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Dana Gunders, Project Scientist, Food and Agriculture, San Francisco

Dana Gunders
I’ll never forget the first time I grew brussells sprouts. The plant grew and grew and I kept wondering where the sprouts would come from. Then one day I went out there and a huge horizontal stalk had grown out of nowhere. I thought to myself, everyone should know more about where their food comes from. Here at NRDC, I feel so privileged to spend my time investigating where our food comes from and goes, and what safeguards are in place to ensure a system that will nourish us in the best way possible. I’m delighted at this opportunity to share some of those explorations and musings with you.

Recent Posts

Leftovers are Catching On

Posted March 21, 2012 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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The Wall Street Journal published a great piece today about leftovers—how much we create, how much we toss, how much it costs us, and how we can do better.  They even have a little cooking demo instructing on tasty meals...continued

A Look at the $175 That Might Be in Your Compost

Posted January 11, 2012 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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Have you ever considered what that rotten food in your refrigerator costs?  The average American family of four throws out an estimated $130-175[1] per month in spoiled and discarded food.   That’s real money going straight into the garbage or compost...continued

Prune that Fruit Cake! Tips to reducing your food-print this holiday

Posted December 21, 2011 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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After sampling 13 different cookies at a cookie swap yesterday, I’m gearing up for sweet potato latkes tonight, a Christmas Eve Crabfest, and homemade-Kahlua White Russians to ring in the new year.  While my stomach is bursting out of both...continued

Climate Disasters Consume Farmers and Their Crops

Posted December 8, 2011 by Dana Gunders

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As NRDC launches a new, web-based extreme-weather mapping tool, I’ve been reflecting on how this year’s abnormal weather patterns have affected farmers and our food supply.  Stories of droughts turning rich, moist soil into a powdery dust and hurricanes submerging...continued

The Eco-Case for Eating Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

Posted November 21, 2011 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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As if Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey A La King aren’t enticing enough on their own, here’s another reason to eat leftovers this holiday season:  about 1 million tons of CO2, 95 billion gallons of water, and $275 million will...continued

"Use-By" Dates: a Myth that Needs Busting

Posted November 11, 2011 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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Here’s a superbly-kept secret:  You know all those dates you see on food products—sell by, use by, best before? Those dates do not indicate the safety of your food, and generally speaking, they’re not regulated. I couldn’t believe it either,...continued

Easiest Way to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint? Eat.

Posted October 31, 2011 by Dana Gunders in Living Sustainably

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The model environmentalist tiptoes through life with a long list of “don’ts”, but there’s at least one enjoyable, effective, and easy thing those of us aspiring for environmental sainthood can do: eat! That is, eat what you buy, and buy...continued

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Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.

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