Service Learning in the Cafeteria
with the

Work towards a zero waste cafeteria
with students as leaders!
Videos and Downloads to get you started in 8 steps
​
Or start with something else:
PLASTIC FREE LUNCH DAY (learn how->)
Get (styro)foam trays out of your school ->

Host a screening of MICROPLASTIC MADNESS
Be inspired by youth to take #plasticfree action!

Looking for Plastic Free Waters
​classroom and community curriculum?
Find it here ->

“Cafeteria Culture has one of the most fabulous and successful Environmental Education programs I have ever seen implemented into a school district like NYC. They have managed to cut through the endless amounts of red tape and bureaucracy that comes with a school district of that size. They were also one of our top awardees for the UL Innovative Education Award.”
- Christiane Maertens, Deputy Director, North American Association for Environmental Education

 We are here to help!
We are building a community of people who want to make change.
Let's all work together and help one another.

Welcome to the

First, here's a short video tour:
The SORT2SAVE Overview (3:44)

This video is coming soon on Vimeo.

“I was skeptical that the Cafeteria Ranger program would make anything more than a headache for my team, but we quickly saw that putting students in charge of sorting made them better at cleaning up after themselves at their tables and made less work for all of the custodians."
- Stephen Marinaro, Custodial Engineer, NEST+m, New York City Department of Education

The SORT2SAVE KIT - Cafeteria Ranger Program is hands-on service learning and student leadership in the cafeteria. Students oversee all recycling and sorting on a rotating schedule. All students can participate.
Make zero waste fun in 8 steps!

​All SORT2SAVE KIT  downloads are here

   
​All SORT2SAVE KIT videos are here
​

Phase 1 of this KIT is designed for grades K-5, but can be adapted for all grades. We are always adding more zero waste resources are coming. 
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Recycling and composting laws and procedures vary from district to district.
​If your school is not in New York City, please check with your local government about local laws. ​

Looking for classroom or
​remote learning  Environmental Education?
Host a screening of CafCu's award winning movie,
MICROPLASTIC MADNESS

Now you're ready to start.

Cafeteria Ranger CrashCourse (6:31 mins)

 Watch "Cafeteria Ranger CrashCourse" on Vimeo here ->​ 
​​

Using a rotational system, all students have the opportunity to be a Cafeteria Ranger.  At the end of each lunch period, student Rangers oversee all recycling and sorting of food scraps and packaging. It's a hands-on service-learning opportunity.

​Students practice communication, leadership, and recycling/sorting skills as a daily routine, while ensuring that all city purchased “green” items, including recyclables, compostables and food scraps, remain as resources.

​If you are not ready to start a Cafeteria Ranger Program, you can still go ahead and:

• Conduct a waste audit (Step 3)
• Print and assemble new signs (Step 6)  
• Set up the bins (Step 8)
• Share sorting how-to videos with teachers and students (Step 7)

​

It all takes a little effort in the beginning but
​it gets easier as more students have the opportunity to be on Ranger Duty!

TIPS FOR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING (click on boxes below):

CUSTODIANS - OBSERVE THEM WORKING IN THE CAFETERIA AND ASK:

• How many bags of cafeteria garbage there are per day?
• How many trips do you make to the curbside?
• How much time does it takes to clean the floor after lunch?

SCHOOL AIDES - OBSERVE THEM AND ASK: ​

• What’s the hardest part of your job? 
• How do you get students dismissed from the cafeteria in an orderly and efficient way? 
• Are students cleaning up after themselves?

Kitchen Staff - introduce yourself, learn their names, and ask: 

• How many meals are served per day?
• Do students say “thank you” when you serve them?
  
• How much time is there between each lunch period?
  
  

PRINCIPAL: share positive OUTCOMES that typically result from a cafeteria Ranger program 

Here are just a few of the benefits that can result from a Cafeteria Ranger program:
- A significant reduction of your school's cafeteria garbage due to improved sorting
- Increased awareness of the benefits of recycling, composting, and reduction
- Provides new leadership pportunities for students during school meal time
- Saves custodian and school food staff labor time by reducing the overall number of  bags being pulled from garbage and recycling bins
- Fewer plastic bags are used, whih means saving money and resources, as well as reducing the amount of plastic that is going to landfills and incinerators
- A cleaner cafeteria floor, which saves custodians and school food staff time
- Improvement of the overall quality of the cafeteria experience
- An excellent starting point that leads to infusing a zero waste culture school wide!

​There are variations for kickstarting
​the Cafeteria Ranger Program at your school.
You can adapt these 8 steps to
fit the needs of your own school.​

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CASE STUDY
Learn how Nessa Arnold, IEP teacher andSustainability Coordinator at P.S. 32 X The Belmont School in the Bronx, NYC, got her Cafeteria Ranger program started (below).

Nessa built momentum by jumping right to Steps 6 and 8, testing out new signs and new bin placement first. This immediately brought students and School Aides on board before setting up the rotational system, Step 4. (Click to Read more)

"I presented all of the Cafeteria Rangers materials to our Safety Committee (many of whom do lunch duty), Parent Association, Head Custodian, and some administration. Without hesitation, I was able to get them on board! We discussed and worked out some potential problems that might arise. The next morning I created four sorting stations and got the sorting ball rolling. Within minutes of standing at a station during breakfast I had students asking 'What is going on?' and if they could help. They jumped right in and made sure that breakfast was sorted correctly. Sorting during breakfast went smooth. Next was lunch, which made me a bit nervous as the crowds are bigger. During lunch, many of the School Aides asked if they could have a few of their students help at the stations. Over three lunch periods, we reduced our trash to 1/4 of a can and our recycling of metal, glass, and plastics to ma

Planning with school custodians as NEST+m

Click on the boxes below to expand.

Check out the current situation in the cafeteria. ​

• Take photos!
• How many garbage bins and bags are used?
• How do the Cafeteria Aides and staff operate during lunch periods?
• How long does each lunch period last?
• How much time is there in between lunch periods?
• What are the "traffic patterns" (the flow of student movement)?

Why bother with a waste audit?

• Data is powerful tool for change! 
• A waste audit is an excellent way to involve students and teachers with hands-on STEM learning
• Simple "before" and "after" photos that visually show amounts of garbage can be powerful images for getting the entire of the school on board
• A detailed audit with "before" and "after" weights of garbage, recyclables, liquids, and compostables can be used to advocate for school and district-wide change

.Click on boxes below to expand

SUGGESTIONS for choosing A LAUNCH DAY Date

• Work with your administration and key players to collectively decide upon an the perfect Launch Day for your Cafeteria Ranger Program.
• Plan ahead. Pick a day that will allow you time the day before the Launch to get all the preparation work done.
• Check out the school food menu and choose a day with as little packaging as possible. Make the first day of sorting easy.
• Try not launch on a Monday.  The first day of the week is a good day to check that everything is in order and to remind everyone about Launch Day.

suggestions for getting everyone on board

• Have students make original signage to publicize the LAUNCH DAY.
• Present the Cafeteria Ranger Program at a school wide assembly.
• Make the Launch Day into a challenge!
• Announce the Cafeteria Ranger Program during all lunch periods.
• Announce the Cafeteria Ranger Program during school-wide morning announcements.
• Ask teachers to get students excited about the Cafeteria Ranger Launch Day by talking about it regularly during morning meetings.

STEP 4 DOWNLOADS
Intro Letter Templates to Teachers and Parents/Caregivers

First Introduction Letter to Teachers about Cafeteria Ranger Program (editable document, 67KB)

Intro Letter to Parents/Caregivers about the Cafeteria Ranger Program (editable document - 49 KB)

It is now time to make the ANNOUNCEMENT to the entire school:
"The Cafeteria Ranger Program is starting soon!"

"Cafeteria Culture takes a "bite" out of pollution and landfills by teaching environmental stewardship, advocacy, and sustainability. Throughout the city, Cafeteria Culture has created zero-waste school cafeterias, and is teaching tomorrow's leaders to think creatively about bringing sustainability into our schools, communities, and daily lives."
- Daniel Squadron, New York State Senator, 26th District

Why Send letters to teachers and parents/caregivers?

This is an excellent way to share details of the program with teachers and parents. The editable Microsoft Word documents below are designed to be personalized. Consider sending these as emails.

Here's how the Ranger scheduling works! ​ 
​(read about all here)

• One class in each lunch period is assigned as the Cafeteria Ranger class for one month. Cafeteria Ranger classes rotate month by month. Every student will have the chance to be a leader.
• One adult needs to be the Ranger Coordinator (it can be any adult) in charge of scheduling, Sign-up Sheets and Badges. Once a month, she/he distributes Sign-up Sheets to the teachers of the next Cafeteria Ranger classes.
• The teachers assign their students to weekly shifts, filling in 2 copies of the sign-up sheet.
• One copy of the Sign-up Sheet stays in the classroom and the other copy gets posted in the cafeteria.
• Before a class becomes a Ranger class for the first time, the classroom teacher explains the Ranger Jobs and Ranger Etiquette to the entire class. 
• Teachers continue to review Job Descriptions and assignments regularly during the entire month of Class Ranger Duty.
• During the lunch period, the Rangers get to be first on the food line so that they have enough time to eat their lunch before starting their jobs.
• The Rangers work the last 5-7 minutes of their own lunch period. When the lunch period is over, the Rangers take off their gloves and head back to the classroom.

ABOUT STEP 5 DOWNLOADS

• You can download a PDF version of "HERE'S HOW THE RANGER SCHEDULE WORKS" that includes more details for Steps 4 and 5.
• There are 2 versions of the Cafeteria Ranger Sign-up Sheets , one for NYC schools with Organics (compost) Collection and one for schools without.
• There is no preview for the editable Yearlong Schedule Template. It will download as soon as you click on the image.
• All KIT downloads can be found one a single webpage here.

"HERE'S HOW THE RANGER SCHEDULING WORKS" -
StePS 4 & 5, PDF version

Steps 4 & 5 - Scheduling and Launch date details (PDF 240 KB)

sign-up sheets 

Cafeteria Ranger Sign-up Sheets - classroom and cafeteria versions - for schools with organics (compost) collection (PDF, 108 KB)

Cafeteria Ranger Sign-up Sheets - classroom and cafeteria versions - for schools withOUT organics (compost) collection (PDF, 108 KB)

YEARLONG SCHEDULE TEMPLATE

Cafeteria Ranger Yearlong Schedule Template - to post in the cafeteria (11 pages, editable document- 833 KB, no preview)

"As soon as our students started their Cafeteria Ranger jobs, they behaved much better after lunch and we could transition back to classwork more easily."
- ​Allison DeGrazia, teacher, PS 34 Manhattan

Posting a yearlong schedule of Cafeteria Ranger class assignments helps students to grasp that everyone will have a chance to be a Ranger at some point during the school year.

Click above to make your tax deductible donation today.

How to Assemble the SORT2SAVE Signs (2:44 mins)

Watch "How to Assemble SORT2save SIgns"  on Vimeo here ->​ 

ABOUT STEP 6 DOWNLOADS

• ​All the Sorting Signs are together in one PDF. Included are 2 versions of the "trash sign." One is for schools with Organics Collection (composting) and one id for schools without Organics Collection. Choose which pages to print. 
• The Table Captain Badges are optional . Some schools love having the additional Ranger jobs.
• All KIT downloads can be found one a single webpage here.

Cafeteria sorting SIGNS 

Cafeteria Sorting Signs - for NYC schools with and without organics (compost) collection, 9 pages (print only what you need, 1.9 MB)

Cafeteria Ranger Badges

Cafeteria Ranger Badges, 5 per page (PDF, 1.9 MB)

Optional: Table Captain Badges, 4 per page (PDF, 256 KB)

about the GLOVES

• Gloves do not need to be food grade or sterile.
• “Light Duty” gloves are fine.
• Some “eco versions” exist, but we do not have enough information to endorse any brand at this time.
• Some schools buy reusable latex gloves that they wash and reuse!
• Check with your local health department to be sure that students are required to wear gloves when handling student plates or trays.

​SORT2SAVE Signs

• Get your students involved in the preparation for the LAUNCH DAY by having them help with assembling the cafeteria sorting signs.
• Have your students make additional original signage to publicize your LAUNCH DAY throughout the entire school building.​
• Our cafeteria signs are designed for NYC schools. If you are not an NYC school, check with your local government for recycling regulations.
• Outside of NYC? Consider making original cafeteria sorting signage for your school or school district with the help of students, the art teacher, and/or your PTA.

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Too much prep work?
 Are you interested in ordering a Kit
with all the signs, badges and forms ready to use?
If so, please email us here.  
If we receive enough interest,
​we'll make the kits ASAP!

SORT2SAVE Cheer! (5:53 mins)

Watch "SORT2save cheer!" on Vimeo here -> 

STEP 7 DOWNLOADS
New Ranger Class Overview Letter to Teachers,
​"SORT2SAVE Cheer!"  Lyrics, Job Descriptions, and Ranger Etiquette 

new ranger class overview letter to teachers

New Ranger Class Overview Letter to Teachers with explanation of the Ranger Scheduling and Job Descriptions (editable document, 76KB)

ABOUT the "SORT2SAVE Cheer!" Lyrics 

• There are 2 versions of the SORT2SAVE Cheer! Lyrics, one for grades 1-2 and another for grades 3-6.
• The Pre-k - K - 1 version is coming this fall with a new SORT2SAVE segment dedicated to Pre-K - K Zero Waste Meals in the Classroom!

"SORT2SAVE CHEER!" LYRICS for grades 1-2

SORT2save Cheer! - Lyrics for Grades 1-2 (1 page, PDF, 264KB)

"SORT2SAVE CHEER!" LYRICS FOR GRADES 3-6

SORT2save Cheer! - Lyrics for Grades 3-6 (2 pages, PDF, 274KB)

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Cafeteria Ranger JOB DESCRIPTIONS (5 pages, PDF, 732 KB)

Ranger etiquette

Cafeteria Ranger Etiquette Practice (3 pages, PDF, 296 KB)

Sing and sort to the beat!

Download the
SORT2save Cheer
lyrics

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"Cafeteria Culture has done an amazing job! One of the students came up to me this morning and pointed to the garbage pails in her classroom and said with confidence, "We sort now."  I looked in the direction she was pointing and realized she was referring to the waste. She was beaming, and I began to beam as well.” 
- Peggy Wyns-Madison, Principal, PS15 The Patrick F. Daly Magnet School of the Arts. Brooklyn, New York City Department of Education

The SORT2SAVE KIT and the SORT2SAVE lyrics by Debby Lee Cohen are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at [email protected].

Watch "SORTING STATION Set-up Samples" on Vimeo here ->

Learn about different sorting station arrangements for different types of school cafeteria layouts and work towards achieving a zero waste school cafeteria! 

Daily Operations - this is your go-to guide

• Here it is as a webpage
• And here it is as a downloadable PDF:

DAILy operations - Downloadable PDF in color

Daily Operations for Cafeteria Rangers - in color (3 pages, PDF, 2.7 MB)

DAILY OPERATIONS - DOWNLOADABLE PDF IN black & White

Daily Operations for Cafeteria Rangers - in black & white (3 pages, PDF, 2.3 MB)

 CONGRATULATIONS!
You are ready to launch your

A few important reminders:

• Remind all key players of the new cafeteria procedures.
• Ask your principal or vice principal to make an announcement in each of the cafeteria lunch periods on Launch Day.
• Take photos so you can create a poster with "before" and "after" images.
• MAKE IT FUN!!!

​​

"Amazing First Day!" poster template (editable document, 1.8 MB)

S2S KIT CHECKLIST
​download here

More #PlasticFree Resources!

• Lead a PLASTIC FREE LUNCH DAY in your school!  (see how the 5th graders did this in the MICROPLASTIC MADNESS movie)
• Use our Remote Learning and Student Resources ​
• Lead a BREAK FREE FROM PLASTIC POLLUTION ACT - youth teach-in!  
• Organize a DIY: Data + Action Street Litter Clean- up (or a beach litter clean-up)- Covid safety guide included​​
• Learn about the PLASTIC POLLUTION CRISIS

Click above to make your tax deductible donation today.

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for updates
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TWITTER @CafeteriaCu
YOUTUBE- CafCu Media

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Scroll down for
more inspiring ZERO WASTE videos!

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 You will be able to watch "Icy Comes to New York City" on both Vimeo  and YouTube.

This is the WHY! Coming soon!

​New SORT2SAVE KIT  segments are continuously rolling out.
SIGN UP for our mailing list here
Be the first to know when new videos and tools are posted!

MORE ZERO WASTE INSPIRATION!

Watch  "SCHOOL LUNCH IN JAPAN - It's Not Just About Eating"  on Vimeo

SCHOOL LUNCH IN JAPAN - It's Not Just About Eating
See how students in Japan eat lunch and be inspired!
See why over 11,000,000 viewers have watched this video on Cafeteria Culture's  YouTube channel: CafCu Media! This is an inspirational video for students and adults alike.

Directed, edited and filmed by Atsuko Satake Quirk, Cafeteria Culture's Media Director, this video shows how "lunch period" is considered a regular learning period in Japanese schools.

Japanese-style, student-led school lunch culture was the inspiration for our NYC school Cafeteria Ranger Program! Read more about that here.

Watch "Rangers to the Rescue" on Vimeo here.
​

Rangers to the Rescue!
​
​Here's a fun short video to show your young students to get them excited about their Cafeteria Ranger jobs!

Watch "5th Grade Change Makers Take Action on NYC'Bag Bill" on Vimeo

"5th Grade Change Makers Take Action on NYC Bag Bill"
Watch and get inspired by PS34 M's 5th grade leaders from Cafeteria Culture's ARTS+MEDIA for Climate Action program. See how these students took on leadership roles beyond the cafeteria to help reduce plastic bag pollution!

TAKE ACTION for a greener, cleaner NYC and for Trash Free Waters for our children and future generations!
Learn more about the NYC Bag Bill bag bill here.
​
Video Credits: Produced, directed and edited by Atsuko Quirk, Cafeteria Culture Media Director and Program Co-Director; Camera Crew: Quirk in partnership with PS34 5th grade students!

INSPIRATION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL

Take student leadership
from the cafeteria to the community
PLASTIC FREE WATERS education ->

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Why schools need the SORT2SAVE  Cafeteria Ranger program now!
In New York City:

• NYC recently expanded the school Organics Collection (composting) to include 700 or about 40% of all NYC public schools. 
• The latest City Diversion Report states that school compost bins are “often heavily contaminated.”1
• As if September, 2015, 1/2 a billion compostable school food plates replaced styrofoam trays in schools in the 6 largest US school districts.  Cafeteria Culture is dedicated to ensuring that this new School Food "green" packaging remains a resource.

In other school districts across the US:

• Our garbage, especially methane producing food waste and organic materials, contributes to climate change. This in turn causes more extreme weather, like Hurricane Sandy and dangerously hot summer days, thus increasing global food insecurity and compounding many other environmental problems.
• By reducing the amount of garbage that we throw away at school, home, and everywhere else, we conserve natural resources and help our community and the world​

1-Diversion Report II, NYC Organics Collection Pilot, April - September 2014." NYC Department of Sanitation. Web. 22 July 2015.

Learn more about Cafeteria Culture and why we love zero waste->