The average American wastes more than half a pound of food every day. That’s 29 million tons of food waste every year. Some researchers estimate that as many as 40 percent of the food produced for consumption in America never gets eaten. So why does it matter and what can we do about it?

Today, Where We Live, a look at the culture and the consequences of food waste. From billions of dollars squandered to rotting food and global warming, we’ll look at what communities around the country are doing to reduce or reuse the food they throw away. We’ll be joined by journalist and blogger Jonathan Bloom, whose blog Wasted Food chronicles the food waste problem in America. We’ll also find out what the hospitality industry is doing to shrink their food footprint. And for that food that does find its way to the dumpster---there’s an entire underground culture of people living off of what their neighbors throw away. Jeff Ferrell, author and dumpster diver tells us what the dumpster can teach us about over-consumption in America.

This program originally aired on August 11, 2009.