Washington is launching Food Waste Prevention Week with dozens of events across the state, while the Commanders pulled off a stunning 33–31 victory over reigning Super Bowl champions the Seahawks, thanks to Marcus Mariota’s performance and a decisive interception by backup K.J. Henry.
Food Waste Prevention Week in Washington: How the Region Is Learning Not to Throw Food Away
From September 28 to October 4, 2026, Washington state is once again holding Food Waste Prevention Week—an initiative that has grown from a local environmental event into a full-fledged public campaign with dozens of events across the state. Unlike many “green” initiatives that are limited to appeals and slogans, organizers here are focusing on practical action: cooking workshops, bar trivia, farm work, and advice on how to save money on groceries while reducing pressure on landfills and the climate. The list of venues—from Bellingham in the north to Spokane in the east—shows that the issue is viewed not as a metropolitan pastime but as a regional challenge involving cities, counties, nonprofits, and businesses.
The campaign’s central message is simple and therefore persuasive: throwing away food is not only unethical in the face of food insecurity, but also economically wasteful for every household. Organizers are directing residents to UseFoodWell.org and FoodWastePreventionWeek.com, where resources and schedules are available. The fact that the campaign uses everything from brewery trivia nights and farmers markets to Zoom webinars shows an effort to reach as many different audiences as possible—from students and bar patrons to gardeners and retirees.
The week’s program is divided into several thematic areas. The first is educational and recreational. In Bellingham, local organization Sustainable Connections is holding a food-waste trivia night at Ono Kitchen & Bar on September 28, lowering the barrier to entry for people who have never thought much about environmental issues: they can learn about the problem over a beer in a relaxed atmosphere. In Renton, on September 29, the city’s sustainability and solid-waste department will be at the farmers market at 253 Burnett Ave. S., explaining how to store food properly and plan purchases so that groceries are not thrown away a day after they are bought. In Tukwila that same day, a two-hour class titled “How to Reduce Food Waste and Save Money” will take place at the community center at 12424 42nd Ave. S. The emphasis here is on direct financial benefits, which is especially relevant for lower-income families.
The second area is practical assistance for people in need. On September 30 in Carnation, at Oxbow Farms at 10819 Carnation Duvall Rd NE, Harvest Against Hunger is holding “Gather & Glean: A Field Day for Hunger Relief”—a day devoted to harvesting food that would otherwise remain in the fields. This is a classic example of gleaning: collecting surplus farm produce for distribution through food banks. The model addresses two problems at once: it reduces the amount of food sent to composting facilities or landfills and provides fresh food to people who cannot afford to buy it.
The third area is Spokane County, where the regional solid-waste system has organized several activities. On September 29, an educational booth at the Fairwood farmers market will feature themed games and distribute waste-reduction materials. On October 3, an educational display will appear at Fall Fest in Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane. An online video about the campaign’s partners will also be available throughout the week, with advance registration.
Finally, the fourth area consists of virtual events, allowing people who cannot attend in person to participate. At 7 p.m. Pacific time on September 30, Pierce County will host a Zoom webinar titled “No Scrap Left Behind” as part of the Earth Matters series. At 1 p.m. that same day, Second Harvest Inland Northwest and Move for Hunger will hold “Food Rescue by the Truckload,” a webinar about rescuing food through logistics and transportation.
What lies behind these events in a broader sense? Food Waste Prevention Week is part of a nationwide American initiative linked to similar campaigns held across the country with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The September 28 launch date also coincides with the United Nations’ International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. The distinction between “loss” and “waste” may seem subtle to the uninitiated, but it is important: food loss refers to food lost during production, harvesting, processing, and transportation—in other words, before it reaches stores—while food waste refers to food discarded by retailers, restaurants, and households. Washington’s events focus primarily on the second category, although the gleaning event in Carnation also addresses the first.
Another concept that may be difficult for newcomers to grasp is the “food recovery hierarchy,” which implicitly underpins the campaign’s entire approach. According to this model, the best option is not to produce surplus food in the first place. The next-best option is to give surplus food to people in need, followed by feeding it to animals, processing it into compost or biogas, and only as a last resort sending it to a landfill or incinerator. That is why the program places so much emphasis on both prevention—through purchase planning and proper storage—and redistribution through groups such as Harvest Against Hunger and Move for Hunger, rather than focusing solely on composting. Composting is often viewed as a cure-all, even though it ranks much lower in the hierarchy.
The scale of the problem organizers are trying to address is enormous. Federal estimates suggest that roughly one-third of all food produced in the United States is wasted, representing hundreds of billions of dollars in losses, additional methane emissions from landfills, and a worsening hunger crisis. The decomposition of food waste in landfills is a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas with a far stronger short-term impact than carbon dioxide. Local campaigns like Washington’s are therefore not merely charitable efforts but also part of municipal climate policy.
It is significant that organizers are not limiting themselves to a single week or building the program around isolated publicity stunts. Events are spread across cities and counties, include online formats, and rely on long-term partnerships among cities, county waste-management agencies, nonprofits, and local businesses. This approach offers hope that the habit of not throwing away food will last longer than seven days. For Washington residents—and perhaps for other regions that adopt the model—the week’s main practical lesson is this: reducing food waste is not a sacrifice but a form of savings available to everyone, whether they live in Spokane, Bellingham, or attend a webinar from home.
Mariota, Stiles, and Medrano: How Washington Beat the Reigning Super Bowl Champions
Sometimes a football game becomes a small parable about how experience and composure can matter more than speed and youth. That is exactly what happened in Washington, where the Commanders hosted the Seattle Seahawks—a team that only recently had lifted the Lombardi Trophy. The Burgundy and Gold opened their 2026 home season with a 33–31 victory, their fifth consecutive win in five recent home openers. On paper, it looked like an ordinary week of the regular season. In reality, it was a night when a backup quarterback became a leader and young defenders became heroes.
The main question hung over the team even before kickoff: starting quarterback Jayden Daniels was unable to play, leaving Marcus Mariota with responsibility for the offense. Head coach Dan Quinn had repeatedly said publicly that he had complete faith in the veteran, and that confidence was more than a polite formality. Mariota truly became the pivot around which the team rallied. His experience, leadership, and relationships within the locker room made the offense not merely functional but genuinely dangerous. In his postgame press conference, he offered a concise phrase: “We didn’t blink.” Those words summed up an entire performance—calm, calculated, and at times inspiring.
Mariota did not try to be a hero in the wrong sense of the word. He made quick, intelligent decisions, favoring short passes over risky throws into traffic. At the same time, he was not afraid to show off his arm, finding Terry McLaurin on deep passes and threading the needle on short routes. And although age no longer allowed him to outrun everyone on the field, the veteran gained crucial yards with his legs. The defining moment came late in the game, when Washington was clinging to a two-point lead. On third-and-seven, Mariota fooled the defense, kept the ball, and ran for nine yards—after which the team only had to take a knee. It was not just impressive but smart football: he took away Seattle’s last hope.
The statistics underscore the scale of the performance. Mariota completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards, with no interceptions and three touchdowns. It was his first three-touchdown game since Week 8 of the 2022 season. He did it against a Seattle defense that had been allowing an average of just 8.5 points per game before kickoff. Scoring 33 points against the reigning Super Bowl champions was a statement that could not be ignored.
But Mariota was not the only reason for the victory. Two young defenders—linebackers Sonny Styles and K.J. Henry—operated in the quarterback’s shadow. Their play formed the foundation that allowed the offense to remain confident. Styles and Henry did more than perform the dirty work: they set the tone, stopped the run, pressured the opposing quarterback, and prevented the Seahawks from finding a rhythm. In modern football, linebackers often remain outside the headlines, but in this game their energy and precise reads allowed Washington to protect its narrow lead late. When the champions’ offense tried to mount a comeback, the Commanders’ defense built a wall.
For readers unfamiliar with the details of American football, a few explanations may help. “Third-and-seven” means that a team must gain seven yards for a first down on that play; if it fails, it will have to give the ball to the opponent. In that situation, a quarterback can either pass or run, and Mariota chose the latter—a surprising decision because the veteran is not generally considered a running threat. “Three touchdowns” here means three touchdown passes, each worth six points, followed by an extra-point attempt. An “interception” occurs when a defender catches a pass thrown by the quarterback, instantly changing possession. Throwing no interceptions in such a tense game is a sign of exceptional discipline.
The main conclusion from the game is straightforward: Washington did not merely defeat a strong opponent; it showed that the team has depth and character. Mariota proved he can be more than a temporary replacement—he can be a full-fledged offensive leader. Styles and Henry showed that the young defense is ready to accept responsibility in decisive moments. Perhaps most importantly, the Commanders preserved their winning home-opening tradition, which now stretches to five consecutive games. In a season when every victory is precious, this start could prove to be more than a pleasant episode—it could be the foundation for something bigger.
Washington Beats Seattle on Backup’s Interception, Ending Seahawks’ 12-Game Winning Streak
In Sunday’s game, which fans in Landover, Maryland, will remember for a long time, the Washington Commanders edged the Seattle Seahawks 33–31. It was a genuine thriller, with on-field drama intertwined with frightening events away from the action. Two quarters before the decisive moment, Washington linebacker Leo Chenal was taken off the field on a medical cart after suffering a scary neck injury. His teammates left the sideline and surrounded him while doctors provided assistance. After the game, head coach Dan Quinn said Chenal was in the hospital but had retained feeling in his extremities, and that the team was thinking of him.
Against that backdrop, backup linebacker K.J. Henry made perhaps the most important interception of his career. He returned Sam Darnold’s intercepted pass 50 yards for a touchdown with 3:57 remaining, giving the home team a 33–24 lead. The play capped a dominant defensive stretch by Washington, which forced Seattle into three turnovers in the home opener. “One interception turns into two, two turns into three. The ball just keeps falling into our hands,” Henry said. “It’s momentum. We’re hunting the ball—that’s what our defense does.”
The Commanders entered the game without linebacker Frankie Luvu, who was sidelined with a groin injury. Chenal started but was injured late in the second quarter. Despite that, rookie Sonny Styles also recorded an interception, and Henry delivered the knockout blow. Interestingly, a celebration penalty after the interception moved the extra-point attempt back to the 15-yard line, and Drew Stevens missed, giving the Seahawks an opening. Darnold immediately found Jaxon Smith-Njigba on three consecutive completions, then his seven-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp cut the deficit to two points with 2:51 remaining.
Washington had converted only one of its previous 11 third-down attempts, but it managed to turn the tide on its final possession. Rashaad White stunned Seattle’s defense on third-and-nine, running 19 yards down the right side. “They checked to an audible against zero coverage,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged. “They made a good check, and we didn’t play it well.” Mariota, filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels, then ran nine yards on third-and-seven to seal the victory.
For Seattle, the defeat was its first since November of the previous year. The team had won 12 straight games, including its run to the Super Bowl title last season. Mariota, the hero of the evening, remained measured: “The more adversity there is, the more the circumstances push us against the wall, the more these guys find a way. I’m grateful to be a part of this.”
Smith-Njigba became the second player in NFL history to record at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in each of his team’s first three games of a season. The first was Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for San Francisco in 1989. Smith-Njigba already has six touchdown receptions this season. The game itself was packed with memorable moments. Jadyrian Price fumbled early, giving Washington possession at Seattle’s 21-yard line and leading to Mariota’s first touchdown pass to White. Jacory Croskey-Merritt nearly made it 14–0, but his long touchdown run was nullified by an illegal-formation penalty. In the second quarter, Darnold tied the game with a pass to Smith-Njigba, but Mariota answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Treylon Burks. Jason Myers and Stevens then exchanged 57-yard field goals in the final minute of the half.
In the third quarter, Mariota threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to make it 24–10. Seattle responded with a 60-yard drive during which Darnold found Eric Saubert, who appeared to lose control of the ball at the goal line but recovered it in the end zone. Darnold’s 11-yard pass to Smith-Njigba with 11:53 remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game at 24–24. Darnold, returning from a glute injury suffered in the opener, was intercepted twice.
The key takeaways are clear: Washington proved that even with a backup quarterback and injuries on defense, it can compete with top teams. Roster depth and the ability to perform in clutch moments were decisive. For Seattle, the loss was a sign that its defense remains vulnerable to quick decisions and unconventional plays, especially when opponents use audibles and an aggressive running game. Injuries to Chenal, Luvu, Nick Emmanwori—hamstring—Lucas Patrick—ankle—and Percy Butler, who entered the concussion protocol, add uncertainty for both teams.
Next games: The Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday, while the Commanders will travel to London to face the Indianapolis Colts. This victory, earned in a dramatic battle and amid concern for a teammate’s health, could be a turning point for Washington, which began the season with two losses but has now shown its character. Based on ESPN.
