Dignity Health Sports Park Contributes to Food Waste Reduction

Dignity Health Sports Park – On June 5, 2022, we will commemorate World Environment Day by reflecting on what we all stand to lose as a result of climate change’s impact on our food systems. The number of extreme weather-related disasters has risen since the 1990s. Food yields have declined and prices have risen over the same time period. The climate problem is creating a worldwide hunger crisis by jeopardizing global food supplies. 
 
Today, 42 million Americans are projected to be food insecure. Food insecurity is defined as “the situation of not having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food,” according to the Oxford Dictionary. 
 
Why are we squandering so much food as a country when so many people are hungry? One of the most common reasons for food waste is rotting. More than 80% of Americans throw away perfectly excellent food due to a misunderstanding of expiration dates. Labels like “sell by,” “use by,” “expires on,” “best before,” and “best by” can be confusing, and people will throw perfectly edible food away rather than risk becoming ill. 
 
The fact that 40% of all food produced goes straight to the garbage is exacerbating the problem. Food waste disposed of in landfills now accounts for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to the fact that food waste in landfills boosts methane emissions in our environment.

Dignity Health Sports Park

“Everyone needs to be mindful of food waste and do their part,” says Adam Duvendeck, vice president of operations at AEG’s Dignity Health Sports Park, which is the world’s most sustainable soccer venue and home to the LA Galaxy, the MLS world-cup champions. “The effects could be very significant if people and major corporations make tiny modifications to their food consumption and waste behaviours.” 
 
In 2017, Dignity Health Sports Park launched the Galaxy Garden, which consists of two four-by-eight garden boxes, to help educate and inspire employees to be more careful of food sources and waste. Since then, the garden has expanded to include a variety of seasonal produce, citrus trees, a chicken coop, and a greenhouse, all of which help to feed the staff and players on a regular basis.  

Dignity Health Sports Park has accomplished the following since partnering with Copia:

More than 319 pounds of edible food were donated. 
More than 266 lunches were distributed to non-profit groups in Southern California. 
31.6 thousand gallons of water were saved, and 1,426 pounds of CO2 emissions were avoided. 
“We are really happy of everything we are accomplishing,” says Duvendeck, “but we also know that there is more to be done.” “We have the chance to show off our achievements and educate the over one million visitors who come to Dignity Health Sports Park each year.” If any of those visitors leave our stadium and begin putting some of our programmes into practice in their own life, it will have a far greater impact than anything we can achieve on our campus.” 
 
Beyond the 126-acre campus, Dignity Health Sports Park and the LA Galaxy help educate and make a difference in the surrounding community. The LA Galaxy’s charitable organization collaborates with the Garden School Foundation to bring teachers to schools to develop gardens and teach children about healthy eating habits. Employees from Dignity Health Sports Park and Galaxy also assisted in the construction of a garden at Carson’s Leapwood Avenue Elementary School, which they now help to maintain. Local students can also participate in field visits to the stadium, where they can visit Galaxy Garden and learn from club members, participate in cookery lessons, and watch LA Galaxy practise sessions.