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April 2023 date coming soon!

​Started by students
in Cafeteria Culture's program at PS 15 in Brooklyn!​

​Thank you to all who participated! ->
​​Plastic Free Lunch Day, K-12 free Resources ->
​
Why #plasticfreelunch ?
Plastic production, use, and disposal
​ threatens human health and the environment.
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Resources for Educators

Be inspired by youth to
take #plasticfree action!

Sign up for a free K-12 public school screening
​of Microplastic Madness ->
watch trailer on YouTube ->/ watch on Vimeo ->
movie details  ->
​

84,000 viewers in 45 countries!
subtitled & dubbed versions available!
​In Japan? Host a screening ->
​マイクロプラスチック・ストーリー  〜ぼくらが作る2050年〜
Not a K-12 school? Sign-up here ->
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free
​MICROPLASTIC MADNESS TOOLKIT
data + action lessons for grades 3-12
support student-led climate action
​
Guiding Questions,
​ Games, Activities --->
​
Learn about the #plasticpollution problem ->
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CafCu Youth Advocates 
​LISTEN TO YOUTH!
​
Girls Justice Podcast!
Created by 5th grade girls in collaboration with our partner org,
​Lower Eastside Girls Club! (fall/winter 2022)

NYC YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKE, 2019  
 ​Rebeca Sabnam, CafCu Youth Advocate,
 at the Youth #ClimateStrikeNYC ​
High School Youth Advocates Podcast series
Youth Pov on climate, racial justice. human rights, policy, public school & more!
More about Youth Advocates ->
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Plastic Free Lunch Day Resources ->
See all our free resources ->

free TOOLKIT
for a plastic free future
 (grades 3 and up)
Teachers, sign up here
 Watch & be inspired to teach students
​how to use data to inform policy!
Watch "Kids Exercise Democracy" on Vimeo
Be inspired by NYC youth to
#BreakFreeFromPlastic
Watch & share "Got Reusable Bags..." 7th grade students in Flatbush
Watch: "Got Reusable Bags?" on Vimeo -> ; be inspired by 7th grade students from MS 246 Walt Whitman in Brooklyn! See more Movies.
Service Learning in the cafeteria!
Students take on cafeteria leadership roles 
​to reduce school cafeteria
food & packaging waste.
Watch on Youtube ->; Watch on Vimeo ->​
videos and free downloads ->

​​
Watch on YouTube->; Watch on Vimeo ->​
​
Educators across the US and the world
are using our movies and toolkits!

more CafCu
:Plastic Free Education & Action Videos ->

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 CafCu Youth-led
Victories

​ STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS
NYC + 15 large school districts did it.
​  ​Your school can too!

​Cafeteria Culture's 
STYROFOAM OUT OF SCHOOLS campaign
catalyzed the complete elimination
of plastic foam trays from NYC schools,
leading to a co-purchasing agreement with
the largest US urban school districts,
diverting 1/2  a BILLION foam trays per year 
from landfills, incinerators, and student meals! ​
CafCu's 5th grade students take action
to ban plastic foam in NYC!
​ Youth Rally To Ban Foam  at NY City Hall,
judge announces NYC foam ban can move forward (2018)
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Youth Rally to Ban Foam: PS 15 K students & polluting polystyrene foam (styrofoam) collected at Jamaica Bay, NYC

Student Action
New York Plastic Bag Ban
CafCu students collected litter + data,
debated issues, engaged Council Members,
educated neighbors & gave out thousands of reusable bags  more ->

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Shahzia, Rachel, Nerlande & Taina, 8th graders, MS 246 Walt Whitman, at NY City Hall with Council Member Brad Lander, speaking on plastic litter. (2016)
NYC Bag Bill Rally - NEST 3rd graders
NEST+m 3rd graders at New York City Hall Bag Bill Rally, April 2016

PS34M 5th grade students leading on the NYC bag bill ⬇︎

Watch on Youtube -> ; Watch on Vimeo ->
New York State passes bag ban ->

Please donate today for innovative
zero waste, climate education!

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School Programs
Innovative environmental education
and youth-led action!

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Community Arts+Media
for Plastic Free Waters ->

Middle School
PlasticFree Waters​ ->

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

Tokyo/NYC school
partnership programs

Watch on Vimeo->


​Towards Zero Waste
School Cafeterias

Youth lead zero waste audits and outreach
to scale up plastic free initiatives.
A recipe for change!

SCHOOL LUNCH IN JAPAN 
directed by Atsuko Quirk,
Cafeteria Culture Media Director
 34 MILLION VIEWS ​on YouTube!!
MORE CAFCU MOVIES ->

Youth-made Impact Videos

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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->
Plastic Free Waters + Media school programs->
More youth made videos on our YouTube channel ->
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Your tax-deductible donation supports innovative
zero waste, plastic free, and climate education, 
​in under-resourced schools.
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In the News

Brooklyn students & staff inspired to host plastic-free lunch day at school - News 12, May 16, 2022
P.S. 15 students in Brooklyn have inspired thousands of other students in the NYC school system to participate in plastic-free lunch day.
WNCY.org,  Morning Edition, April 2018
Cafeteria Rangers Are Learning How to Reduce School Waste  
"I like it because we're helping the universe and we're being responsible."

Ecowatch:  Ditch Plastic Lunches: Stand Up for Zero-Waste Schools. 2017

Cafeteria Culture Press

Accolades

PS 15 Patrick F Daly 5th grade students speak at the US EPA Region 2 on Environmental Justice and plastic pollution. (March, 2018)

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

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The US State Department & EPA invited CafCu students to present to delegates from China on community-based, upstream solutions to reduce plastic street litter.

Cafeteria Culture at the
United Nations

Executive Director, Debby Lee Cohen, and Media Director, Atsuko Quirk present at UN Headquarters in NYC for the 17th Meeting of the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-17) - Marine Debris, Plastics and Microplastics.
​
Environmental Education & movie awards

Follow us!

​WATCH ALL OUR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE here->
​WATCH ALL OUR VIDEOS ON VIMEO here ->
​CafCu Upcoming Events
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Please make a tax deductible donation today!
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Cafeteria Culture Mission
Working creatively with youth to achieve equitable zero-waste, 
​climate-smart school communities,
​and a plastic free biosphere,
merging citizen science, civic action, media and the arts!

See our program in action
MicroplasticMadness..org