--- title: "Earth Day 2022: \"Don't underestimate the importance of food waste.\"" description: But what elevates the importance of food waste is not just the scale of its adverse impacts, it’s its actionability. image: https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/Thumbnail-1.jpg --- [![Logo](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo.png?width=146&height=36&name=Logo.png "Logo")](https://www.leanpath.com) - [Products](https://www.leanpath.com/products/) - [Kitchen Waste Solutions](https://www.leanpath.com/products/food-waste-tracking/) - [Plate Waste Solutions](https://www.leanpath.com/products/plate-waste-tracking/) - [Industries](https://www.leanpath.com/industries/) - [Contract Management](https://www.leanpath.com/industries/food-industry-waste-management-solutions/) - [Hospitality](https://www.leanpath.com/industries/hotel-food-waste-management-solutions/) - [Colleges and Universities](https://www.leanpath.com/industries/college-university/) - [Healthcare](https://www.leanpath.com/industries/hospital-food-waste-management-solutions) - [Restaurants](https://restaurants.leanpath.com) - [Resources](https://info.leanpath.com/resources) - [Resources Hub](https://info.leanpath.com/resources) - [Blog](https://blog.leanpath.com/) - [Case Studies](https://info.leanpath.com/resources#case-studies) - [Webinars](https://info.leanpath.com/resources#webinars) - [Guides](https://info.leanpath.com/resources#guides) - [About](https://www.leanpath.com/about/) - [About Leanpath](https://www.leanpath.com/about/) - [Leanpath 12.3 Initiative](https://www.leanpath.com/leanpath-initiative/) - [Careers](https://www.leanpath.com/about/#carrers) - [Contact Us](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/) - [Client Help Center](https://online.leanpath.com/ccm/login?zendeskRedirect=true) - [Support](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/) - [Login](https://online.leanpath.com/ccm/login) [Get a Demo \>\>](https://www.leanpath.com/demo-request) ![close](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/close.svg) ### Let’s get the conversation started Fill out the form below to discuss the best solution for your operation: ## Earth Day 2022: "Don't underestimate the importance of food waste." #### Posted By Andrew Shakman, Co-Founder & CEO on Apr 22, 2022 - [![Facebook\_icon\_blurpl 1](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/Facebook_icon_blurpl%201.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.leanpath.com/earth-day-2022-dont-underestimate-the-importance-of-food-waste) - [![Linkedin\_blue](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/Linkedin_blue.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.leanpath.com/earth-day-2022-dont-underestimate-the-importance-of-food-waste) - [![email\_blue](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/email_blue.svg)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://blog.leanpath.com/earth-day-2022-dont-underestimate-the-importance-of-food-waste&body=Check%20out%20https://blog.leanpath.com/earth-day-2022-dont-underestimate-the-importance-of-food-waste&media=https://416759.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/416759/Thumbnail-1.jpg) Hello everyone and happy Earth Day. I'm Andrew Shakman, Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Shakman. I have one simple thought and request for you as we collectively reflect today on the changes needed to sustain our planet. My request: please don’t underestimate the importance of food waste. When Earth Day was founded 52 years ago, food waste prevention was not a central concern. But this year, the newest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change references food waste 125 times. And there’s a reason for that. An extensive and growing body of research shows that food waste is one of the world’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s also a huge driver of land conversion, soil erosion, deforestation and biodiversity loss, and that’s significant. But what elevates the importance of food waste is not just the scale of its adverse impacts, it’s its actionability.  We have many difficult challenges ahead as we work to preserve and protect our planet. But food waste is something we can each change, starting right now, in our homes, with the choices we make as consumers. And if we’re a food business, with our business decisions and our operations. Food waste is so large and so actionable, but unfortunately, often the conversation about climate action focuses primarily on energy. It should also focus on food systems and specifically the single largest leak: food waste. The theme of Earth Day this year is Invest in our Planet. So I invite you to ensure that your vision of investment includes food waste as a headline topic.  It’s powerful, it’s actionable and it deserves our attention.   [![New call-to-action](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/416759/d8c4271c-ab22-4da5-9815-725d2bf5d8bf.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/416759/d8c4271c-ab22-4da5-9815-725d2bf5d8bf) Topics: [Sustainability](https://blog.leanpath.com/topic/sustainability) [All Posts](https://blog.leanpath.com) [Next \>\>](https://blog.leanpath.com/stop-food-waste-day-arrives-as-global-food-prices-jump-to-highest-level-on-record) [![Logo Leanpath Footer](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo%20Leanpath%20Footer.png?width=300&height=74&name=Logo%20Leanpath%20Footer.png "Logo Leanpath Footer")](http://leanpath.com) ![Footer Sign-off](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Footer%20Sign-off.png?width=306&height=64&name=Footer%20Sign-off.png) #### Contact Us [![USA](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/USA.png?width=62&height=21&name=USA.png)](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/#world-headquarters) [![UK](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/UK.png?width=62&height=21&name=UK.png)](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/#world-headquarters) [![AUS](https://blog.leanpath.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AUS.png?width=62&height=21&name=AUS.png)](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/#world-headquarters) [+1 503-620-6512 - Americas](tel:+15036206512) [+44 (0) 20 7509 0477 - EMEA & APAC](tel:+44%20(0)%2020%207509%200477) [Contact Us](https://www.leanpath.com/contact/) [Media Contact](https://www.leanpath.com/about/#media-contact) #### Want to know more? Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest food waste prevention news from Leanpath–delivered monthly to your inbox. © 2007-2026 Leanpath, Inc. All rights reserved. Leanpath and ValuWaste are registered trademarks of Leanpath, Inc. US Patent #7,415,375 - [Privacy Policy](https://www.leanpath.com/privacy-policy/) - [Data Processing Addendum (DPA)](https://www.leanpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Leanpath_DPA_R2_July-2026.pdf) [![linkedin](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/leanpath-inc./) [![instagram](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/instagram.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/leanpath/) [![youtube](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/LeanPath) [![Facebook](https://blog.leanpath.com/hubfs/Facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/leanpath/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "VideoObject", "caption" : { "@type" : "MediaObject", "contentUrl" : "https://blog.leanpath.com/media-transcripts/72671507838/en.vtt", "inLanguage" : "en", "name" : "en Captions" }, "contentUrl" : "https://416759.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/416759/Earthday%202022v2.mp4", "dateModified" : "2025-10-01T00:39:26.822Z", "duration" : "PT1M49S", "height" : 1080, "name" : "Earthday 2022v2", "thumbnailUrl" : "https://416759.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/416759/Earthday%202022v2.mp4/medium.jpg", "uploadDate" : "2022-05-03T23:36:32.193Z", "width" : 1920 } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "alternateName" : "Food Waste Solutions", "logo" : "https://www.leanpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Leanpath_HorizontalLogo_White_540x180-e1644843710224.png", "name" : "Leanpath", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/leanpath/", "https://twitter.com/Leanpath", "https://www.instagram.com/leanpath/", "https://www.youtube.com/user/LeanPath", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/leanpath-inc./" ], "url" : "https://www.leanpath.com/" } ```