25 November 2025

You heard that right! Project Drawdown identified food waste the #1 solution to climate change (ahead of solar power and plant-based diets)! Imagine…an action that costs us nothing (actually saves money) and tackles global warming. Seems like a no-brainer (if you need some emotional persuasion, check out my favorite 2-minute film, The Life of a Strawberry).

I admit I was a bit surprised to learn that bread is one of the top sources of food waste. I suppose most people do eat bread. And I know that, in my house, bread is a bit like bananas…one day it’s fresh and ready, but nobody wants it, and the next - when demand presents - it’s past its prime.

There are solutions to this conundrum: buy only what you need, store it in the fridge or freezer, get creative with leftovers (I love a good panzanella or bread pudding). Commercially, bread waste can be used in production of beer, animal feed, fuel (ethanol) or as a substrate to grow a protein-rich fungus which can be used as food. But Thanksgiving seems like the one day when there should be no bread waste. In fact, bread waste could be negative, because…stuffing!

Stuffing is so easy to make: dry the bread cubes, sauté your mirepoix, mix it all together with some broth and throw it in a casserole dish to bake. If you want inspiration for something a bit more fancy, check out 30 Thanksgiving Stuffings That Are Just as Good as the Main Course.

This holiday season, make use of your stale bread (you can even offer to take some off your neighbor's hands) and create the best climate-protecting, health-enhancing, resource-limiting, tastebud-exciting stuffing you can! Mother Earth and your Thanksgiving dinner guests will thank you.