5 Ways to Help the California Fire Victims Right Now

Environmental Documentaries To Watch For Earth Day 2024

Animal IQ (2021): Featuring elephants, foxes, otters, and more, this new series from PBS Digital Studios and Nature takes a look at the intelligence of Earth's animals with a new episode every three weeks. In each installment, Trace Dominguez and Natalia Borrego talk to experts and conduct research to determine how and if animals can actually think.

Our Planet(2019): Unlike the BBC's beloved Planet Earth and Blue Planet series, Our Planet focuses directly on how each ecosystem featured is currently being threatened by climate change. One scene in particular has caused an appropriately dramatic reaction: a group of Russian walruses falling down a steep rock cliff to their deaths. Narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that receding ice levels have left fewer places for the animals to gather, highlighting just how devastating the warming of the planet has already become.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014): Made by the same team who brought us 2017's controversial What the Health documentary,Cowspiracy is, on its surface, a look at the damaging environmental effects of the livestock industry. Like What the Health, much of the information is presented from a very pro-vegan perspective, and not a lot of balanced reporting is offered. Still, it can serve as a starting point to learn about how meat production uses more resources and contributes more to global greenhouse gas emissions than, say, a plant-based diet, and that may help us make more informed food choices.

Chasing Coral (2017): Coral reefs not only serve as a nurturing and essential environment to all ocean life, but also help protect coastlines from flooding during extreme weather events. Unfortunately, due to warming sea temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and other human activities, their vivid, beautiful ecosystems are facing rapid decline. Chasing Coral attempts to document this "coral bleaching" and the devastating economic and environmental effects it could have — as well as the wider problems it may represent. (photo via Netflix)

The Milk System (2017): Milk has always represented health, nutrients, and strong bones but The Milk System dives into how the system in question really operates. Speaking with farmers, dairy owners, scientists, and more, this Earth Day documentary examines the profits, responsibilities, and costs of this billion dollar industry.

A Plastic Ocean (2016): In the face of realizing its irreversible environmental effects, the world is slowly moving toward banning many single-use plastics. A Plastic Ocean starts out as a documentary on blue whales but quickly turns into a study on the devastating effects that plastic pollution has had in the lives of ocean animals, from the whales, to dolphins, to seals, and more. It's an eye-opening look at what our plastic use is doing to these creatures, and to the state of much of our own food supplies.

Kiss the Ground (2020): This full-length documentary, narrated by Woody Harrelson, looks at the way regenerative agriculture (which focuses on topsoil regeneration) has the potential to feed the world, replenish water supplies, and even balance our climate. Activists, scientists, farmers and politicians take part in this move towards saving the planet's topsoil.

Starting at the Source – Reducing Food Waste

According to Feeding America, 40% of all food in America is wasted. That means around 119 billion pounds of food is wasted annually, equating to around $408 billion literally thrown away. Aside from the economic costs, food waste generates harmful carbon and methane emissions that contribute to climate change.

Changing the narrative around food is the best way we can help shape our output of greenhouse gas emissions and food waste, according to Chris O’Brien, Executive Officer of Hungry Giant. There, he spearheads waste reduction methods for commercial businesses that divert food waste beyond traditional composting. Hungry Giant’s technologies biologically stabilize and dehydrate waste in larger volumes that get transformed into valuable material that works just like compost. TL;DR: They take large amounts of food waste and reduce them down to be used as compostable material.

“The discussion has to go back even further before you get to composting,” says O’Brien. “The discussion needs to be: ‘Let's reduce our waste wherever we can. Let's consume what we can consume as edible. Let's not look at the ends of a piece of fruit as disgusting.”

Chef and Founder of west~bourne, Camilla Marcus, abides by the same sentiment. If we change how we think about food scraps and adopt sustainable habits around dining, we’re doing more for the Earth.

“The same way when you buy an item of clothing, you ask, “What does this go with? Where can I wear it?” Adopt that same kind of mindset about food,” suggests Marcus. “Billions of tons of fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, grains, and dairy either never leave the farm, spoil before it’s purchased, or are thrown away in various environments, from grocery stores to our home kitchens. The good news is, we can do something about it — through composting.”

Exercising practices that extend the shelf life of food is essential to reducing food waste, according to Marcus. This step comes long before even considering composting, and can impact the amount of food waste you produce in the first place. She recommends storing foods (especially produce) properly, and brainstorming new ways to repurpose leftovers.

“In our home, we love revamping leftovers by creating a whole new dish with them, always saving vegetable scraps (like garlic skins and carrot tops) to use later. I like to call it 'playing jazz in the kitchen,' and even my three kiddos join in on the fun.”

Responsibly managing your own food waste helps keep even more trash out of landfills. We’ve lost around 1,800,000 acres of American land to landfills that simultaneously emit potent and harmful greenhouse gasses, so reducing the volume of waste that gets stored in landfills is elemental to aiding climate change.

“If you put food in the trash, then it contaminates potentially recyclable plastics, cardboards, and other products that get mixed with the food waste,” says O’Brien. “By having food mixed in, you're actually exponentially increasing trash to landfill.”

What is compost?

So now that you know about food waste, what even is compost?

The official definition of compost is: “decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer.” This might not mean much, unless you know that compost consists of decomposable greens and browns.

Greens (such as fruit skins and coffee grounds) are nitrogen-rich materials that facilitate decomposition through heat. Browns (think dry leaves and twigs) are responsible for keeping the microorganisms that break down your compost alive. Moisture and aeration are crucial to a healthy compost pile.

“I think a lot of people think that you can take food scraps and make compost out of it,” says O’Brien. “People don't realize that traditional compost is a mixture of minerals, rocks and all sorts of stuff that absorb and balance the composition of the material to soak up leachates and absorb moisture.”

Traditional composting ranges from open-pile compost, to collections, to enclosed bins. But with advancing methods and technologies, composting now goes beyond tradition, says O’Brien. “When you move material away from the microbially active, traditional compost, it opens up opportunities for multiple reuse.”

Hungry Giant’s technologies are somewhat compost-adjacent, dehydrating and grinding waste material to reduce volume by 80-90% that results in a dry, stabilized, NPK-rich (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – all valuable for fertilizer) product. They collect waste from universities, cafeterias, and offices, but their work with cruise lines is most transformative.

O’Brien’s company addresses food waste from ships that might have otherwise been dumped overboard into sea (per MARPOL Annex V) or off-loaded. Because their product is so dry, it can even be burned on-board as secondary fuel for cruise ships, further combating wasteful practices that may occur elsewhere.

“I think to the average homeowner, the average person at home composting is this all-encompassing word,” says O’Brien. “But the truth is, there's actually a lot of variations in what you can do with organic material, and you just have to work out what solution is best for you.”

How do you compost?

To begin composting, it’s important to first evaluate your physical space and mental dedication to the practice. If you have a large, rural backyard, setting up an open-pile compost or a big compost turner makes more sense than if you reside in a small apartment with room for only a small enclosed compost bin.

Composting at home is no small feat, so being honest with yourself about your commitment to it is crucial in executing it correctly.

It’s also super important to do some deeper research before you get started. Though you think you know all there is to know about composting, there’s a lot of nuance to be aware about.

“Consumers have good intentions, but they don't know the differences between different terminologies,” says O’Brien. “They might see some packaging that says ‘100% biodegradable’ and go, ‘that's great!’ But ‘biodegradable’ means that it could break down now, or in 500 years.”

Now that you’ve gotten down to the nitty-gritty, Marcus offers some useful steps in starting at-home composting:

1. Identify your compost location: Choose a shady space in your yard and / or in your home to build your compost.
2. Build your compost pile: Start your pile with your browns, such as twigs or wood chips to absorb extra liquids, then add your brown and green materials (food scraps) in alternate layers. Aim to keep the layers to 1-2 inches thick, and use a 3:1 browns to greens ratio.
3. Maintain your compost: Your combined materials should have the consistency of a wrung-out sponge, but be careful not to get it too wet — to do so, add enough browns and turn your pile every 7 to 10 days. Monitor its moisture, odor, and temperature, and make adjustments as necessary. Your compost is ready when it’s dark brown — when you’ve got your earthy compost, you can use it to plant on a windowsill or your garden.

First-time composters may not have a smooth process, and that’s okay. Learning to adapt to the needs of your compost pile takes time.

“You can have a lot of things that throw balance out,” says O’Brien. “If you don't have enough browns, if you have too much citrus skins, too much moisture, if you don't turn it enough – there's a lot of things that can go wrong. But, I'm not trying to scare people away from it. If you have the space, the time, and the inclination, a little bit of research goes a long way.”

Traditional, at-home composting isn’t a fit for everyone. Finding solutions that work for you on an individual basis and educating yourself on the practice is a great way to start. So, if you don’t know the first thing about it, and don’t really see yourself going in on a full-blown compost project, you can participate in low-effort collection or drop-off services, typically run by cities or other organizations.

What matters most is reducing food waste, then doing what you can to reduce its presence in landfills.

“Keeping food out of landfills can help us fight climate change,” says Marcus. “Whether you live in an apartment in the city, or have a backyard in the countryside, there are different methods of composting that you can start any time.”

“When people are used to doing things a certain way, it's very hard to habitually change,” says O’Brien. “Individuals at home, They're the ones that drive change, you know, it's people power.”

Products That Help You Reduce Waste + Generate Compost

Stasher Starter Kit ($70)

Camilla Marcus loves Stasher Bags because they reduce plastic waste at home.

Another food storage tip she offers: "Keep potatoes, bananas and avocados away from the rest of your produce since they accelerate the ripening of everything around them. If you didn’t know, now you know."

Mason Jars ($12)

Using glass materials to store your food is superior to plastic tupperware because it eliminates the need to buy new storage solutions when the plastic ones wear out. You can also use these leak-proof jars to store homemade jams, jellies, and pickling projects.

ECOlunchbox Wet Bento Box ($40)

Every ECOlunchbox product is plastic-free and nontoxic, making them an excellent choice for food storage and even carrying your meals on the go. When closed, the containers remain tightly sealed so the contents will never go bad.

Bamboozle Bamboo Compost Bin ($40)

This lidded compost container is ideal for those living in smaller spaces who can't run their own compost. Use it to collect food scraps and other compostable materials before dropping them off at a local composting site. You definitely won't have to worry about odors, thanks to a charcoal filter lid that absorbs undesired smells. This piece is also crafted with biodegradable bamboo fibers for durability and low environmental impact once it's worn out.

1. They're always being dismissive.

Have you ever been really excited or upset about something only to be met with a dismissive tone from someone you confided in? This person is displaying toxicity which "gradually undermines trust in relationships," according to English. Would you want to keep sharing things with a person if they're always downplaying your emotions? Probably not.

2. Controlling others seems like a sport to them.

English says another way to determine someone is toxic is pay attention to their controlling behavior. It can be something as simple as telling you what to wear or something greater such as forcibly limiting your contact with anyone they think isn't good for you.

3. They consistently makes excuses for their behavior.

Have you ever let a close friend know certain behavior bothers you only for them to make an excuse for why they keep doing them? Bennett says this counts as "avoiding responsibility for actions." Furthermore, "constantly" doing so or looking to "push the blame onto someone else veers into toxic territory," she adds.

Another way to look at this is if someone is always falling into a pattern of "victimizing themselves," according to Bennett.

4. They tend to be manipulative.

Manipulation is tricky because it's not always obvious until it's too late. It's kind of like not realizing you were bit by a mosquito until your skin becomes itchy and red. Bennett says this is toxic because there's a knowing that someone can "appeal to a certain person's characteristics or personality traits." This looks like saying or doing something "with the intention of getting a certain reaction," according to her.

Bennett says, "An example may be one partner in sobriety who consistently uses their poor mental health as a reason to not be proactive about finding a job. They do this because they know that the other partner is worried about their loved one relapsing so they use that fear against her."

5. They never miss an opportunity to gaslight people.

Calling this a "well-known example," English says gaslighting often occurs when someone denies the reality of another person." What would cause someone to do this? Well, a toxic behavior often doesn't want to take accountability for their actions so they'd rather "cause people to doubt their own perceptions," according to English.

6. They're always looking for reasons to criticize someone.

The catty behavior on The Real Housewives of New York may be entertaining for TV, but that kind of behavior gets old quickly in everyday life. No one wants to hear why "so and so thinks they're all that" even if it's disguised as humor. English says, "Regardless of their motivation," behaviors like this "can lead to stressful and emotionally distressing situations."

Alena Darmel

Is it time to cut that toxic person out of my life?

We live in a society that started prioritizing ending relationships with people as soon as we spot red flags, but English and Bennett don't think this should be our immediate reaction. English says, "The decision to disengage with a toxic person in the relationship will depend on how harsh and serious the relationship is" because "it is often personal."

According to her, if you notice a consistent pattern where the behavior is "damaging your emotional health," it's okay to walk away from that person. Still, she believes "completely cutting [someone] off is often a last option when other approaches to changing the behavior have not worked." Bennett says something similar and notes how to approach different scenarios.

"If it someone you need to communicate with because of a job or family, there are things you can do to protect yourself," she says. She suggests reminding "yourself who you are dealing with" if the person is adept at gaslighting others because "it may be easy to become convinced that you are wrong or something did not happen the way you recall." A phrase she encourages you to tell yourself is, "I know that my experiences are my experiences no matter what."

If you're dealing with an aggressively toxic person, you'll have to "set and reinforce boundaries," Bennett says while English adds that "engaging in therapy to faciliate healthier relationships" may be a next step.

Here's how Bennett suggests navigating communication with someone like this:

• Set a boundary to end the conversation when you notice toxic behavior such as invalidation of your feelings.
• Receive support from another person so they can remind you of things you're trying to accomplish

If you're dealing with a friend or spouse, Bennett wants you to remember "you cannot change them" but you're in control of how you respond. English says, "It is important to analyze the whole situation and know when the cost of the relationship is greater than the benefits."