food rescue apps
Credit: Focal Foto/Flickr

How to save money and fight food waste

A new generation of apps is rescuing perfectly good food from landfills, making it available at a fraction of the retail price at restaurants and grocery stores.

Michael J. Coren reports for The Washington Post.


In short:

  • Food waste apps like Flashfood and Too Good To Go connect users to surplus food from grocery stores and restaurants.
  • These apps help reduce the 2.5 million tons of food waste retailers discard annually, benefiting both the environment and consumers.
  • By purchasing discounted surplus food, users can save money and access healthier food options.

Key quote:

“It feels like they are spreading like wildfire. I love the model because at least some of the food would literally have been thrown out a day later. It really is saving it from the garbage.”

— Dana Gunders, ReFED

Why this matters:

These digital do-gooders save money and so much more. Reducing food waste can cut global CO2 emissions and provide affordable, nutritious food options, particularly benefiting low-income families struggling with the high cost of healthy eating. Read more: New White House strategy backs food rescue efforts but more is needed to fight hunger and waste.

a large flat area with a tree in the distance

Earth’s lands face increasing drought linked to human activity

Three-quarters of the world’s land has become significantly drier due to human-driven global warming, according to a U.N. report released during desertification talks in Saudi Arabia.

Raymond Zhong reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
boat destroyed after hurricane on an empty beach

Nations push for climate accountability in International Court of Justice hearings

Small island states are urging the International Court of Justice to hold major polluters accountable for failing to meet climate goals and worsening the climate crisis.

Stuart Braun reports for Deutsche Welle.

Keep reading...Show less
older man wiping his forehead with a towel holding a water bottle in other hand

2024 poised to shatter global heat records, says EU climate agency

This year is almost certain to surpass 2023 as the hottest year ever recorded, pushing global temperatures above critical thresholds.

Al Jazeera reports.

Keep reading...Show less
Two asian children in hospital gowns holding IV bags

Young adults face higher heat-related death risks than older populations

Younger people, particularly those under 35, are more likely to die from extreme heat caused by climate change than the elderly, a new study finds.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
smoke coming out of industrial factory chimney

Biden’s EPA emissions rule faces tough questions in court

The U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. scrutinized the Biden administration’s carbon emissions rule for power plants, signaling potential challenges ahead.

Niina H. Farah and Lesley Clark report for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
Photo of mountain range with valley in the foreground

Supreme Court railway case could redefine environmental impact reviews

A Supreme Court case over a proposed Utah railway may alter how federal agencies assess environmental impacts, potentially affecting projects nationwide.

Wyatt Myskow reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
white and red wooden house miniature on brown table with keys

Mortgage giants face growing climate risk with little protective action

Rising flood and wildfire risks are threatening U.S. housing values, but Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken minimal steps to shield themselves and taxpayers from potential financial fallout.

Lydia DePillis reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Resident speaks at an event about the Midwest hydrogen hub organized by Just Transition NWI.

What a Trump administration means for the federal hydrogen energy push

Legal and industry experts say there are uncertainties about the future of hydrogen hubs, a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s clean energy push.

unions climate justice

Op-ed: The common ground between labor and climate justice is the key to a livable future

The tale of “jobs versus the environment” does not capture the full story.

Union workers from SEIU holding climate protest signs at a rally in Washington DC

El terreno común entre los derechos laborales y la justicia climática es la clave de un futuro habitable

La narrativa de “empleos vs. proteger el medio ambiente” no cuenta la historia completa.

unions and labor movement

LISTEN: Pradnya Garud on the role of unions in climate justice

“They’ve been able to combine forces and really come forward to bring social and environmental change.”

People advocating against the US hydrogen hub build out

Hydrogen hubs test new federal environmental justice rules

A massive push for hydrogen energy is one of the first test cases of new federal environmental justice initiatives. Communities and advocates so far give the feds a failing grade.

photos of people protesting the hydrogen hub buildout

What’s hampering federal environmental justice efforts in the hydrogen hub build-out?

“Organizational change in large bureaucracies takes time.”

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.