Archive of Green Lunchroom Challenge Program Kickoff Training Materials
On September 17, 2015, a Green Lunchroom Challenge Kickoff Workshop and Training was held at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL. This session provided an overview of the Green Lunchroom Challenge, presentations on relevant tools and programs, and a group discussion of barriers and opportunities related to food waste prevention and reduction in K-12 schools. A free school food service training session was also presented by Greg Christian, Founder and CEO of Beyond Green Partners, a food service and consulting company focused on nutritional and environmental impacts of school food. The presentations and training were videotaped to enable schools unable to attend, or which learned of the Challenge after the kickoff, to benefit from the information shared. Videos (MP4 files) and PDF versions of the presenter’s slides are available is the collection linked to below. Presenters in addition to Greg Christian of Beyond Green Partners included: Joy Scrogum, ISTC; Susan Vescovi, US EPA Region 5; Kelly Boeger, University of Illinois at Urbana-champaign Housing Dining Services, and Raj Karmani, Zero Percent. Also provided in the collection is a summary of the group discussion focused on barriers and opportunities to prevent and reduce food waste in K-12 schools as a PDF document.
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/99924
Archived Webinars from the Green Lunchroom Challenge Project
The following webinars were organized and presented as part of the Green Lunchroom Challenge program to assist participants and interested parties with issues related to food waste prevention and reduction.
- Food Donation for Schools (November 18, 2015). Dr. Kathleen Dietrich of Food Bus discussed how the program works with elementary schools to recover wasted food and donate it to those in need. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Green Lunchroom Challenge and highlights of Challenge resources related to food donation. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100125.
- Smarter Lunchrooms Concepts and Food Waste Reduction (February 8, 2016). Whitney Ajie of University of Illinois Extension explained how schools can use USDA’s Smarter Lunchroom concept to reduce food waste. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Green Lunchroom Challenge program and highlights of activities relevant to Whitney’s presentation. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100127.
- St. Louis Composting/Total Organics Recycling Services (March 14, 2016). Sara Ryan of Total Organics Recycling/St. Louis Composting explained how schools can collect food waste for commercial composting and provided highlights of the company’s efforts with various schools. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Green Lunchroom Challenge program and highlighted relevant activities. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100128.
- School Gardening and Composting at Salem High School (MA) (September 30, 2016). Graeme Marcoux, Science Faculty and National Green Schools Society Advisor, and Deborah Jeffers, Director of Food Service for the Salem (MA) Public Schools, discuss using cafeteria food scraps to make compost for Salem High School’s school garden. Note: Graeme Marcoux experienced technical difficulties with his microphone, so you will need to turn your computer’s speakers up very high whenever he is speaking to hear him clearly. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Challenge program and highlighted relevant activities. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100129.
- Waste Reduction with SCARCE (October 13, 2016). Kay McKeen and Erin Kennedy from SCARCE show how to engage students in reducing food waste by conducting a cafeteria waste audit. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Challenge program and highlighted relevant activities. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100130.
- Mindful Waste: Eliminating Food Waste Through Education, Prevention and Recovery (November 17, 2016). Jennifer Kainz and Renee Blue, co-founders of Barrington, IL not-for-profit Mindful Waste, discuss working with schools to help them reduce food waste. Joy Scrogum of ISTC provided an overview of the Challenge program and highlighted relevant activities. PDF versions of the slides from both presentations, and video recording of the webinar in MP4 format are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100131.
- Level of Accomplishment Overview/Q&A Session (November 22, 2016). Joy Scrogum of ISTC reviewed how to submit Green Lunchroom Challenge activity documentation for scoring. Note: this link is provided for archival purposes only–the original Green Lunchroom Challenge voluntary pledge and recognition program grant ended. ISTC no longer accepts and scores activity documentation, but schools are encouraged to continue to use the suggested activities developed for the program to guide their food service sustainability efforts. A PDF of the slide and a MP4 recording of the presenation are available at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/100132.