This article was provided by Missouri State University’s Sustainability .

November is Food Waste Prevention month at Missouri State University!

We all love food. We all have to have food. So why don’t eat everything we buy? An astounding 50% of food ends up in the trash. Think of the amount of food you’ve thrown out in one day, one week, or one month. Now think of the amount of food that growers and retailers throw out. The amount of food that is wasted is tremendous, but there are ways to reduce our food waste.

In honor of Food Waste Prevention month, there are several events happening on campus:

Just Eat It , a food waste documentary, will be shown in the PSU Theater on Thursday, November 5th at 6 PM . This film follows food from the farm, to retailer, to the back of the fridge and reveals how much food is wasted along the way. More information about the event can be found on the Facebook event page .

A hands-on composting workshop, hosted by Sustainable by Nature , will take place at the MSU Campus Garden on Thursday, November 12 th . Attend one of the three, thirty-minute sessions at 3:30, 4:00, or 4:30 p.m. to learn all of the elements it takes to make great compost. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook .

MSU Sustainability is holding a social media contest with weekly prizes from Farmer’s Market of the Ozarks, Homegrown Foods, Farmers Gastropub and more! Post pictures to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to show us how you are reducing food waste throughout the month. Tag photos with #LoveFoodNotWaste and @MSUsustain.

Throughout the year there are numerous ways to reduce your food waste and help out others who may be facing food scarcity. The Springfield area is home to many great farmers markets, some are even open year round, that make buying local and buying more fresh produce easy. Donating food is another great way to have a positive impact; is one organization that is working to rescue food and get it to those in need in our community. Try your hand at growing your own food, whether at home or at MSU Campus Garden , and then learn about proper long term storage, such as canning. Finally, don’t forget to compost your food scraps into a useful resource. For more tips and resources to help you reduce food waste, follow us on , Twitter and Instagram .

This November, challenge yourself to reduce the amount of food you waste and support your community by buying local and donating food!