TRUCKEE, Calif. – Often called “the woman who helped start the waste-free movement,” Dana Gunders is one of the recipients for the 30^th Anniversary Heinz Awards. Gunders’ work as president of ReFED and advocating for sustainable food systems has been recognized as a major environmental contribution by the Heinz Family Foundation.

The Heinz Awards recognize outstanding contributions to arts, the economy and environment, in honor of U.S. Senator John Heinz. There are six recipients annually who each receive an unrestricted monetary award of $250,000 and a Heinz Awards medallion. Gunders is joining Dr. Sacoby Wilson in the environmental category.

Teresa Heinz said in a press release, “We honor Dana for her tenacity in bringing actionable solutions to the issue of food waste and visibility to the significance of its environmental impacts. Dana’s steadfast conviction that food waste — despite its scale — is a problem that we can solve has inspired a global movement, paving the way for a healthier future for people and planet.”

Think tank ReFED is a founding member of the Zero Food Waste Coalition and has worked with West Coast grocery stores in the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment, which over 2019-2023 resulted in a 30% reduction in surplus food.

“This award is an incredible punctuation on my work—it’s a milestone for me,” said Gunders to the Tribune. “When you’re in this work, it’s really hard to see the progress. We measure it through data, but also with conversations and if people are talking about it. This award is validating and a real honor.”

Gunders, who has worked on this problem for years, says, “When I was first working on this, it felt like such an obvious, solvable problem. And while it’s very complex, this is a lever for impacting climate change.”

The United States pledged to cut food waste in half by 2030—an ambitious goal that’s just five years away. Gunders said that she’s seen pockets of progress, especially in the private sector and companies working on their solutions.

“It has served as a great goal to catalyze and galvanize work. While I don’t think we’re on track for cutting it in half, even hitting a 30% marker would make a huge difference,” said Gunders.

Her optimism in the field is remarkable, especially given the size of the issue. Gunders said that one of the things that really pushed her to keep working was the local impacts she saw in Truckee.

“Anyone who was here during the Dixie Fire knows that where we live is ground zero for climate change,” said Gunders. “In Tahoe and Truckee, we’re closer to the impacts. We see it, we feel it. And we each need to see what we can do about it.”

Gunders said that locally, she wants to encourage people to compost. While altitude can affect composting, around the basin, there are programs that help with composting. “Composting is one of the most immediate things we can do to divert food from landfills and curb methane production,” she said.

She also noted that while food is currently expensive, it’s an opportunity to open conversations on stretching the budget at home while reducing food waste, which can go hand in hand. She suggested that meal planning, freezing food, mindfulness of what’s in your fridge before grocery trips as examples. Gunders also said that knowing that best-by dates aren’t when food goes bad, but indicates freshness for the companies who sell the food, is something else to keep in mind.

“We’re all about progress, not perfection. We don’t have to be perfect to make a difference—even a consumer reduction of food waste by 10% would help,” said Gunders. “I work in food systems because it’s what I know. And I would love to see people in Tahoe thinking about how to use their amazing talents here to help with the environment.”

Gunders will be recognized, along with the other Heinz recipients, in Pittsburgh next month.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.