How our food is grown, harvested, processed, marketed, sold, bought, consumed and discarded is increasingly threatened by climate change. Making matters worse, the world’s growing population and the need for everyone to have access to healthy and nutritious food put a major strain on the environment.

Food is tightly woven into the economic, social, communal and cultural fabric of New York City. And yet the ever complex and dynamic processes, mechanisms and people that helped deliver food from where it’s grown all the way to our dining plate remains largely hidden from view.

The Food Pod for Humanity podcast sheds light on all that, exploring topics at the intersection of food systems and climate change. Curious about New York City’s new composting program? Ever wonder how the food we throw away affects the environment? What does food waste have to do with climate justice in NYC and abroad? Jochebed Louis-Jean and Dannie Dinh come to you from the Columbia Climate School’s Food for Humanity Initiative to discuss those topics with experts and a unique eye on NYC.

Episode one’s guest, Jessica Fanzo, professor of climate and director of the Columbia Climate School’s Food for Humanity Initiative, introduces the initiative, then speaks about the detrimental effects of food waste on the climate and gives some practical tips on how to prevent food waste at the individual and household levels.

In episode two, we focus on urban areas with Steven Cohen, senior vice dean of Columbia’s School of Professional Studies, who talks about NYC’s food waste issues and some potential solutions.

Compost is the focus of episode three, which features interviews with the Department of Sanitation and the Lower East Side Ecology Center.

The final episode, published today, takes on food rescue with staff members from City Harvest, NYC’s first and largest food rescue organization.

Each season of our limited series will feature interviews with researchers, policy makers, activists, entrepreneurs and other experts, and will focus on ways we can advocate for ourselves to live healthier lives and enjoy a sustainable and just future.

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Food Pod for Humanity’s first limited series topic on food waste is out now. Catch up on all four episodes, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and other major podcasting platforms. Subscribe to be notified about future series drops.