Bite Size

• When dining out, split an entrée with a friend. Or, have a rule that "no good food goes to waste": Make a pact with dining companions that you'll share or take home everything you order. (Bring your own takeout container to avoid using packaging.)

• If you're planning a conference, wedding, or retreat, ask caterers what they do with surplus food, and write food donation or composting into the contract.

• Take inventory in your kitchen before you go grocery shopping to prevent duplicate purchases. Create a system of putting food near the end of its life toward the front of the fridge, or use stickers to communicate to your family which foods need to be eaten first.

• When you cook more than you can eat, freeze the leftovers or share with a neighbor. Share extra groceries and garden produce with neighbors, too.

• Start a backyard compost pile, hire a compost service, or take your vegetable scraps to a community garden.

• If you compost, collect organic materials from your office break room (perhaps in a container in the fridge or freezer). Coffee grounds are a good place to start.