Second Helpings operations have grown substantially since our inception, 29 years ago. Our continuous growth has led to an immense increase in the amount of food that we are able to rescue, which directly enhances our positive impact on the environment.

The reduction of food waste within the environment not only prevents the effects of climate change from worsening but also meets our goals in decreasing community food insecurity. The United States Environmental Protection Agency wrote a report titled From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste that further discusses the deep-rooted impact of our footprint within food loss and food waste within the U.S. and how beneficial food waste reduction can be to the environment in a present and future aspect.

While we produce far less emissions than we save from our Food Rescue operations, it is important that we track this information so that we can verify the success of our efficiency measures. This also allows us to see which areas should be targeted for the most potential impacts.

The chart to the right shows the top sources of our emission production. For a more in-depth analysis, view our 2024 Emissions Inventory.