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Food Justice in NM & Woodstock Oral Histories

Originally aired April 12, 2024. Re-aired on July 19, 2024.

This week on New Mexico in Focus, Our Land’s Laura Paskus sits down with a special roundtable to discuss all things food — why it costs so much, why so much of it gets thrown away and the social justice issues associated with access. Laura begins by asking the group why more than 100,000 tons of food is wasted each year in Albuquerque. Then, the roundtable discusses possible solutions to food waste, considering everything from smaller serving sizes at restaurants to composting expired produce at home. Laura steps back for the final segment and explores how food waste has taken a toll on our planet and how fixing that problem is essential in our attempt to address climate change. 

Executive Producer Jeff Proctor speaks with Neal Hitch, senior curator at the Museum at Bethel Woods, about an oral history project on Woodstock 55 years after the event. Photographer Lisa Law joins the conversation to share her experiences from the historic music festival and to explain why Santa Fe is a perfect place to gather more stories. 

Host: Jeff Proctor

Segments: 
Understanding Food Waste and Food Justice in NM 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus 
Guests: Sandra West, sustainable waste specialist, City of Albuquerque 
Amanda Rich, assistant director, Three Sisters Kitchen  
Anton Becker-Stumpf, Southwest Organizing Project 

Exploring Solutions for Food Waste 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus 
Guests: Sandra West, sustainable waste specialist, City of Albuquerque 
Amanda Rich, assistant director, Three Sisters Kitchen  
Anton Becker-Stumpf, Southwest Organizing Project 

How Food Waste Contributes to Climate Change 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus 
Guests: Sandra West, sustainable waste specialist, City of Albuquerque 
Amanda Rich, assistant director, Three Sisters Kitchen  
Anton Becker-Stumpf, Southwest Organizing Project 

Woodstock Oral History Project Capturing Stories from Santa Fe 
Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 
Guests: Neal Hitch, senior curator, Museum at Bethel Woods 
Lisa Law, photographer 

Additional Links & Resources:

Segment 1: “Understanding Food Waste and Food Justice in NM” 

Food Waste and Rescue Potential in Albuquerque: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/abq-calculator-two-pager.pdf

City of Albuquerque “Waste as Resources” homepage: https://cabq.gov/foodwaste

Southwest Organizing Project: https://www.swop.net

Project Feed the Hood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectfeed.thehood

Three Sisters Kitchen: https://threesisterskitchen.org

“Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste,” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf

The Refrigerator Demystified: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/savethefood_fridgedemystified_5x7.pdf

Spring & Summer Produce Storage Guide: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/documents/savethefood_springsummerproducestorageguide_8-5×11.pdf

Roadrunner Food Bank: https://www.rrfb.org

Segment 2: “Exploring Solutions for Food Waste” 

How Food Rescue Works (Roadrunner Food Bank): https://www.rrfb.org/learn/how-food-rescue-works

Food Rescue – US – Albuquerque:  https://foodrescue.us/site/food-rescue-us-albuquerque

Find a Farmers’ Market in New Mexico: https://farmersmarketsnm.org/find-a-market

Wasted Food Scale, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/wasted-food-scale

UNM Sustainability Studies Program: New Mexico Food Systems Collaborative: https://sust.unm.edu/research/new-mexico-food-systems-collaborative.html

Little Green Bucket: https://littlegreenbucket.com

Soilutions: https://soilutions.net

FUSE Executive Fellowship Project working with Albuquerque on a city-wide composting program and a list of upcoming public feedback sessions: https://www.cabq.gov/sustainability/waste/waste-resources

Segment 3: “How Food Waste Contributes to Climate Change” 

“Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste,” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf

Downtown Growers’ Market: https://www.downtowngrowers.org

Drop-off compost sites in Albuquerque: https://cabq.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=2d67a95cc9bc456fb52a516292b61ae2&locale=en

Rio Grande Community Farm – Neighborhood Composting: https://riograndefarm.org/neighborhood-composting

Local places that accept kitchen scraps: https://www.nmcomposters.org/organics-drop-off

Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters: https://www.nmcomposters.org

Composting in the Desert: https://www.nmcomposters.org/_files/ugd/9ed432_2efaef3fb0404de2b74b646940ed51ac.pdf

Find a Farmers’ Market in New Mexico: https://farmersmarketsnm.org/find-a-market