Working creatively with youth to achieve zero-waste, climate-smart school communities
​and a plastic free biosphere
with citizen science, civic action, media and the arts!

Cafeteria Culture presents

A feature documentary & impact campaign - with kids taking the lead!

​Movie details, screening info, and curriculum  ->

Please donate for more innovative zero waste, plastic free education!

Cafeteria Culture's new
Youth Advocates Program
mentoring middle and high school activists

NYC YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKE 9/20  
Hear ​Rebeca Sabnam,
16 year old CafCu Youth Advocate,
speaking at the Youth #ClimateStrikeNYC 9/20!
​
​"Human greed is fueling our oceans with the power to wipe Bangladesh off the map. We’re almost out of time!"

Cafcu youth help win
NY plastic-free victories!
​
- New York State passes bag ban & 
​NYC passes bag fee! ->​
-
​ NYC Foam Ban goes into effect ->​

NYC Styrofoam Ban begins - students celebrate with Mayor and Commissioner from Cafeteria Culture on Vimeo.

Let's get plastic straws banned in NYC! ->​

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Cafcu's free educational resources
​and inspiration

the free toolkit
 for grades 4 and up
​coming in 2020 (learn more ->)
Teachers - sign up here

 - Watch and share DEAR HUMANS -  made 4th grade students

Watch "Dear Humans" on YouTube; Watch on Vimeo ->​

Be inspired by NYC youth to
#BeatPlasticPollution
​see more movies ->

Watch: "Got Reusable Bags?" on Vimeo -> ; be inspired by 7th grade students from MS 246 Walt Whitman in E. Flatbush, Brooklyn!

ZERO WASTE TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Students take on leadership roles in the cafeteria
​to oversee recycling and composting and to reduce waste

Watch on Youtube ->; Watch on Vimeo ->​

​Start a  CAFETERIA RANGER Program 
- videos and free downloads ->​

Watch on YouTube->; Watch on Vimeo ->
​

SUBSCRIBE

​WATCH ALL OUR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE here->

​WATCH ALL OUR VIDEOS ON VIMEO here ->

@CafeteriaCu

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​@cafcu 

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Youth-led Advocacy
and
Victories!

STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS
11 U.S. school districts did it.
​  ​Your school can too!

​Cafeteria Culture's 
STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS campaign
catalyzed the complete elimination
of foam trays from NYC schools
This led to a co-purchasing agreement with
10 US urban school districts,
diverting 1/2 a BILLION foam trays per year 
from landfills, incinerators, and student meals! ​

​Foam is finally banned in NYC!
NYC was sued twice  by the industry as a tactic to block the foam ban. Just one week after our Youth Rally To Ban Foam  at NY City Hall,
on World Oceans Day (May, 2018), the judge announced
that the  NYC ban could move forward!
Thank you student advocates for taking action!

Youth Rally to Ban Foam - PS 15 K students with polluting polystyrene foam (aka styrofoam) that they collected at Jamaica Bay, Queens

New York Bans Plastic Bags
Thank you, NYC students, for taking action!
Thank you NYC Council Members
for passing the 5-cent fee bill on paper carryout bags
to encourage people to bring reusables.
Learn more ->

NEST+m 3rd graders at New York City Hall Bag Bill Rally, April 2016

Tompkins Square Middle School student, Rebeca, asking NYC Council to vote "yes" for the bag fee (April 2016, City Hall).

MS246 K Walt Whitman students, Shazia, Rachel, Nerlande, & Tiana, speaking personally and passionately on NYC plastic litter with NYC Councilmember Lander (April 2016, City Hall).

INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
and ACTION

School Programs

Community Arts+Media
for
Plastic Free Waters

Plastic
Free Waters​

Watch on YouTube->; Watch on Vimeo ->​

​International
school partnerships 
 for plastic free waters

Watch on Vimeo->

Zero Waste Cafeterias  
 Cafeteria Rangers  and Make Change Messaging 

Watch on Youtube ->; Watch on Vimeo ->
ARTS+ACTION school programs - creative hands-on learning, student leadership, plus teaching the WHY with HOW! learn more ->
CONTACT US to find out how to bring ARTS+ACTION to your school.

Arts, Media and Civic Action
Students lead on the NYC bag bill

Watch on Youtube -> ; Watch on Vimeo ->
PS34 5th graders from ourARTS+MEDIA for Climate Action program take action on NYC's plastic bag problem, then TAKE ACTION here! 

Support environmental-STEaM, education in underserved public schools

AWARDS

CafCu + 99 international sustainability innovation

Youth-made Impact Videos
learn more about Plastic Free Waters here ->

SUBSCRIBE

The Story of Aliana and Joe - plastic in fish?

Watch on YouTube; Watch ​on Vimeo->

Journey of Plastic Litter  

Watch on YouTube; Watch ​on Vimeo->

Your tax-deductible donation supports innovation,
education, and inspiration to achieve more zero waste grassroots-led victories!

read THE LATEST  here ->

In the News

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“I’ve learned a lot of things, not just the cycle of Styrofoam and plastics,” Dalencour told the RHSR.  ​“I’ve also learned how to communicate with my peers better; I was kind of quiet, but it gave me a way to open up.”   (read more ->)

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​WNCY.org, April 23, 2018
Cafeteria Rangers Are Learning How to Reduce School Waste  
Cafeteria Rangers from PS 188 the Island School spoke with WNYC report Shumita Basu for Earth Day! WNYC.org - Morning Edition

"I like it because we're helping the universe and we're being responsible."

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Ecowatch:
Ditch Plastic Lunches: Stand Up for Zero-Waste Schools
Marcus Eriksen, Nov. 20, 2017

excerpt:
Debby Lee Cohen, executive director and founder of Cafeteria Culture, explained "Yet the long term effects of hot food served daily to children, directly onto trays made of the chemical styrene—sometimes 3 times per day and over a 13-year period—has yet to be studied."...

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Virgin Airlines blog features Cafeteria Culture

Every day, “Cafeteria Rangers” appointed from the student body oversee the post-lunch recycling and sorting of food scraps and packaging. While learning about recycling and sorting, the students also practise communication and leadership skills, and design arts and media based advocacy campaigns, such as giant puppets and video shorts. (read more ->)

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Accolades

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​Mayor invites Cafeteria Culture and our students from our PS 15 K to kick-off the NYC Styrofoam Ban!

‘No More Foam!’ Mayor Marks Start of NYC Styrofoam Ban Jan 1, 2019 

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​Fifth grade students from PS 15 Patrick F Daly testified at  a New York City Council hearing on wastewater treatment.
​
Watch: Kids Exercise Democracy! 5th graders testify at City Hall on plastic litter and wastewater

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PS 15 Patrick F Daly 5th graders spoke at the at the US EPA Region 2 offices as panelists for the Plastic Free Waters Partnership meeting, speaking to a packed full room of 74 attendees  (March, 2018)

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PS/MS34 M - Cafcu students
presented to delegates from China

The US State Department and the US EPA invited Cafeteria Culture and our students to present to delegates from China on community-based, upstream solutions to reduce plastic street litter, which contributes to a rapidly increasing global marine pollution plight.

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Cafeteria Culture at the
United Nations

Cafeteria Culture Executive Director, Debby Lee Cohen (above) and Media Director, Atsuko Quirk (below) presented at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC in June as part of the 17th Meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-17) - Marine Debris, Plastics and Microplastics.

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JAPAN - ZERO WASTE INSPIRATION

SCHOOL LUNCH IN JAPAN
directed by Atsuko Quirk,
Cafeteria Culture Media Director
23 MILLION VIEWS ​
​on YouTube!

WATCH MORE CAFCU MOVIES ->

​CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION