In a previous post, we highlighted a toolkit from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Food Matters program, consisting of resources to assist municipalities as they tackle various food waste issues. Shortly after the release of this toolkit, NRDC also announced the creation of two Food Matters Regional Initiatives, consisting of cohorts of cities. The Mid-Atlantic cohort includes Baltimore, MD (hub); Jersey City, NJ; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, D.C. The Southeast cohort includes Nashville, TN (hub); Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; Memphis TN, and Orlando, FL.
From the NRDC blog: ‘Starting with the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, we are launching a Food Matters Regional Initiative, with the goal of furthering larger-scale change related to food waste at a regional level. From a pool of regional applicant cities, we selected five cities to participate in each regional initiative, including previous partner cities as “hub cities” in each region…Our cohorts will include city representatives who will network with one another, with NRDC, and with local partner organizations to set goals, develop workplans, and identify regional strategies that help maximize their resources. NRDC will work with each city to estimate their baseline food waste generation and rescue potential and to provide technical assistance on developing food waste strategies that help bolster their broader food systems, sustainability, and climate goals.’
To learn more about the regional initiatives and work done in specific cities (including those not included in regional initiatives), visit the Food Matters web site and click on “Where We Work.”
Amanda Price piloted the unit in two fifth grade science classes at Butler Elementary and Sandburg Elementary February-March 2020. Both schools are located in Springfield, IL. Amanda works as a Graduate Public Service Intern (GPSI) in the offices of Environmental Education and Community Relations at Illinois EPA. The 
driven by student questions. It teaches students the importance of food waste reduction, landfill diversion, and composting as part of a circular food system. Students create “landfills in a jar” with materials given to them with the goal of protecting the sand, or “groundwater,” at the bottom of the jar. Students also create “compost in a jar” using fresh food scraps and other compostable materials. Students monitor their jars throughout the unit and record scientific data such as temperature and mass. They learn how bacteria act as decomposers. The unit also incorporates map-reading and asks students to think critically about the pros and cons of choosing space for new landfill construction.
The main hands-on activity in the unit is a food waste audit, which can be performed at various scales. Students use data from the audit to calculate the estimated food wasted per person, during the school year, etc. Students end the unit by creating a community awareness or action plan to inform their community or advocate for change. A few students at Butler Elementary wrote a letter to the principal asking him to install a clock in the cafeteria so students could track how much time they had to eat. The principal took swift action and ordered the clock.
What’s the problem with food waste in schools?
Still shot from the parent volunteer instruction video from Franklin Elementary in Glendale, CA.
