Check out these cookbooks that are guides for cutting down on food waste

More than one third of all food produced globally goes to waste, and 8 to 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are generated by producing food that’s never eaten.

Fixing this seems like an unsurmountable problem, but Danielle Nierenberg, president of Food Tank, a think tank, said companies and organizations are getting creative on solving food waste. Food startups are turning ingredients into new products and the Biden-Harris Administration recently released a strong national strategy for reducing food loss and waste and recycling organic waste.

In the U.S., almost half of all food waste is generated in our homes, according ReFED, a group that works on food loss and waste.

Taking the time to prevent food waste at home is “a way that we can be more mindful of the food that’s on our plates and honor all of the energy and time put into it, not only by our planet, but also by those who produced it,” said chef Haile Thomas.

Nierenberg  recommends the cookbooks below that are helpful guides to cutting down on food waste:

In “Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals,” Lindsay-Jean Hard’s recipes show how delicious foods can be made from carrot greens, broccoli stems, water from canned beans, and more – while saving a little money.

In “Cured: Cooking with Ferments, Pickles, Preserves & More,” Steve McHugh and Paula Forbes provide a guide to curing and preserving, plus recipes such as kimchi meatloaf; creamy smoked seafood, parsnip, and celery root soup; and smoked nut chocolate tart.

In “Cook More, Waste Less,” Christine Tizzard provides tips for saving money, helping the planet, and getting the most out of ingredients that are a little past their prime.

In “Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking,” Margaret Li and Irene Li provide more than 80 recipes and 150 tips to transform fridge leftovers and reduce grocery expenses.

In “The Low-Carbon Cookbook: Reduce Food Waste and Combat Climate Change with 140 Sustainable Plant-Based Recipes,” Alejandra Schrader offers up 140 plant-based recipes with low carbon footprints and local ingredients to help combat climate change from the kitchens.

In “The Preserving Garden,” Jo Turner describes how to create a garden that will provide food year-round. The book profiles 43 different plants, which are featured alongside recipes to make the most of those ingredients.

In “The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen: Simple Steps to Shop, Cook and Eat Sustainably,” Lindsay Miles helps eaters reduce their waste – from reducing single-use plastic packaging to making the most of food scraps – beginning at the store.

In “The Zero Waste Chef,” Anne-Marie Bonneau shows that making the most of leftovers is simple and free.

In "Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food," Dana Gunders – a food waste specialist who’s the executive director of ReFED – provides recipes and strategies, plus helpful checklists, to guide us through a zero-waste lifestyle.

In “Waste Not: How To Get The Most From Your Food,” the James Beard Foundation offers 100 recipes from chefs including Rick Bayless, Elizabeth Falkner, and Bryant Terry to help people use up ingredients that often get scrapped.

In “You Can Cook This! Turn the 30 Most Commonly Wasted Foods into 135 Delicious Plant-Based Meals,” Max La Manna identified 30 of the most commonly wasted ingredients from tens of thousands of social media responses, and created recipes including cauliflower ragu, coffee grounds pancakes, and stems and herbs pesto pasta.

“Transforming the food system means we all need to step up and advocate for what we believe in – and by prioritizing low food waste, we can get started on building a better food system with our next meal,” Nierenberg said in a statement.

Yes, it’s time to take action and change habits.