Segment C: Solutions to Food Waste
Segment C: Solutions to Food Waste
The decomposition of organic matter is a crucial part of the flow of energy, but it requires a very specific balance of chemicals and often takes a very long time. At the Truly Living Well Farm in Atlanta, Khari Diop and his team have optimized the process to create an efficient system for the disposal and repurposing of food waste.
Science
Design, evaluate, and refine solutions to reduce human impact on the environment including, but not limited to, smog, ozone depletion, urbanization, and ocean acidification.
Explain what composting is and its role in growing garden plant, trees, and crops.
Explain the role of composting in the emission of green house gases.
Explain ways that human activities negatively impact the environment.
compost: a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land
conservation: the act of protecting Earth's natural resources for current and future generations
deforestation: the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use
desertification: the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture
emission: the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): United States federal government agency whose mission is to protect human and environmental health
equity: a country, or world, in which no single group or community faces disadvantages in dealing with environmental hazards, disasters, or pollution
food recovery: the practice of gleaning edible food that would otherwise go to waste from places such as farms, produce markets, grocery stores, restaurants, or dining facilities and distributing it to local emergency food programs
food waste: food that is fit for consumption but consciously discarded at the retail or consumption phases
genetically modified organism (GMO): an animal, plant, or microbe whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques
green revolution: great increase in production of food grains (especially wheat and rice) that resulted in large part from the introduction into developing countries of new, high-yielding varieties, beginning in the mid-20th century
landfill: a place to dispose of refuse and other waste material by burying it and covering it over with soil, especially as a method of filling in or extending usable land
microorganism: a microscopic organism, especially a bacterium, virus, or fungus
