s look at what I found and the new ideas I generated based on some tips that could reduce our food waste.

1. Store Food Properly
Ethylene promotes ripening in foods and could lead to spoilage. Separating foods that produce more ethylene gas from those that don’t is key to reducing food spoilage.

2. Shop Smart

Most people tend to buy more food than they need. The idea of ‘buying by bulk,’ though convenient, leads to more food waste. To avoid falling into the same pattern, make frequent trips to the grocery store every few days, and make a point to use up all the food you purchased last time before going. But most importantly, make a list of items that you need to buy and stick to it!

💭 Final Thoughts

Even though I shifted my focus, I still chose to keep my initial ideas from last week. For next week, though, I will have to choose one and develop it further. Stay tuned for my upcoming post, where I will give you an update on my interviews!

As always, stay safe and healthy. See you next week✌🏼

Thank you for taking the time to read through my post.

To connect or share your opinion, please reach out to me via email at crussoherrera@sva.edu.