Students Advocating For the Environment: Food Waste

Build students' background knowledge on the topic of sustainability with formative texts. Get started with the resources below and provide students with note-taking materials to guide their research. 

USDA Food Waste FAQs

• Review the FAQs to identify issues that lead to food waste and potential solutions offered by policies and individuals.

Food Waste on Opposing Viewpoints

• Navigate the database to learn about current events, laws and policies, and more related to food waste.

What is Food Waste? Lesson

• An overview of the causes and effects of food waste and how to address it from World Wildlife Fund.

Save the Food Action Ideas

• Food waste is a problem worldwide: Save the Food gives ideas on how to reduce our food waste footprint.

Office of School and Food Nutrition Services

• School food guidance on how to set up Share Tables and utilize Offer vs. Share in your school cafeteria.
• NYC schools can now donate cafeteria food to fight hunger and reduce waste. Here’s how. [Article]

2017 NYC Waste Characterization Study 

• Dive into data from schools and residences in NYC to see what New Yorkers throw away in this 2017 report from NYC Department of Sanitation.

Bolster students' research with additional media resources and opportunities to connect with experts and organizations.

City Harvest

• Learn about NYC's food rescue giant and learn about policies that impact food rescue and food insecurity in NYC.

Feeding America

• Check out Feeding America's infographic and overview on food recovery and its connection to food insecurity in the U.S.

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine 

• A local food rescue organization that provides information on food waste and a blog on local food rescue initiatives and policies.

Meatless Mondays Campaign

• Initiative to help schools and communities implement meat-free days with recipes and guides, including multidisciplinary lesson guides for middle school.

Each virtual field trip deck includes background information and vocabulary, a brief video (3-10 minutes), and a link to an additional resource. If students will be accessing the trip asynchronously, instruct them to select full screen for the best viewing experience. Then they can use the arrows to advance through the deck and press "play" to watch the video.

Food Waste is the World's Dumbest Problem (VOX)

City Harvest Food Rescue Program

Other Video Resources

• Life of a Strawberry PSA that is both an example of advocacy and a succinct overview of the issue
• National Geographic's feature on the Food Waste Rebel focuses on "cosmetic standards" that lead to "ugly" foods being thrown away
• Inside Climate News looks at the impact of the pandemic on municipal composting in NYC and the intersection of sustainability with issues of public health and socio-economic justice 
• The documentary Wasted! The Story of Food Waste (full length video available on some streaming services) comes recommended by P.S. 129 John H. Finley as an engaging feature for a classroom or school screening

Intro to Food Waste Resources

• We Waste One-Third of Food Worldwide [Video] 

• Food Waste [Infographic]

• Waste Not, Want Not [Article]  

• Be a Food Waste Warrior [Unit]

• Food [Overview + Case Studies]