In times as polarized as these, I take some comfort in the fact that I’ve never met someone who is “pro-food waste.” This should give all of us some optimism, because according to the experts at Project Drawdown, reducing food waste is one of the most important ways to address climate change. When food ends up in the landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times as potent as CO2. But experts estimate that if we can reduce food waste by 50–75% by 2050, we can reduce our carbon emissions by 10 to 18 gigatons.
At Imperfect Foods, we’ve seen firsthand that individual action can make a big difference, but we also know that individual action alone cannot solve food waste or climate change. Our government also plays a significant role in addressing these big, interconnected problems. Engaging in the democratic process is key to furthering the issues you care about.
To help encourage voting during this U.S. election (and future elections), we’re giving all Imperfect Foods employees the option to take paid time off to vote and volunteer as poll workers on Election Day. We’ve provided educational resources to all of our employees on voter registration, what their voting options are, and how they can get involved as a poll worker. Our operations team also worked together to organize donations of hand sanitizer to polling stations across the country as one action to make sure voters are safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Steps like these matter because I believe that the greatest good our company can do is to advocate for turning our country into a better, more sustainable version of itself.
Our history as a company and as a country clearly shows that addressing big issues is never a quick or easy process. Change requires hard and collaborative work. We keep at it not because things will improve overnight, but because over years we can together save an amazing amount of food from going to waste, creating positive ripple effects on our communities and the environment. Please join us, cast your vote, and make your voice heard. That’s the power of democracy.
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