# data[].attributes.body
Composting food scraps and other organic materials can reduce waste sent to landfills while making a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Students can search their homes, trash, and yard for compostable items like lawn trimmings, vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and tea bags.

# data[].attributes.body
With many fruit and vegetable farms scattered throughout Sodus, I thought a look into more sustainable farming practices would be interesting for the students. If possible they could visit a farm, create a list of farming practices, and investigate a more sustainable option for that practice. Examples of these could include the use of cover crops, fertilizer types, water drainage systems, regular crop rotations, and more!

# data[].attributes.body
Students could identify single use items around their school and at home and
brainstorm reusable items that could replace them.

# data[].attributes.body
Separate different energy sources into renewable and non-renewable and label each with the type of energy that source uses. Students can then explore the different sources of energy that are used in their community and around Rochester.

# data[].attributes.body
How do various construction materials compare when we look at their carbon footprints? Concrete is a common building material, but it takes a lot more carbon to make concrete than other materials like wood.
http://www.buildcarbonneutral.org/

Participants can take an inventory of how many buildings use concrete, wood, metal, or other materials. Brainstorm how carbon-heavy buildings can be made more eco-friendly? How can trees be used sustainably to produce wood for construction projects?

# data[].attributes.headline
Where in the world does your food come from?

# data[].attributes.subject
Where in the world does your food come from?

# data[].attributes.body
Students find a recipe for a make they want to recreate. Then, they either search for the ingredients in their house or purchase them at a grocery store with their parents/family/guardian, etc. While finding ingredients, students should be cognizant of where each product is originally grown or produced, using food labels. After creating the meal, students should take a picture with their final product and make a summary or list of where each of the ingredients were originally from, as well as the distances they had to travel to arrive in their local supermarket. Students' final products should be posted on a digital platform where both GRS and Sodus communities have access to. This could teach students that we are part of a global food supply chain that is largely interconnected. This introduces concepts like land footprint, sustainability and the food system.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Farm-to-Fork in Augmented Reality (Grades 6-8)

Grade Level(s)

6 - 8

Estimated Time

Two 50-60 minute class periods

Purpose

Students will research the farm-to-fork process for various foods and create augmented reality videos using the HP Reveal app to educate consumers about where their food comes from.

Materials

Grocery store images

Farm-to-Fork diagram

Device with HP Reveal app loaded, 1 per student or team of students

Farm-to-Fork in Augmented Reality handout, 1 per student printed front to back

Food Cards, 1 class copy cut into individual cards

Blank sheet of paper, 1 per student or team of students

Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)

Vocabulary

farm: an area of land, animals, and/or equipment used to grow crops and rear animals for the production of food

food labels: a panel of information found on food packages stating the nutritional value of the food

Did you know? (Ag Facts)

Most Americans are three generations removed from the farm.¹

In a 2011 survey, 72 percent of consumers reported to know nothing or very little about farming or ranching.²

Despite food prices being higher, organic food sales are growing in popularity. 3

Background Agricultural Connections

Interest Approach - Engagement

1. Display the images below of various sections of a grocery store.

2. Ask your students, "Where did these foods come from before they became available for purchase at a grocery store?" (They were produced by plants or animals on a farm, harvested, processed, packaged and labeled, then transported to the grocery store.)

3. Ask students to brainstorm the kinds of things consumers look for as they make purchasing selections at the grocery store. Make a list on the board. Examples may include taste, cost, convenience, nutrition, etc.

4. Sum up your opening conversation using the information found in the Background Agricultural Connections section of the lesson. Students should recognize that only a small percentage of consumers have direct connections to farming and the production of their food. More and more consumers are interested in learning about the source of their food.

Procedures

1. Introduce the "farm-to-fork" process. Display the diagram to illustrate each step. Include the following points in your discussion:

Farm: The food at our grocery stores could have been produced on farms locally, nationally, or internationally. Many factors play a role in the location of our food production including climate, growing seasons, fertile soil, etc.

Processing: Any steps taken to prepare food for retail sale is considered processing. It may be as simple as washing and packaging produce or it could involve more steps such as processing wheat into flour and then into bread.

Retail: Food can be sold in grocery stores, farmer's markets, restaurants, or other establishments.

Consumer: The final step in the farm-to-fork process is the consumer.

2. Inform your students that a local grocery store has conducted a survey of their customers and found that they want to know more about where their food comes from. The store has hired your team to create a farm-to-fork video that will be triggered by images at the grocery store.

3. Introduce students to augmented reality. Each student or team of students should have access to a device with the HP Reveal app loaded. Have each student or team of students:

1. Open the app

2. Create an account (email, username, and password)

3. Go to the "Discover Auras" box inside the app and search "NCAL." Select "NCAL's Public Auras" and click on "Follow."

4. Give each student or team of students one copy of the Farm-to-Fork in Augmented Reality handout. Point out that the first page is an example of the Farm-to-Fork process for almonds. Demonstrate to students how to scan the trigger images (Auras) to view each overlay as they follow the farm-to-fork process.
If the images do not scan, remind students that they MUST follow a user before their auras will scan (step 3c above).

5. Teach students the basic use of the HP Reveal app and review the steps found on page two of the handout.
Optional: A tutorial video may be helpful. An example of augmented reality being used in a history class project may also help illustrate the assignment further along with the different ways students can use the app (images, videos, etc.).

6. Divide students into teams of two. Assign or have each team select one food item. Use the attached Food Cards to make assignments and to be sure there aren't any duplicates.

7. When students have completed their project prepare them to share with their classmates. You may:

1. Tape the pictures on the walls around the room and have students complete a "gallery walk" to see each project and scan the images.

2. Have students stay seated and organize a pattern to pass each picture from group to group allowing 2-3 minutes to view each project before passing it to the next group.

Concept Elaboration and Evaluation
After completing these activities, review and summarize the following key concepts:

Agriculture provides our food supply.

All food follows a farm-to-fork process. It is produced on a farm, processed and prepared for sale, shipped to a retail establishment, and then purchased by consumers.

Our food is produced locally, nationally, and internationally. Some foods require specific climates and growing conditions.

We welcome your feedback! Please take a minute to tell us how to make this lesson better or to give us a few gold stars!

Enriching Activities

Use image software to have students create their trigger images to make them more professional looking.

Continue the discussion by learning the impact food labels have on consumer choices using the lesson, Looking Under the Label.

Suggested Companion Resources
Food, Health, and Lifestyle Within ECONOMICS
Economics Standard 1: Scarcity

Economics Standard 3: Allocation
Writing: Anchor Standards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Debra Spielmaker, Administrator and Yasuko Mitsuoka Grow, Designer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Farm-to-Fork in Augmented Reality (Grades 6-8)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
6 - 8 Two 50-60 minute class periods Students will research the farm-to-fork process for various foods and create augmented reality videos using the HP Reveal app to educate consumers about where their food comes from.

# data[].attributes.body
A clean source of water is necessary for sustainable life. One activity we can do from home is create a rain gauge and measure rainfall daily for the duration of the camp. We can use this data to study climatology (is this more or less rainfall that previous years?) or micro/mesoscale weather (why my neighbor got more/less precipation measured than me?) and human error. We can also forecast as a group and try and predict how much water we will see in our rain gauges the next day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How is rainfall measured?

Empty two-liter plastic bottle

Scissors

A few handfuls of clean pebbles, gravel, or marbles

Masking tape

Water

Ruler

Permanent marker

Rainy weather

Paper and pencil

1. Carefully use the scissors to cut the top of the bottle off at the wide part just below where it begins to get narrow.

2. Put the pebbles in the bottom of the bottle-these will help keep it from getting blown over if it's windy.

3. Turn the top of the bottle upside down-make sure there's no cap on it! It's going to act like a funnel-and place it in the bottom part of the bottle, pointing downward. Line up the cut edges and tape them together so the top part is held firmly in place.

4. Use a long piece of tape to make a straight vertical line from the top edge of the bottle to the bottom. Use the marker to draw a line on the vertical piece of tape just a little above the top of the pebbles. This will be the bottom of your rain gauge.

5. Set the ruler against the vertical tape so that the "0" line lines up with the bottom mark. Use the marker to mark every quarter-inch (or, if you want to get fancy, every eighth-inch) along the piece of tape. Then label the inches from bottom to top. (Alternatively, you can mark centimeters and half-centimeters instead.)

6. Set the bottle on a level surface and pour some water in until it reaches the bottom mark. Your rain gauge is now ready to go!

7. Put the rain gauge outdoors-you'll need to pick a really good spot! You want somewhere level that's open to the sky and that's not likely to get too windy, where the gauge isn't likely to be disturbed. There shouldn't be anything hanging over the gauge that could either block any rain or make extra raindrops drip into the bottle (like a tree or a power line or the edge of a roof).

8. Pay attention to the forecast. On a day that you're likely to get rain, make sure the water in the bottom hasn't evaporated below your bottom mark; if it has, refill it to that mark.

9. If it rains within 24 hours, check your gaugeand see how high the water is now. That's how much rain has fallen in the last day! On your piece of paper, make a note of the date and the amount of rain. Then read the newspaper or go online and find out the official amount of rainfall in your area for the day and make a note of it-see how closely your figure matches the official one!

10. Repeat steps 7-9 for several rainy days.

Terms/Concepts: rainfall, rain gauge

References: What's Up? 45 Hands-On Science Experiments That Explore Weather, by B. K. Hixson, pp. 82-83 (Loose in the Lab Science Series, 2003).

Disclaimer and Safety Precautions

Education.com provides the Science Fair Project Ideas for informational purposes only. Education.com does not make any guarantee or representation regarding the Science Fair Project Ideas and is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage, directly or indirectly, caused by your use of such information. By accessing the Science Fair Project Ideas, you waive and renounce any claims against Education.com that arise thereof. In addition, your access to Education.com's website and Science Fair Project Ideas is covered by Education.com's Privacy Policy and site Terms of Use, which include limitations on Education.com's liability.

Warning is hereby given that not all Project Ideas are appropriate for all individuals or in all circumstances. Implementation of any Science Project Idea should be undertaken only in appropriate settings and with appropriate parental or other supervision. Reading and following the safety precautions of all materials used in a project is the sole responsibility of each individual. For further information, consult your state's handbook of Science Safety.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DIY Rain Gauge | Science project | Education.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How is rainfall measured? Empty two-liter plastic bottle Scissors A few handfuls of clean pebbles, gravel, or marbles Masking tape Water Ruler Permanent marker Rainy weather Paper and pencil Carefully use the scissors to cut the top of the bottle off at the wide part just below where it begins to get narrow.

# data[].attributes.body
There are a lot of valuable ideas on this website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Suggested Materials

Topic Search

Input

Found an error? Have a suggestion? Looking to connect?

Email me or visit my LinkedIn profile.

Sponsored Links

Many consumer goods in developed countries are produced in the developing world -- often in unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, for minimal pay. This activity seeks to give students insight into one category of these products -- our clothing. Each student will find out what country their shirt was made in, then do some simple research to determine the gross domestic product per capita of that country and where it is located in the world. As a class, the students will observe patterns, such as many of the countries having a GDP per capita of less than $2000, and much of the production being located in southeast Asia or Central America.

Essential concepts: Social justice, developing countries, developed countries, gross domestic product, standard of living.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
introduction to environmental science powerpoint

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
introduction to environmental sciences notes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where Was My Shirt Made? Environmental Science Activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Found an error? Have a suggestion? Looking to connect? Email me or visit my LinkedIn profile. Many consumer goods in developed countries are produced in the developing world -- often in unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, for minimal pay. This activity seeks to give students insight into one category of these products -- our clothing.

# data[].attributes.body
A sign post is planted near the drainage ditch by school. Participants will use a plastic cup to collect water from the ditch and an image on it will trigger a visualization on the tablet of intense rains and the movement of  pesticides, sewage and other contaminates (color coded) likely to be found in that water. Participants will take three measurements (pH, temp and DO) as a water quality test; entering these measurements in a padlock will reveal a CLUE related to "New York's climate is changing. Most of the state has warmed one to three degrees (F) in the last century, heavy rainstorms are more frequent, and the sea is rising about one inch every decade. Higher water levels are eroding beaches, submerging low lands, and exacerbating coastal flooding."

# data[].attributes.body
A sign post by a tree that teaches visitors how to make measurements to estimate its biomass. Focusing on the tree from a given point on the ground triggers a form to emerge on the tablet where users sketch the tree, its location and any signs of life living in it, and enter measurements needed to estimate biomass (carbon sequestration), temperature under the tree and in the sun, and maybe wind measurements on the different sides. The correct biomass is entered into a nearby padlock to reveal the clue: Trees offer cooling shade, block cold winter winds, attract birds and wildlife, purify our air, prevent soil erosion, clean our water, and add grace and beauty to our homes and communities. Users job is to include measurements and sketch details to show each of these benefits.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plant trees to reduce your global footprint, and for all the benefits they provide.

# data[].attributes.body
We can't expect kids to recycle/compost properly if we don't teach them how! Activity with different bins (recycle, compost, trash -- whatever they currently have available at school/could realistically get) and have sample items to sort. Could also add a timed component i.e. who can do it the fastest, to ramp up the competition

# data[].attributes.body
The amount of carbon sequestered by a tree through an estimation of it's biomass... Works for any tree! {I'm checking out a few lesson plans on this--Eve}. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/environmentaleducation/files/2018/01/Value-of-a-Tree-Lesson-updated-1.2018.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi7sYm27L_nAhWrAp0JHbxLD2kQFjAJegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2eGkXPysVR8Y1XEI1FYK5m&cshid=1581093980823

# data[].attributes.headline
Visualizing Carbon Emissions - maybe at a bus stop

# data[].attributes.subject
Visualizing Carbon Emissions - maybe at a bus stop

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.carbonvisuals.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Carbon Quilt. The Carbon Visuals team imagined what it would look like if global CO ₂ emissions formed a uniform layer over the surface of the earth. One day's worth of emissions would make a layer the thickness of a piece of paper (70 microns), while one year of carbon output would blanket the planet in a 31-millimeter-thick layer. Different "patches" of the quilt can be highlighted to represent emissions from an entire industrial sector to an individual car.
All images ©Carbon Visuals
This article originally appeared in Conservation magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Carbon Quilt. The Carbon Visuals team imagined what it would look like if global CO 2 emissions formed a uniform layer over the surface of the earth. One day's worth of emissions would make a layer the thickness of a piece of paper (70 microns), while one year of carbon output would blanket the planet in a 31-millimeter-thick layer.

# data[].attributes.body
Matching activity with different materials to get an idea of how long it takes different items to decompose after we throw them away

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.watercalculator.org/ -- this one is SO COOL! And very alarming, especially the virtual footprint, that's when my numbers really jumped! At the end it also gives you tips on how to lower your footprint in each area

https://graphics.latimes.com/food-water-footprint/ -- this one gives you a random plate of food or you can choose your own and it tells you the ecological footprint of each item on the plate, could be cool to show the kids for a couple items on the cafeteria menu?

http://www.footprintcalculator.org -- overall ecological footprint calculator, does require an email to be put in to start but as far as I can tell it doesn't send you anything

# data[].attributes.body
Create a 3D sculpture of food waste from a Sodus cafeteria meal positioned next to an active compost pile. The sculpture triggers an iPad experience overlaying a video animation of the contents of the sculpture separating into 4 piles: waste, composting, food to donate and recycling and a bar graph of a waste audit conducted by the students. Interactivity: students take compost in a recycled container to fertilize near-by plants. They unearth the QR Code Clue: Clue: Food rotting in landfill releases methane gas, a green-house-gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recently a concerned mom asked me if I had any ideas to reduce waste in school cafeterias. When my email back to her grew longer and longer, I realized I had better just write a blog post on the topic.

Since money is always an issue, I've grouped these waste-reducing ideas into three categories: ideas that cost nothing, save money or incur upfront expenses.

Ideas that cost nothing

1. Do a waste audit

To get an idea of what winds up in the cafeteria trash bins, have students begin to track that waste and create graphs with the statistics. If the school cafeteria resembles most American homes, food waste likely makes up a the largest portion of overall waste. Weekly, the students could track that food waste, along with plastic waste and other waste. Once the kids and staff realize what goes to waste most, they can make a plan to reduce that waste.

Let's say the food audit reveals that a large percentage of waste is uneaten, edible food. The next three ideas can help reduce that food waste.

2. Serve smaller portions of food on smaller dishes

Most of us will fill up a plate to the edges in a buffet or cafeteria-style setting. Kids often do the same. Smaller plates can hold only so much food.

3. Give kids enough time to eat

If students don't have enough time to eat their lunch, they can't eat their lunch and might waste it. This study suggests students need at least 25 minutes. The study also found that kids also tend to eat more fruit and vegetables when they have more time.

4. Change the menu

Ask the students why they don't like the menu items that wind up in the trash most. If they hate bland, steamed green beans-and can you blame them?-consider a quick sauté with seasoning instead. If a lot of juice and milk goes to waste, push the water more (push it regardless-see #11). Unless the school swaps out some items on the menu for more expensive ones, this change shouldn't increase costs.

5. Measure progress

After determining the sources of waste and implementing solutions, kids can also track their progress by comparing audits. When they see that they have made strides in reducing waste, they will not only feel proud of their accomplishment, they will more likely keep at it. And their enthusiasm may rub off at home. Kids are always ahead of their parents. I'm lucky I have a teenager to keep me hip. Okay, to keep me up-to-date...

6. Does the cafeteria recycle or toss anything of use?

My older daughter MK works in restaurants part-time to help pay for university in Canada. She tells me the amount of waste she sees would send me over the edge. She has salvaged one item in particular from every restaurant she has worked in-jars.

I could easily change my blog name to "The Crazy Jar Lady." I covet jars. I love jars. I can't get enough of these precious objects. This summer, MK has brought me home about 20 of the jars pictured below-so far. They hold eight cups. Each. They cost about $6 at a store-so I have over $100 worth. Tossing jars like these in the recycling bin is sheer madness! Earlier this week, MK looked at my giant stack of giant jars and asked me, "Do you still want me to bring you home more jars?" "Yes," I said. "Bring the jars. I need all of the jars." (I have given some away to fellow jar enthusiasts.) Perhaps your school cafeteria similarly throws out items that parents would find useful at home.

What about food waste? Many food rescue organizations operate throughout the country, picking up and distributing edible food. Where I live in Northern California, these organizations include Food Shift, Second Harvest, and Food Runners, among others.

7. Work food waste into the curriculum: Pick a subject, any subject

If kids learn about food waste, they'll help reduce it. These are just some ideas off the top of my head. (All you homeschoolers out there might like some of these also.)
Home Economics

Gardening. When kids grow vegetables, kids eat vegetables. They will appreciate the hard work that goes into growing food and likely waste less of it.

Cooking. If kids learn to cook, they can help reduce food waste at home. Because if they know what to do with that handful of ingredients in the back of the refrigerator, they can cook them rather than watch mom or dad toss them out.

Household money management. Every year, the average American family of four throws out food costing between $1,365 to $2,275, according to the NRDC.

Math-so many variables!

Measure food waste.

Create and interpret graphs.

Calculate the cost of food waste.

Calculate the amount of fuel required to ship that wasted food from the farm to the grocery store.

Calculate how much water and other resources went into growing the wasted food.

Science

Climate change. Food rotting in landfill releases methane gas, a green-house-gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

Plant biology. Learn about the lifecycle from seed to plant to compost.

Biology of livestock. Discuss resources required to grow the food that we feed the animals that we eat.

The ecosystem of a compost pile. Bugs, worms and bacteria break down food scraps into black gold.

Language Arts

Writing. Kids could write research papers on food waste, plastic waste, ocean health, the food-environment connection and so on.

Reading. Here's a short list of children's books about the environment. Like me, the list ranks The Lorax by Dr. Suess at the top. If I taught high school English, my students would read The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake, dystopian novels by Margaret Atwood that take place in the US after unnamed environmental disasters. (The first season of the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale is fantastic.)

Economics/Business

The concepts of profit and loss. The farmer pays for the seeds, the labor, the equipment, the fossil fuels to ship the food and on and on, yet the grocery stores usually buy only perfect looking produce from farms. Lots of food rots in the fields, eating away at the bottom line.

The cost of managing waste. Grocery stores pay to dispose of wasted food and pass those costs onto the consumer. Parents pay for curbside pickup. Landfills need to be maintained.

Startups and business models. Companies like Imperfect Produce and Hungry Harvest divert ugly fruit and vegetables from landfill and deliver them to customers in CSA boxes.

Religion/Ethics

Social justice. Food waste is a social justice issue. While 40 percent of food goes to waste in the US, 1 in 6 Americans is food insecure.

Fasting. Most religions prescribe fasting rituals. I'm not sure how to tie this one in. You can make it work.

The feeding of the 5000. Jesus used up everything.

Art

Posters. Create these for the cafeteria: "Take All You Want But Eat All You Take" or "What Can Go in the Compost Bin" or "Make Water Your Drink of Choice."

Homemade fabric dyes. You can make beautiful dyes out of food scraps-onion skins, beets, carrots, red cabbage, citrus peels, spinach.

Homemade paper. Make new paper out of paper and paperboard recovered from the cafeteria's recycling bins. (My kids and I did this often when they were little.) Here's how you do it (but use thin dishtowels, not paper towels when you blot the new paper).

8. Work plastic waste into the curriculum

Many of the same subjects from above will work: home economics (how to pack a plastic-free lunch), math (all the measuring and calculations), science (the oceans and animals harmed by plastic pollution in the oceans), art (collages made from plastic waste). I think the trick here is to discuss plastic pollution without depressing the kids.

Does the school cafeteria already compost food scraps and food waste? If not, help them get started. Check out this website for information, ideas and inspiration for school composting programs. But remember, composting food is a last resort. Prevent food waste first.

Ideas that save money

10. Eat lower on the food chain

Paul Hawken's new book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming lists 100 of the "most substantive solutions" to reverse climate change. ( Read my book review here.) Four of Hawken's top 10 solutions relate to the food system, with eating a plant-based diet ranking fourth (reducing food waste also makes it into his top 10). Just how do you convince kids to eat more vegetables? It's actually pretty simple. You make them taste good (see #4).

11. Make water the drink of choice

My daughter's school cafeteria doesn't serve soda but I know from watching the documentary Fed Up that some school cafeterias do. (I found the kindergartener's red chairs emblazoned with the Coca-Cola logo one of the most sickening images in a film filled with sickening images!). Like soda, juice contains piles of sugar also-it's fruit stripped of its vital fiber. Milk often comes packaged in small, single-serving cartons. Water from the tap has no packaging. Encourage kids to drink it with their meals. If they have reusable water bottles, remind them to bring them.

Ideas that incur up-front expenses

12. Bring in speakers and plan events

I've given zero-waste presentations and workshops at libraries, parks and at schools. So if you live in the Bay Area... Your city's waste department likely has programs and can recommend a speaker for your school. Kids also enjoy beach cleanups and tours of waste facilities and farms. These types of activities will inspire students to reduce waste.

13. Install water fountains and refill stations

I can't imagine schools don't have water fountains but perhaps I am completely naive, living here in the bubble of Silicon Valley. I do know that public areas sorely lack water fountains in many cities however. This step will help step #11 succeed.

14. Invest in reusables

From the kitchen to the dining hall, look for areas to reduce waste. Invest in cloth napkins and towels rather than paper versions. At my daughters' very small elementary school, parents took turns washing towels for the various classrooms every week (sorry, I just made more work for you). Serve food on real plates, with real cutlery and real cups.

15. Serve real food

The healthy stuff has less packaging, if any-fruits, vegetables and other whole foods. Yes, serving this type of food will drive up school costs because preparing and cooking real food requires more staff resources than heating up processed food does. But we have to look at the overall cost to society. The costs of treating and managing preventable diseases-heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-associated with the Western diet of processed food-like products will cripple our healthcare system. Kids who eat real food are healthy kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15 Ways to Reduce Waste in School Cafeterias - Zero-Waste Chef

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recently a concerned mom asked me if I had any ideas to reduce waste in school cafeterias. When my email back to her grew longer and longer, I realized I had better just write a blog post on the topic. Since money is always an issue, I've grouped these waste-reducing ideas into three categories: ideas [...]

# data[].attributes.body
Students find one living thing growing in the school yard and look it up. Is it native to the area? What kind of conditions can it live in (tolerant or intolerant to pollution). What does this mean for the quality of land around our school?

Could possibly incorporate iNaturalist app/bioblitz-type activity?

# data[].attributes.body
Students can look at the trash being produced in their school. What is it mostly made up of? How can we reduce our waste?
Bonus points: what's being thrown in the trash that can be recycled?