microplastic madness
Brooklyn kids take on plastic pollution
(a Cafeteria Culture production, premiering in September 2019)
An inspiring story with a "youth action" message!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FINISH OUR MOVIE
and to share it will all schools for free
to spark a youth-led plastic-free waters movement!
microplastic madness - Brooklyn kids take on plastic pollution Is an inspiring and optimistic take on the local and global plastic marine pollution crisis as told through a refreshing urban youth point of view. Fifth graders from PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn - a community on the frontline of Climate Change that was severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy- spent 2 years investigating the local and global impacts of plastic marine pollution. then took action for plastic free waters! These students took the deep dive into the root causes of plastic pollution. As young citizen scientists and community advocates, they collected local data, and led community outreach. They use their own local data to inform policy. testifying and rallying at City Hall. Then they turned their focus back to school, taking action in their cafeteria to eliminate all single-use plastic. With stop-motion animation, heartfelt kid commentary, and interviews of experts and renowned scientists who are engaged in the most cutting edge research on the harmful effects of microplastics, this alarming, yet charming narrative, conveys an urgent message in user-friendly terms. Created to inspire kids, teachers and policy makers alike, this is the spark needed to grow a youth-led plastic-free waters movement! 
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESmicroplastic madness - Educational Series on YouTube and Vimeo Movie chapters will be shared as a series on YouTube and Vimeo, bringing this inspiring story to classrooms with free companion curriculum that aligns with the movie chapters. The PLASTIC FREE WATERS TOOLKIT will provide free, urgently needed marine plastic pollution curriculum for diverse learners in grades 4 and up. Interdisciplinary, place-based lesson plans and activities are grouped into 5 units with each unit aligning with one of the movie's 5 chapters. The toolkit is designed to allow teachers to use these free resources as stand alone lessons, a complete unit, or as an extended program with all 5 units. 
WHY CAFETERIA CULTURE?CAFETERIA CULTURE's YouTube channel, Cafcu Media has 22 MILLION views!
Atsuko Quirk - microplastic madness Director and Cafeteria Culture Media Director - created the documentary, "SCHOOL LUNCH IN JAPAN - It's not just about eating" to inspire students and adults in NYC schools to infuse the lunch period with student leadership and gratitude as a way to reduce waste. After igniting Cafeteria Culture's Cafeteria Ranger program, the movie went viral and has been inspiring many.,many millions of people, young and old, across the globe! Now, with microplastic madness, we are ready to inspire many millions of people to stop using single-use plastics. With schools everywhere as hubs, students can collect their own local data, lead community outreach, and take action. Multiplying thousands of youth-led actions, we can create a domino effect that drives global change forward from the ground up! CAFETERIA CULTURE led the movement to rid schools of styrofoam! CAFETERIA CULTURE, founded in 2009 as Styrofoam Out of Schools, catalyzed the complete elimination of polystyrene (commonly called, styrofoam) trays from all New York City public schools and now ten other cities. This victory has resulted in the elimination of over half a billion polystyrene trays per year from landfills, incinerators and student meals across the US! We are ready to win the next plastic-free victory in schools across the country, and rid school cafeterias of the rest of the polluting single-use packaging! CAFETERIA CULTURE has been teaching and sharing cutting edge environmental curriculum since 2012 Our team pilots innovative classroom and cafeteria education in NYC schools. Our programs engage student as the designers of solutions to achieve zero waste schools and to reduce single-use plastic. The PLASTIC FREE WATERS curriculum merges citizen science and civic participation with the arts and media production. Students use their own, local data to inform policy in their communities and citywide. Our students, overwhelmingly from low-income communities of color, are providing an urgently needed voice in NYC’s environmental movement. From 2017-19, Cafeteria Culture has been leading Professional Development trainings for teachers through the New York City Department of Education Offices of Sustainability and Service in Schools, as well as at our partner schools. We have been sharing a beta version of our Plastic Free Waters lessons and asking for teacher feedback. Our experience has shown us that teachers are clamoring for hands-on lessons and activities that connect the plastic marine pollution problem to citizen science and civc leadership, as well as to multiple subject areas, including Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts, and the Arts. CAFETERIA CULTURE wins awards for our innovative education! Cafeteria Culture was honored to be one of only five North American organizations to receive an inaugural UL Innovative Education Award (2015) for advancing environmental STEM education, sustainable communities, and youth empowerment (read what the judges said). Cafeteria Culture received an Environmental Quality Award from the US EPA Region 2 in 2013 and a competitive US EPA Region 2 Trash Free Waters grant for our “Community Arts+Media for Trash Free Waters” program for 3 NYC public schools, sparking the idea for this movie. HELP us to finish this important movie
and to reach new audiences! Together, we can spark a PLASTIC FREE WATERS Youth Movement! 
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