Understand that discarded food is a valuable resource. Identify and apply practices that eliminate and/or redirect discarded food from landfill systems.
THEME: Nourishment: Feeding Our Mind and Body with What It Needs to Stay Healthy and Flourish
STRAND: Food Justice & Security
GRADE LEVEL: 6-8
Key Concepts
Develop awareness of food waste and reinforce routines that eliminate and/or redirect food from landfill systems.
Lesson
Using 5 gallon buckets, determine volume and weight, and record food waste from lunch. Make comparisons over time. Identify mean, median and mode of waste, and annual totals for school and individual students.
Create a strategy (e.g., taking smaller portions) and a system to generate less food waste in your garden, classroom or cafeteria. (e.g., using food waste as animal food, vermicompost
Effective Microorganisms, or in compost piles in the garden).
Incorporate garden, snack discards into garden compost system. Layer with, appropriate amounts of nitrogen/carbon.
Discuss how discards can become garden inputs. Connect to garden nutritional cycles.
Activity
Identify ways of sharing leftovers and excess produce with community organizations that support food security (e.g., The Food Basket).