Did you know that 33% of all food produced globally is wasted every year? 😱

On top of this, a shocking 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions each year are a result of excessive food waste across the globe, and 25% of the food that gets wasted could feed all of the 795 million undernourished people in the world.

Clearly, food waste is a huge problem for our planet!

And with food waste creating such a huge impact on the environment, I've decided to support the #StopFoodWasteDay campaign to help raise awareness of the negative effects our food waste leaves behind, whilst doing my bit (and encouraging others) to take action to help reduce their food waste - today and every day.

Here are THREE steps you can take to reduce your food waste today:

1) Bring a Packed Lunch

One of my favourite ways to show some kindness to the planet (whilst also saving a bit of cash!) is by bringing a packed lunch. It doesn't matter if it's for uni, school, work, or even just a cute day out to the park, there's likely a lot of tasty options already at home that you can use to create a delicious, healthy packed lunch today.

Take a look through your fridge and cupboards to see what's hiding, and try to skip the meal deals/takeaway coffees from time to time when you already have food at home: the planet will thank you!

2) Do a Food Audit

It might be helpful to do this step before you pack that lunchbox so you can see exactly what you have, but you should also try to get into the habit of emptying your fridge and cupboards on a regular basis to take stock of the food you already have at home.

Then, based on this food audit, create a meal plan for yourself for the week and add only small extra bits (like milk, bread etc.) to your shopping list that you actually need. Shopping with a list helps to save money and time, too, so you'll be doing yourself an extra favour by creating a food audit!

3) Do the 'Leftovers Challenge'

Finally, before you embark on that next food shop, set yourself the challenge to create meals using the leftovers and ingredients you currently have in your fridge!

Not only will this prevent you from creating extra food waste by throwing leftovers away, but it also gives you the chance to get creative with new recipe ideas: I personally love these tips from The Dinner Daily on how to use leftover ingredients in meals.

Another way to take advantage of leftovers is by helping yourself to the leftovers of other kitchens - like your fave coffee shops and restaurants!

The TooGoodToGo app allows you to pre-order leftover goody bags of food that shops and restaurants would ordinarily throw away at the end of the day, which you can buy for a fraction of the price - pretty amazing if you ask me!

How do you try to reduce food waste in your home? Got any other tips or food-saving hacks? I'd love to know, so feel free to reach out on Instagram and let us know in the @all.things.greenn comments!

And if you'd like to find out more about Stop Food Waste Day and how you can get involved, visit the website here or head to their Instagram @stop_food_waste_day.

At All Things Green, we share simple, eco-friendly tips to help you lead an imperfect sustainable lifestyle. We believe that ‘small steps are still steps’, and that we can all have a positive impact on the planet - no matter how small. Join the ATG community today and take that first step towards an imperfect sustainable future by following us on Instagram!

Want to read more? Check out our previous blog posts, bag some fantastic discounts on eco-friendly products, and find out more about our story here on the All Things Green website. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon! Naomi 💚