ZERO WASTE
CAFETERIAS and SCHOOLS
Innovative hands-on
Environmental-STEaM Education
with student leadership,
creative problem solving,
with real world advocacy
Environmental-STEaM Education
with student leadership,
creative problem solving,
with real world advocacy
|
Watch on Youtube ->; Watch on Vimeo ->
|
|
|
|
Cafeteria Rangers Are Learning How to Reduce School Waste
WNCY.org, April 23, 2018, reported by Shumita Basu 
Cafeteria Rangers from PS 188 the Island school spoke with report Shumita Basu from WNYC.org (photo credit: Atsuko Quirk, Cafeteria Culture)
|
Recipient of a
|
Cafeteria Rangers
Learn how to start your own Cafeteria Ranger program here->
PS 188 M The Island School, Cafeteria Rangers
|
Girls Prep Lower East Side Cafeteria Rangers
|
P94 The Spectrum School Cafeteria Rangers
|
PS 32 X The Belmont Schoo, Cafeteria Ranger Training
|
PS/MS 34 M Franklin D Roosevelt Cafeteria Monitors
|
NEST+m Cafeteria Rangers
|
PS/MS 34 Franklin D Roosevelt Cafeteria Monitors - student leadership in middle school
MS 246 Walt Whitman, day after Cafeteria Ranger Launch - students reading diversion rates on the "Amazing First Day" poster
|
PS 34 M Franklin D Roosevelt Cafeteria Rangers
|
|
|
ARTS + ACTION
|
The primary program goals are to decrease school cafeteria garbage and bin contamination and create a school wide sustainability culture by incorporating the following methods:
- Empowering students to be Cafeteria Rangers (or monitors) who oversee all sorting;
- Teaching students both the “why” and the “how to” of garbage reduction;
- Linking consumption and post-consumption behavior to Climate Change;
- Bridging operational gaps;
- Leading students in the creation of “edu-taining” messaging campaigns, such as designing giant puppets and creating video shorts.
|
|
The Two Part Program:
CAFETERIA ZERO WASTE:
|
CLASSROOM CURRICULUM |
Cafeteria Ranger trainingsThe Cafeteria Ranger training first takes place in the classroom with our GARBOLOGY 101 interactive presentations, linking environmental justice, plastic pollution and climate change to zero waste understanding. After the "why," we teach the "how" of sorting. Students become the leaders in their own cafeterias, overseeing all sorting, recycling and composting, as well as collecting data. This strategy is hugely successful and adds an amazing community spirit to the lunch period.
We have designed the Cafeteria Ranger program with an easy to use sign-up system, allowing every student in the school to have the chance to be a Ranger at some point during the school year. |
Make Change MessagingOur interdisciplinary Make Change Messaging Workshop is taught to K-8th grade students. Lessons include: Change-makers throughout American history, advocacy, Consumption and Design, Socratic Discussions, Prototyping, where students design concepts and build prototypes of their own new lunch tray.
Students work in groups to design an alternative messaging campaign in order to gain the buy-in from their entire community on waste reduction initiatives. We now teach Zero Waste Classrooms and Hallways as part of our school-wide programs - with students as the leaders! |
Garbology 101 - Teaching the "why" before the "how."
What's It all about?In the spring of 2012, we piloted our first ARTS+ACTION Cafeteria Waste Reduction (A+A CWR) Program at NYC's Neighborhood School and PS 63, producing stunning results!
Within just a few weeks, the co-located schools reduced their cafeteria garbage by 85% and composted all food waste locally! Our project decreased environmental toxins, green house gas emissions, and garbage related costs for NYC schools and government, turning school cafeteria waste into potential assets. Since then, cafeteria Culture has taught our award winning “ Cafeteria Ranger” service learning programs to over 9,000 pre-K- 12th graders in 22 New York City (NYC) schools. We start by teaching “Garbology 101,” connecting our garbage to environmental justice, climate change and marine plastic pollution. Then students take on leadership roles as Cafeteria Rangers during the lunch period to oversee all sorting. In 2015, to scale the program up, Cafeteria Culture launched our free, online,multimedia SORT2save KIT so every school can start their own cafeteria Ranger program! 
Teach your students
to sort recycling and organics with this fun song! Watch on Youtube ->; Watch on Vimeo ->
Start a CAFETERIA RANGER program
at your school 8 steps with videos, signs, badges and letter templates downloads all free -> |
Students at PS 221 K designed their own new school food plates! Cafeteria Culture shared ideas with the NYC School Food directors. Marla's design included higher walls (sides), which actually became part of the new compostable plate design.
Cafeteria Culture Director, Debby Lee Cohen and bear puppet, Icy, teach 2nd graders at PS 34 M how climate change connects to our garbage and how students can take action every day in the cafeteria to reduce garbage!
PS 372 The Children's School Waste Audit, led by Cafcu team members, Atsuko Quirk and Rhonda Keyser with the help of students!
PS 221 K Toussaint L'Ouverture Cafeteria Rangers
|