It’s Official!  The City of St. Louis Mayor’s office presented their proclamation of Food Waste Awareness Day on November 18, 2023!

We celebrated our inaugural Food Waste Challenge at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company among many of our supporters. Angela Pearson, Special Projects Manager from the office of Mayor Tishaura Jones read the proclamation and presented it, with Elysia Musumeci to Dr. Jess Watson, earthday365 Executive Director.

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF ST. LOUIS

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, It is estimated that as much as 40 percent of the food supply in the United States goes uneaten and the St. Louis region wastes an estimated 667,000 tons of food waste yearly, representing the single largest component of disposed municipal solid waste; and

WHEREAS, Food waste disposed of in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to ozone pollution and climate change; and

WHEREAS, The natural resources used to produce food, such as energy, land, and water, also are wasted when food is thrown away; and

WHEREAS, 14% St. Louis City residents are food-insecure and, therefore, do not have a reliable source of food to support a healthy lifestyle; and

WHEREAS, The average American consumer wastes an average of approximately $1,300 worth of edible food per year; and

WHEREAS, Reducing the amount of food going to waste and diverting it from disposal mitigates climate change, conserves natural resources, feeds hungry citizens, saves money, and produces beneficial products such as soil amendment and energy. The City of St. Louis commits to developing a strategy for preventing food from going to waste, rescuing surplus food, and recycling food scraps by December 2024.

Now, therefore, I, Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor of the City of St. Louis, do hereby proclaim November 17, 2023, as:

“FOOD WASTE AWARENESS DAY”
IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the seal of the City of St. Louis, this 17th day of November, A.D. 2023.