How Atlanta-Area Mosques Are Cutting Food Waste During Ramadan | Eater

"This masjid organized a 17‑volunteer “green team” that focused this past year on banning plastic water bottles: where the community once threw away nearly 300 plastic bottles every night, there are now hardly any. To prepare for Ramadan the team added water filling stations, brought in reusable five‑gallon water bottles, and had their Cub Scout packs sell recycled aluminum bottles to community members for $10 each; they also accepted donations to give out bottles for free to anyone who couldn’t afford them. The center draws roughly 200 to 250 people for iftars each weeknight and — in partnership with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) — will host a “zero‑waste iftar” on March 19. GIPL provides training, workshops, and grants for reusable or compostable plates and cutlery, and at the end of the dinner covers the cost of sending excess to CHaRM, which composts food waste and processes hard‑to‑recycle items. Marium Masud, who attends this masjid and helped start the green team, frames the effort as part of religious stewardship: “We are called to be stewards of the Earth. There is a saying from the Prophet Muhammad that all of the Earth is a masjid. So it’s up to us to keep it clean, just like we keep our masjids clean.”" - Tasnim Shamma