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Youth Voices, Big Solutions: Tackling Food Waste & Plastic Pollution

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Featured Initiatives

Our students are turning school cafeterias into youth action hubs.

At Cafeteria Culture (CafCu), we ignite student leadership to drive real-world change—starting in the school cafeteria, where every student has equal access. Since 2009, our hands-on programs have empowered youth in frontline communities to tackle food waste and plastic pollution through science, civic action, media, and art, while exploring local composting to increase local resilience.
A group of children stand together by the water, some holding video cameras, with a pier visible in the background.

Microplastic Madness

An award-winning documentary that's inspiring a global youth movement
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A group of children and adults in a school hold a sign that reads, “Plastic Free Lunch Day USA started here at PS15 in Brooklyn, NYC,” smiling and celebrating together.

Plastic Free Lunch Day

Join us for the next Plastic Free Lunch Days | November 17th - November 21st, 2025!
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Children sort and record items into labeled boxes for school lunch waste, with an adult assisting nearby in a classroom setting.

Take Action Toolkits

Tools to spark action in schools and beyond
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A girl in glasses holds a cafeteria tray with food and points to a menu board displaying fruit and vegetable choices in English and Spanish.

Mindful Choice Meals

Helping students waste less and eat more!
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Our Impact

Scaling up hyper-local youth-led solutions

mil+

Single-use plastic items reduced in New York City School lunches

k+

Microplastic Madness views across 45 countries

+

student environmental leaders trained through our programs since 2009

and over million

views on our YouTube Channel
A group of students and adults hold protest signs about environmental and food issues in front of a building under a banner reading "2024-2025 Achievements.A group of students and adults hold protest signs about environmental and food issues in front of a building under a banner reading "2024-2025 Achievements.
Project Report

Cafeterias to City Hall! See Our Students' Impact

Our 2024-2025 impact report reveals how student leadership is transforming school cafeterias:
  • 35-50% reduction in food waste through our Mindful Choice Meals Initiative
  • 161 Pounds of cafeteria food scraps are composted locally
  • 68% reduction in average number of single-use plastic items per student on regular day in NYC Public Schools in standard kitchen service sites
  • Plastic Free Lunch Day now reaches 4,103 schools across the nation
Read Full Report
Toolkits

Free Resources For Educators & Students

Explore our free resources, including lesson plans for teachers and action guides for students and adults to lead change in their schools and cafeterias. Whether for a single-day activity or a full-unit project, these toolkits blend science, civic engagement, and hands-on solutions to inspire real world action.
Simple green line drawing of a fish with an X for an eye and geometric shapes on its body, on a white background.

Microplastic Madness Toolkit

Data + action lessons for grades 3-12
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A compartmentalized tray holding an apple, a piece of broccoli, a main dish, and two additional sections.

Plastic Free Lunch Day

Implementation Guides, Outreach Materials and Lesson Plans
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Outline drawing of an apple and a broccoli floret side by side.

Mindful Choice Meals

How to reduce food waste in your cafeteria!
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A green line drawing of a compost bin on wheels with a lid and the words "Compost Bin" written on the side.

Sort2Save

Cafeteria Ranger Program for service learning in the cafeteria
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Three students in maroon shirts point towards the camera inside a school cafeteria. Text overlay reads:
Youth Leadership

Students Driving Science, Media, and Civic Action

Our programs equip students to:
  • Conduct meaningful citizen science
  • Create powerful media
  • Take direct civic action
  • Inform policy decisions
Learn More

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Your donation helps provide free youth leadership opportunities to under-resourced schools.
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