BTS’ Jungkook cuts down on food waste

BTS is among the few K-pop acts to spotlight social justice issues in their songs and on the world’s stage, and here’s further proof that its members walk the talk when it comes to climate change. As noted by the eagle-eyed (and eco-conscious) Army, Jungkook is among the many green stars who turn old food into plant fertilizer as part of his commitment to a more sustainable lifestyle.

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The 25-year-old singer showcased Reencle’s touchless Prime composter, which starts at $499 and is one of the quietest composting devices on the market at 28 decibels, per the brand. (According to Reencle, the sound of falling leaves is 20 dB and the average library is 40 dB.) The compact appliance weighs about 20 pounds and has a footprint of 12 inches deep by 13 inches wide by 18.4 inches tall, making it super convenient for apartments and high-rise dwellers or those who live in hot or cold climates who prefer not to bring their scraps outside.

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The Reencle Prime composter also includes a self-perpetuating microbe colony that can turn up to 2.2 pounds of food scraps into organic compost per day, and only needs to be emptied once every one to three months, depending on how much you’re discarding. We like that the three-layer filtering system (which features an organic additive and mesh and carbon filters) helps to cut down on odors and bugs, so you or any guests won’t be bothered by strong smells. The device includes two carbon filters that each last two years, and you can throw in foods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, noodles, pizza crusts and many other leftovers.

It has a motion-activated lid automatically opens when you wave your hand or foot, and the energy-efficient device requires only 1.25 kWh per day, or the equivalent of $2 per month. The composter comes with a 30-day trial period and a one-year warranty.

Many stars have spoken out about food waste’s effect on the climate crisis — and some are even putting their money where their mouths are. Ellen DeGeneres and partner Portia De Rossi, Shawn Mendes and Shaun White are m*** the celebrity investors of Shelf Engine, a service that uses “advanced statistical models and AI to deliver the perfect food order volume to drastically reduce food waste for its retail clients while increasing gross margins and sales.”

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Other environmentally-friendly stars — and even Hollywood studios like Bad Robot — who have shared their own composting habits include Lucy Liu, Rosario Dawson, Kristen Bell, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Bette Midler, Sophia Bush and many others.

Those who want to invest in their greener lifestyle can shop the Reencle Prime composter online for at $499 here. (Otherwise, you can follow star-backed sustainability expert Alison Teal and DIY your own composter with an old plastic bin, newspapers, worms and some water.)

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The first K-pop memory that BLACKSWAN’S Gabi remember being “K-pop” was when her friend showed her a video of BTS in 2016. There were [already] a lot of Brazilian fans of K-pop. But later on, she also discovered that K-pop was a style too. It featured phenomenal songs spread all over the world.

Walk me through the day that you decided, I, Gabi from Florianopolis, Brazil, am going to train to become a K-pop idol.

Since I was young, I always wanted to work with art in the future. So I always practiced vocals, and I did musical theater as well. In musical theater, we need to act, sing and dance at the same time. Because of that, when I saw K-pop, I was really impressed. Oh, so there is a style where the people sing and dance at the same time and then they can perform and produce their own songs. I want to sing and dance, and do like they do because they are such an inspiration.