Alternative Messaging
engaging and educating communities 

NYC Bag Bill Rally
PS 34 M 5th graders with their original plastic bag puppet creatures at City Hall Rally, March 23, 2015.

What is Alternative Messaging?

Alternative messaging is a creative, arts & media based method of engaging the public and catalyzing action on the typically unappealing topic of garbage reduction as well as climate change, composting, and plastic pollution.

These innovative projects use art, digital media, 3-dimensional data, and public performance to go beyond simple poster communication. The ultimate goal is to grab the viewer on an emotional level that will be memorable and inspiring.

Our alternative messaging projects communicate that making change can be fun and entertaining. We lead these projects as part of school based programs, as well as with intergenerational community groups.
Styrofoam tray puppets
Cafcu high school volunteer, Tim, wearing the No-Styro puppet, engaging kids, adults and elected officials at the Maker Faire, NYC, 2013.
Painted Compost bins
Cafcu's after school "Curbside Compost Messaging" project with students from PS 167 in Brooklyn.

Alternative Messaging 
Projects 
include:

  • Giant Puppets 
  • Curbside Compost Messaging
  • Kid Friendly and Fun Graphics
  • Container Messaging 
  • Youth Made Media
  • Co-created Music Videos
Polar Bear tray puppet
PS 20 M second graders constructed a giant polar bear puppet out of one day's worth of styrene foam lunch trays. CafCu's Make Change Messaging curriculum bridges school garbage issues to Climate Change.
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Our VISION
We envision a plastic free, equitable zero waste future where landfill and incinerator garbage as we know it no longer exists;
where post consumption waste from food to packaging is drastically reduced
and what remains benefits our schools, communities, and the environment. 

Cafeteria Culture (CafCu) is a Project of The Fund for the City of New York, a 501(c)(3) organization.
As such, your donations to Cafeteria Culture are eligible for charitable deductions under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Cafeteria Culture is a vendor of New York City Department of Education via Fund for the City of New York

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