School Lunch Waste

Page 1

School Lunch Waste We've
all
come
to
depend
upon
school
lunch
throwaways
to
keep
us
moving
speedily
 through
each
day,
but
such
conveniences
come
at
an
environmental
cost:
the
need
for
 energy
 and
 resources
 used
 to
 bring
 those
 meals
 to
 the
 school
 cafeteria
 and
 the
 con<nued
increase
in
the
number
of
landfills
and
garbage
incinerators
clogged
up
with
 trash,
which
ul<mately
belch
out
hazardous
emissions.
 A
 waste‐free
 lunch
 program,
 that
 includes
 students,
 parents,
 and
 school
 staff
 educa<on
 about
 the
 provenience
 of
 our
 meals,
 about
 where
 our
 trash
 ends
 up
 and
 how
we,
as
individuals,
can
reduce
the
amount
of
trash
we
generate,
can
save
<me,
 money
and
the
environment.


Other
booklets
and
 presenta<ons
also
 available

www.eco‐briefs.com Produced
by

Provokare
Presenta<ons www.provokare.com

Copyrights
Provokare
Presenta2ons
‐
Roberto
Giannicola


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

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Contents Please
consider
the
environment
before
prin<ng
this
booklet

Title

Page
Number

TRASH
 Trash
Sor<ng

5

Plain
and
Chocolate
Milk

6

Fruit

7

Home
Made
Sandwiches

8

Pizza

9

Frozen
Peach
Cups

10

BoSled
Water

11

Drinks:
juice
boxes,
milk
cartons,
juice
pouches,
soda
cans,
plas<c
boSles

12

Home
Packaging:
Ziploc
bags,
paper
bags,
aluminum
foil

13

Cracker
bags
and
Yogurt
containers

14

Serving
trays,
spoons,
straws,
napkins

15

Waste
Generated

16

Annual
Avoidable
Cost

17

IMPACT Impact
of
Our
Waste

18

Food
Waste
Impact

19

Hunger
in
America

20

Waste
Facts

21

Milk
and
the
Environment

22

Happy
cows
are
from...

23

Environmental
Impact
of
Banana
Growing

24

BoSled
Water
Waste

25

Plas<c
Bags
are
killing
us

26

SOLUTIONS Reusing
Ziploc
bags

27

Drinks:
there
is
a
beSer
way

28

Home
made
lunches

29

Na<onal
School
Lunch
Program

30 31‐32

For
Parents:
Educa<on
starts
at
home
‐
Reducing
food
waste

33

Cost
comparison
waste
free
lunch In
School:
Reducing
Waste

34‐35

Useful
Links

36

Hazardous
Waste
Disposal
‐
San
Francisco
Bay
Area

37 3 of 40


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School Lunch Waste

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What can we find in the waste of an average elementary school lunch? Here are pictures of the items found in the trash, with information about the resources and impact to produce these items, as well as the impact of all the waste generated. The typical American school child generates 67 pounds of discarded lunch waste per school year. Thatʼs more than 18,000 pounds yearly for the average sized elementary school. Children do not always eat everything on their lunch or breakfast trays. While the USDA attempts to mandate compliance in nutrition integrity of meals provided by school food services, there is no guarantee that children will actually consume everything. While students choose meals that are healthful, many do not eat all of the food. Vegetables and fruit are the least popular item and milk boxes are often too cumbersome to open so more than a third of the milk is discarded. Too many parents pack lunch items in single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, or wax paper, or they purchase single-serving items that come in their own disposable package. Admittedly, these products are extremely convenient, but what is the environmental cost to a country that relies so heavily on them? Landfills are full and overflowing. Incinerators pump contaminants into the air. The waste producers come in the form of plastic water bottles, juice and milk boxes, sandwich baggies, yogurt and fruit cup containers, and foil-type packaging of “snack size” convenience foods.

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Trash Sorting The Process After lunch, all garbage cans were gathered, and items were sorted before being laid down on a tarp to count and photograph. All items were displayed by categories: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

milk boxes juice boxes water bottles soda cans yogurt containers homemade lunches/sandwiches cafeteria served lunches fruit snacks packaging aluminum foil Ziploc bags paper bags spoons, straws, napkins lunch trays

These categories were then grouped and tallied: • • • • • •

Food - Non compostable Food - Compostable Recyclable Non - Recyclable Milk in gallons Trays

Trash sorting was done for four days, however, we spent several days at the school to watch the students go through lunch and then monitor what was thrown in the waste. As per my personal experience, and the discussions with the volunteers and staff in the lunchroom, these four days offered a good representation of the average amount of food served, and the waste generated at this elementary school. Over 200 students eat lunch in the cafeteria every day. Trash sorting was done at Murwood Elementary in Walnut Creek, CA.

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Plain and Chocolate Milk Daily 1/2 pint milk cartons in the trash or poured down the drain Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average Cost $

Unopened Plain Milk (cartons) ($0.19/pc)

8

4

3

8

5.8

909

$172.00

Unopened Chocolate Milk (cartons) ($0.22/pc)

12

24

7

13

14

2212

$487.00

Poured Out Milk - (Gallons)

2.5

1.75

2.5

2.3

2.3

357

Poured Out Milk - Equivalent in cartons (mostly choc.avg.$0.21/pc)

40

28

40

37

37

5720

$1201.00

TOTAL CARTONS

60

56

50

58

56.75

8966

$1860.00

3.75

3.5

3.15

3.6

3.55

560

16 cartons of 1/2 pint milk = One Gallon

TOTAL GALLONS

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Fruit Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (see notes)

Yearly Average (Lbs)

Yearly Average Cost $0.20/pc)

Full Pears

18

1

-

-

9

513

154

$103.00

Partial Pears (1/2 count)

7

-

-

-

7

378

113

$38.00

Full Oranges/Mandarins

14

18

8

5

11

889

267

$178.00

Full Apples

9

26

13

28

19

3002

600

$120.00

Partial Apples (1/2 count)

11

22

11

16

15

2370

474

$47.00

Full Kiwi

-

-

2.5

-

2.5

135

27

$27.00

Full Banana

-

2

1

10

4.3

234

70

$47.00

Partial Banana

-

4

-

4

4

216

65

$43.00

59

67

32

49

61

7151

1608

$603.0

TOTAL

Notes: Not the same fruit is served every day except for apples and oranges. The calculations were done appropriately. In the 158 days of school, on average, pears, bananas and kiwis are served 54 days, oranges 79 days, apples 158 days, oranges, 89 days. 7 of 40


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School Lunch Waste

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Homemade Sandwiches Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average (Lbs)

Yearly Average Cost $

Full Sandwiches (still in bag)

13

12

8

21

13.5

2133

533

1173

Partial Sandwiches (1/3)

22

22

20

18

20.5

3239

268

593

20.3

19.3

14.6

27

20.33

3212

801

$1766

TOTAL ( 1 + 0.33)

One sandwich average = 4 oz One loaf sandwich bread avg: $ 3.50 with 20 slices. One sandwich = $0.35 bread + $ 0.20 cheese, meat, peanut butter, etc...= COST : $0.55/sandwich

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Pizza

Pizza Partially Eaten (1/2)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (45 days)

Yearly Average (Lbs)

Yearly Average Cost $

23

-

24

-

23.5

1058

165

$230.0

One slice of pizza average = 5 oz. Cost is $0.44 per slice. Note that the total weight is for partial or full slices of pizza. Crusts are not included in the calculations. Consistently, most crusts are thrown in the trash. Pizza without cheese in the crust won't sell as well.

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Frozen Peach Cups Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average Cost $

Ice Fruit - Unopened

1

6

1

3

2.8

435

$117.00

Ice Fruit - Partial (1/2)

10

9

14

14

11.8

1857

$251.00

TOTAL ( 1 + 0.5)

6

10.5

8

10

8.625

1363

$368.00

Although
older
kids
can
more
easily
open
the
container,
the
younger
ones
have
difficulty
pulling
the
tab.
As
enjoyable
as
a
 frozen
cup
is
in
the
summer,
because
of
the
short
2me
allocated
for
lunch,
oCen
children
don't
have
2me
to
let
it
thaw
a
 liFle
and
can
only
scoop
a
few
spoon
fulls
before
running
out
to
recess.
Many
containers
are
then
thrown
in
the
trash
 unopened
or
with
80%
of
the
fruit
uneaten.

One container = 4 oz COST : $0.27/ pc

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Bottled Water Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average (Gallons)

Yearly Average Cost $

Water - Unopened

2

5

4

4

3.8

593

35

$297.00

Water - Partial (1/2)

6

8

5

9

7

1106

30

$276.00

TOTAL ( 1 + 0.5)

5

9

6.5

8.5

7.3

1173

65

$573.00

Bottles are 240ml, not part of the meal, purchased at cost from student. COST : $0.50/ pc

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Drinks: juice boxes, milk cartons, aluminum juice pouches, soda cans, plastic bottles Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Milk cartons

96

97

107

110

102.5

16195

Juice Boxes

18

10

16

22

16.5

2607

Juice Pouches

7

24

23

23

19.3

3042

Soda cans

5

7

6

2

5

790

Plastic Bottles

18

10

23

26

19.3

3042

144

148

175

183

162.6

25643

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$$

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School Lunch Waste

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Home Packaging: Ziploc bags, paper bags, Aluminum Foil Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average Cost $

Ziploc bags (0.04c/ bag)

28

40

28

44

35

5530

$221

Paper bags (0.03c/ bag)

6

13

13

10

10.5

1659

$50

Aluminum foil

7

4

3

6

5

790

$271.00 These were not from school lunches, but from parents prepared lunches. Ziploc bags were used for sandwiches, fruit or crackers. Foils, were often used to wrap sandwiches, while the paper bags were used as a lunch box, containing all these items.

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Craker Bags and Yogurt Containers Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Cracker bags

9

4

10

22

11.3

1778

Yogurt containers

39

44

40

46

42.3

6676

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Serving Trays, Spoons, Straws, Napkins Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average Cost $

Plastic Spoons

96

112

86

131

106

16788

$150.00

Plastic Straws

81

81

87

79

82

12956

Unused Napkins

89

102

97

105

98

15524

Trays

175

157

190

187

177

28006

$2240.00

SERVINGS

192

193

210

216

203

32074

$2390.00

Napkins, straws and spoons were counted seperately because most of the time, the straws are not used and over 95 percent of the time the napkins are left in the the bag unused. Cost per set $0.01. Trays were switched to styrofoam because of the cost and because waste management would trash them regardless of the material. The compostable trays are so dense, it would require a temperature of over 160F to break them down. School composting reaches only about 140F. The trays, spoons, napkins and straws are trashed everyday. Cost of trays: compostable .08c/pc, Styrofoam .03c/pc

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Waste Generated Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

Yearly Average Per Child

Edibles - Non-Compostable (Lbs)

14

6

8

6

8.6

1363

7

Edibles - Compostable (Lbs)

15

18

13

18

16

2528

13

Waste - Non-Recyclable (Lbs)

38

44

34

38

38.5

6083

30

Waste - Recyclable (Lbs)

8

7

5

6

6.5

1027

5

Trays (Lbs)

14

12

15

15

14

2212

11

89

88

75

83

83.75

13213

66 Lbs

TOTAL

Notes: Edibles -Non Compostables are items like: pizza, meat, dairy products, seafood, etc.. although accepted in industrial composting, they are not good for school composting. The Yearly Average weight per serving is based on an average of 200 servings a day. Note that the national average is 67 lbs per person.

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Annual Avoidable Cost Yearly Cost $

Milk (plain and chocolate)

$ 1,860.00

Fruit

$ 603.00

Homemade Sandwiches

$ 1,766.00

Pizza

$ 230.00

Frozen Peach Cups

$ 368.00

Bottled Water

$ 573.00

Spoons and Trays

$ 2,390.00

Home Packaging

$ 271.00

Total

$ 8,061.00

Notes: Items provided by the school lunch are: Milk, fruit (90%), pizza, frozen peach cups, spoons and trays. Sandwiches are from home. Bottled water is provided by the school but are charged extra to student $0.50 a bottle. Home packaging includes all plastic wraps, Ziploc bags and brown bags as well as juice containers, crackers and granola bars provided by parents.

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Impact of Our Waste Americans' trash has grown faster than its population over the past few decades. Although the population grew by 65 percent between 1960 and 2005, the amount of trash thrown out doubled from 83 million tons to 167 million tons. These amounts are for municipal solid waste or household trash including packaging, food scraps, old sofas, and refrigerators after material was pulled out for composting or recycling. Americans generate about 4.5 pounds of household trash per capita per day. We recycle a little over 1 pound per person each day. Several Factors Affect Population Growthʼs Impact on the Environment While Americans' high-consumption way of life produces a disproportionately large amount of waste and uses inordinate amounts of natural resources, there is no one easy way to reduce America's impact on the environment. To persuade Americans to consume less, cultural perceptions about consumption must be adjusted through behavioral change, education, and understanding the impact of the products we use not only as the waste it generates, but also at the source. It is important to understand what resources are necessary to produce what Americans consume every day. The impact is not only to the environment, but also to people and animals, locally and across the world.

The United States' reaching 300 million people might not seem relevant at a global level. After all, the United States represents just 5 percent of the world population. But it consumes disproportionately larger amounts than any other nation in the world—at least one-quarter of practically every natural resource. Because it is the only industrialized country in the world still experiencing significant population growth, this high rate of resource consumption is expected to continue. Each person in the U.S. contributes more to the global phenomenon [of natural resource consumption] than other people. The amount of trash still exceeds the amount recycled and composted.

Source: Center for Environment and population - www.cepnet.org

Source: U.S. EPA, Municipal Solid Waste: 2005 Facts and Figures (2006).

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Food Waste - Impact The United States spends about 1 billion dollars a year just to dispose of food waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food leftovers are the single-largest component of the waste stream by weight in the United States. Food waste includes uneaten food and food preparation scraps from residences or households, commercial establishments like restaurants, institutional sources like school cafeterias, and industrial sources like factory lunchrooms. Over 12 percent of the total municipal solid waste generated in American households was food scraps and less than three percent was recovered. The rest was thrown away and disposed in landfills or combusted in incinerators. The environmental impact of food disposal is significant. The decomposition of food and other organic waste in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the United States, accounting for 34 percent of all methane emissions. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/organics/food/index.htm

Food
Waste
in
America A 2004 study showed that forty to fifty percent of all food ready for harvest in the United States never gets eaten. Timothy Jones, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, Tuscon, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, spent 10 years measuring food loss at all levels of food production and consumption. He discovered not only that about half of the food produced in America was discarded, but also that much of it could feed people who need it. On top of that, the rate of food loss, even partially corrected, could save US consumers and manufacturers tens of billions of dollars each year.

Moral and economic issues aside, it is the environmental concerns around food waste that is driving the push for reform on how to treat the problem of leftovers. Methane, the gas food waste produces, traps 23 times as much heat in the atmosphere as the same amount of CO2, the EPA says. And landfills are the place you will find most of it -- they account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S. The University of Arizona believes that if Americans cut their food waste in half, it would reduce the country's environmental impact by 25 percent. The UK's Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) -- which says the entire food supply chain in the UK contributes 20 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions -- believes that if we stopped throwing out edible food, the impact it would have on CO2 emissions would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 5 cars off the road. http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Supply-Chain/Half-of-US-food-goes-to-waste

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Hunger in America We have the means to end hunger in America as the first step to ending global hunger. In the United States, according to the USDA, twenty-seven percent of all the food produced each year is lost at the retail, consumer, and food service levels. That turns out to be about nearly 1.5 tons of food per year for every man, woman, and child in the United States who faces hunger. To put it another way, in the U.S. we throw away about 263,013,699 pounds of food a day... every single day! And much of what is wasted actually is just surplus food. It is perfectly edible. While all that good food is being wasted, there are over 37 million Americans who struggle daily to get enough to eat. Nearly half of these people are children. A large number are elderly. But no matter who they are or where they live or why they are impoverished, there is no excuse for anyone to go hungry in America when so much food goes to waste.

United States Hunger Facts

Poverty is the leading cause of hunger in America. Over 37 million people in the United States live below the poverty line and are at risk of hunger. • • • • • • •

12.5 percent of the nation's population lived in poverty in 2007. In 2007, the poverty rate for families was 9.8 percent, comprising 7.6 million families. The poverty rate in 2007 for American children under 18 was 18.0 percent, up from 17.4 percent in 2006 13 million children live in poverty in th U.S. The U.S. poverty rate for people 65 and over is 9.7 percent; 3.5 million elderly live in poverty. Of all family groups, poverty is highest among those headed by single women. As a whole, U.S. cities report that they are not able to meet the need for providing shelter for the homeless and have a limited ability to meet the need for emergency food assistance. An estimated 24 to 27 million people in the U.S. turned to hunger relief agencies in 2006. 35.9% of American households receiving food from food banks, shelters and pantries have one or more adults employed.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html

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WASTE FACTS LUNCH
WASTE
FACTS ALUMINUM
FOIL

More
than
20
million
Hershey's
kisses
are
wrapped
with
133
square
miles
of
foil
 every
day

ALUMINUM
AND
TIN
CANS

In
the
2me
it
takes
you
to
read
this
sentence,
more
than
50,000
12‐oz
aluminum
 cans
were
made.
Recycling
one
aluminum
can
saves
an
amount
of
energy
 equivalent
to
half
that
can
filled
with
gasoline.

BANANA
AND
ORANGE
PEELS

Food
debris
in
a
landfill
decompose
only
25%
in
the
first
15
years

JUICE
BOXES

Most
inorganic
trash
retains
its
weight,
volume,
and
form
for
at
least
four
 decades

PAPER
BAGS
AND
NAPKINS

It
is
es2mated
that
17
trees
are
cut
down
for
every
ton
of
non‐recycled
paper

PLASTIC
BOTTLES,
FORKS,
WRAP

U.S.
ci2zens
discard
2.5
million
plas2c
boFles
EVERY
HOUR

STYROFOAM

U.S.
ci2zens
throw
away
25
billion
styrofoam
cups
EVERY
YEAR

Paper cups consume trees, water, and chemicals, and dump them into streams and landfills- they are not recyclable. Paper cups are often wax-coated which reduces their bio-degradeability further. Paper products make up over 40 percent by weight , slightly higher by volume - of this country's municipal solid waste, by far the largest contributor. Every year nearly 900,000,000 trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills.

Food waste includes leftover portions of meals and trimmings from food preparation activities in kitchens, restaurants and fast food chains, and cafeterias. Food waste is the third largest component of generated waste (after yard waste and corrugated boxes) and second largest component of discarded waste, after yard waste. The amount of food waste generated in the waste stream has increased by 1.2 million tons in the last 25 years, this is one of the lowest increases on a percentage basis of any component of the waste stream.

The United States generates approximately 208 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) a year. That's 4.3 pounds per person per day. ("Recycling and Buy Recycling Fact Sheets", America Recyclers Day)

Every year some 45,000 tons of plastic waste are dumped into the world's oceans. One of the results of this is that up to one million seabirds and one hundred thousand marine mammals are killed each year by plastic trash such as fishing gear, six-pack yokes, sandwich bags, and styrofoam cups. 21 of 40


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Milk and the Environment Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Daily Average

Yearly Average (158 days)

TOTAL CARTONS

60

56

50

58

56.75

8966

TOTAL GALLONS

3.75

3.5

3.15

3.6

3.55

560

Water Waste 560 gallons of milk = 1.5 Olympic Swimming Pool of Water**

It
can
take
up
to
2,000
gallons
of
water
to
 produce
one
gallon
of
milk.
*
 The
cow
needs
water
to
perform
basic
biological
func2ons
from
 day
to
day,
and
only
a
frac2on
of
the
water
the
cow
consumes
is
 actually
converted
into
milk.
The
 fact
that
it
takes
so
much
water
 to
produce
cow's
milk
means
 that
was2ng
one
gallon
of
milk
 is
like
pouring
1,999
gallons
of
 fresh
water
down
the
drain. With
water
tables
falling
all
 around
the
world
and
shortages
 appearing
now
in
the
United
 States
and
throughout
Asia,
it
 becomes
increasingly
important
 for
us
to
prac<ce
water
 conserva<on
as
consumers.
We,
 as
a
species,
simply
cannot
 afford
to
live
in
an
environment
where
water
tables
have
dropped
 beyond
our
ability
to
pump
water
out
of
the
ground.
If
we
 con2nue
to
use
our
water
in
wasteful
ways,
such
as
suppor2ng
 animal
products
like
beef,
cheese
and
milk,
then
we
will
run
out
of
 water.
Around
the
world,
farmers
and
ranchers
consume
the
vast
 majority
of
the
water
supply.

Produc<on
Cost:
 According
to
the
USDA,
the
average
monthly
cost
for
dairy
 produc2on
is
$20.82
per
100
lbs
of
milk
or
11.60
gallons. The
produc2on
cost
of
one
gallon
of
milk
is
therefore:
$
1.80. Produc<on
cost
of
milk
gone
to
waste:

$
1,008.00

Livestock
generates
more
greenhouse
gases
than
driving
cars.
So
 the
more
we
eat
meat
or
dairy
products
the
higher
the
demand
 and
the
higher
the
concentra<on
of
 gases
being
produced.
 Livestock
(cows
and
sheep)
damage
 the
air,
land
and
water,
three
 resources
we
can't
live
without.
 Currently,
livestock
accounts
for
more
 CO2
(9%),
methane
(37%),
ammonia
(64%)
and
nitrous
oxide
 (65%)
emissions
than
human
contribu2ons
to
greenhouse
gases. The
Natural
Resource
Defence
Council
agrees
with
the
FAO
that
 livestock
pollu2on
affects
public
health,
especially
water.
 California
officials
have
iden2fied
cows
and
agriculture
as
the
 major
source
of
nitrate
pollu2on
in
more
than
100,000
square
 miles
of
polluted
groundwater.
Livestock
damages
our
water
 resources;
contribu2ng
to
water
pollu2on.
The
major
pollu2ng
 agents
are
animal
wastes,
an2bio2cs
and
hormones,
chemicals
 from
tanneries,
fer2lizers
and
pes2cides. FAO’s
Livestock's
Long
Shadow

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/CostsAndReturns/

8966 cartons stacked on top of each other would reach an altitude of over 2200 feet.

* Water: Drinking, Irrigation, Clean up, from rain, rivers, reservoir, aquifiers ** 560 x 2000 = 1,120,000 gallons Olympic Pool = 660,000 gallons

22 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Happy Cows are from.... Dairy Farms Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their babies. In order to force the animals to continue giving milk, factory farmers impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. Calves are generally taken from their mothers within a day of being born— males are destined for veal crates or the equivalent of feed lots, and females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers.

Mother cows on dairy farms can often be seen searching and calling for their calves long after they have been separated. Author Oliver Sacks, M.D., wrote of a visit that he and cattle expert Dr. Temple Grandin made to a dairy farm and of the great tumult of bellowing that they heard when they arrived: “ʻThey must have separated the calves from the cows this morning,ʼ Temple said, and, indeed, this was what had happened. We saw one cow outside the stockade, roaming,looking for her calf, and bellowing. ʻThatʼs not a happy cow,ʼ Temple said.ʻThatʼs one sad, unhappy, upset cow. She wants her baby. Bellowing for it, hunting for it. Sheʼll forget for a while, then start again. Itʼs like grieving, mourning—not much written about it. People donʼt like to allow them thoughts or feelings.ʼ” Cows are hooked up to milk machines that often tear their udders. After their calves are taken from them, mother cows are hooked up, several times a day, to machines that take the milk intended for their babies. Using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, factory farmers force cows to produce about 10 times as much milk as they naturally would. Many animals continue to be pumped full of bovine growth hormone (BGH), which contributes to painful inflammation of the udder known as “mastitis.” (BGH is still used throughout the U.S., but has been banned in Europe and Canada because of concerns over human health and animal welfare.) According to the industryʼs own figures, between 30 and 50 percent of dairy cows suffer from mastitis, an extremely painful condition.

A cowʼs natural lifespan is 25 years, but cows used by the dairy industry are killed after only four or five years. An industry study reports that by the time they are killed, nearly 40 percent of dairy cows are lame because of the filth, intensive confinement, and the strain of constantly being pregnant and giving milk. Dairy cows are turned into soup, companion animal food, or low-grade hamburger meat because their bodies are too “spent” to be used for anything else.

23 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Environmental Impact of Banana Growing The
current
prac<ces
of
banana
farming
in
many
areas
of
the
world
are
contribu<ng
to
the
destruc<on
of
tropical
 rainforests‐
one
of
the
most
diverse
ecosystems
on
our
planet.

75%
of
the
earth’s
biodiversity
lives
in
these
forests,
and
 because
the
majority
of
bananas
are
grown
in
monoculture
planta<ons
(planta<ons
in
which
they
are
the
only
type
of
 vegeta<on),
as
well
as
areas
of
cleared
rainforest,
they
are
playing
a
big
part
in
the
tragic
loss
of
biodiversity
we
are
 seeing
today.
We,
as
American
consumers
eat,
on
average,
twenty‐eight
pounds
of
bananas
per
person
per
year.

Monoculture

A
 major
 problem
 associated
 with
 growing
 any
 crop
 in
 a
 monoculture
 is
 that
 once
 the
 land
 has
 been
 devoted
 to
 agriculture
 for
 a
 single
 species,
 soil
 fer2lity
 diminishes
 greatly.
 
 Deforesta2on,
 has
 resulted
 in
 the
 loss
 of
 a
 great
 amount
 of
 produc2ve
land,
due
to
the
fact
that
once
protec2ve
forest
cover
is
depleted,
overall
 soil
 quality
 greatly
 declines.
 
 
 Banana
 producers
 are
 forced
 to
 con2nually
 expand
 their
fields
to
make
up
for
the
diminished
produc2on
per
hectare,
and
the
cycle
of
 destruc2on
begins
again.

Pes<cides

On
many
banana
planta2ons,
fungicides
and
insec2cides
are
applied
as
many
 as
forty
2mes
a
year,
amoun2ng
to
a
total
use
of
nearly
44
kilograms
per
hectare.
 
 
Not
only
do
these
chemicals
cause
 cancer
 and
 muta2ons
 in
 humans,
 making
 them
 extremely
 harmful
 to
 the
 workers
 on
 planta2ons,
 but
 they
 are
 also
 devasta2ng
to
the
surrounding
environment.

ACer
seeping
into
the
water
table,
the
toxic
substances
find
their
way
into
 local
aqua2c
systems,
making
the
water
an
unsuitable
habitat
for
many
types
of
wildlife.

Sediments
from
overused
land
 and
agrochemical
runoff
are
contribu2ng
to
coral
reef
deteriora2on
off
the
coasts
of
Costa
Rica.

Tortoises
and
manatees
 are
facing
ex2nc2on
partly
due
to
the
fact
that
pes2cide
runoff
kills
the
algae
on
which
they
feed.

RoSen
Fruit:
The
Social
Implica<ons
of
the
Banana
Economy

When
you
buy
a
banana
at
a
supermarket,
you
are
purchasing
a
product
responsible
for
the
social
ills
of
thousands
 of
planta2on
workers.
The
banana
oCen
has
it’s
origins
in
a
topical
country
such
as
Ecuador,
Costa
 Rica,
 or
 the
 Philippines.
 In
 these
 countries
 the
 treatment
 such
 workers
 endure
 under
 corporate
 management
is
nowhere
near
what
would
be
considered
“fair”
in
a
developed
na2on.
 Workers
must
constantly
handle
dangerous
chemicals
without
proper
protec2ve
equipment
 and
 they
 are
 also
 showered
 with
 these
 poisonous
 chemicals
 during
 aerial
 fumiga2ons.
 
 This
 mixture
 of
 humans
 and
 chemicals
 has
 caused
 thousands
 of
 men
 to
 become
 sterilized
 and
 hundreds
 of
 children
 to
 be
 born
 with
 birth
 defects.
 There
 is
 a
 reason
 that
 these
 chemicals
 are
 banned
in
the
United
States.

What
is
Being
Done?

As
awareness
is
being
raised
about
the
huge
nega2ve
environmental
impacts
of
mono‐crop
banana
planta2ons,
an
 increasing
number
of
exporters
are
choosing
to
harvest
more
environmentally
friendly
fruit
by
limi2ng
chemical
usage
on
 their
 plants.
 
 In
 1991,
 Chiquita
 Brands
 Interna2onal
 began
 its
 “BeFer
 Banana
 Project,”
 requiring
 banana
 producers
 to
 maintain
 certain
 standards
 and
 environmental
 prac2ces
 such
 as
 reduced
 pes2cide
 usage
 and
 soil
 conserva2on.
 Many
 other
smaller
corpora2ons
and
independent
farmers
have
chosen
the
“organic”
path,
curng
out
synthe2c
agrochemical
 usage
altogether.

Buy
Organic!

In
 the
 long
 run,
 it
 is
 only
 individual
 consumers’
 preferences
 that
 will
 make
 a
 difference,
 and
 if
 more
 people
 buy
 organic
bananas,
more
organic
farmers
is
what
will
result.
 
Buying
organic
is
an
easy
transi2on
to
make,
and
a
rela2vely
 simple
way
to
reduce
the
nega2ve
impact
our
ea2ng
habits
are
having
on
the
environment
in
some
of
the
most
produc2ve
 and
valuable
ecosystems
in
the
world. 24 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Bottled Water Bottled Water Means Garbage Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away. That assumes empty bottles actually make it to a garbage can. Plastic waste is now at such a volume that vast eddies of current-bound plastic trash now spin endlessly in the worldʼs major oceans. This represents a great risk to marine life, killing birds and fish which mistake our garbage for food. Thanks to its slow decay rate, the vast majority of all plastics ever produced still exist … somewhere.

Bottled water means less attention to public systems! Many people drink bottled water because they donʼt like the taste of their local tap water, or because they question its safety. Bottled water manufacturersʼ marketing campaigns capitalize on isolated instances of contaminated public drinking water supplies by encouraging the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. Thereʼs plenty of need. In California, for example, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated the requirement of $17.5 billion in improvements to the stateʼs drinking water infrastructure as recently as 2005. In the same year, the state lost 222 million gallons of drinkable water to leaky pipes.

Bottled water is healthy water, right? In fact, most bottled water actually comes from a tap. And thereʼs nothing healthy about plastic waste. Bottled water is healthy water — or so marketers would have us believe. Just look at the labels or the bottled water ads: deep, pristine pools of spring water; majestic alpine peaks. In reality, bottled water is just water. Bottled water is big business. But in terms of sustainability, bottled water is a dry well.

The Corporatization of Water

What can you do?

In the documentary film Thirst, authors Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman demonstrated the rapid worldwide privatization of municipal water supplies. Thanks to increasing urbanization and population, shifting climates, and industrial pollution, fresh water is becoming humanityʼs most precious resource.

Thereʼs a simple alternative to bottled water: buy a stainless steel thermos, and use it. Donʼt like the way your local tap water tastes? Inexpensive carbon filters will turn most tap water sparkling fresh at a fraction of bottled waterʼs cost.

Multinational corporations are stepping in to purchase groundwater and distribution rights wherever they can, and the bottled water industry is an important component in their drive to commoditize what many feel is a basic human right: the access to safe and affordable water. 25 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Plastic Bags are Killing Us The plastic bag is an icon of convenience culture, by some estimates the single most ubiquitous consumer item on Earth, numbering in the trillions. They're made from petroleum or natural gas with all the attendant environmental impacts of harvesting fossil fuels. One recent study found that the inks and colorants used on some bags contain lead, a toxin. Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags after they've been used to transport a prescription home from the drugstore or a quart of milk from the grocery store. It's equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.

Only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide -about 2 percent in the U.S. -- and the rest, when discarded, can persist for centuries. They can spend eternity in landfills, but that's not always the case. They're so aerodynamic that even when they're properly disposed of in a trash can they can still blow away and become litter. It's as litter that plastic bags have the most baleful effect. And we're not talking about your everyday eyesore.

Once aloft, stray bags cartwheel down city streets, alight in trees, billow from fences like flags, clog storm drains, wash into rivers and bays and even end up in the ocean, washed out to sea. Bits of plastic bags have been found in the nests of albatrosses in the remote Midway Islands. Floating bags can look all too much like tasty jellyfish to hungry marine critters.

According to the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, more than a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic. The conservation group estimates that 50 percent of all marine litter is some form of plastic. There are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. In the Northern Pacific Gyre, a great vortex of ocean currents, there's now a swirling mass of plastic trash about 1,000 miles off the coast of California, which spans an area that's twice the size of Texas, including fragments of plastic bags. There's six times as much plastic as biomass, including plankton and jellyfish, in the gyre. It is an endless stream of incessant plastic particles everywhere you look. Fifty or 60 years ago, there was no plastic out there.

The problem with plastic bags isn't just where they end up, it's that they never seem to end. All the plastic that has been made is still around in smaller and smaller pieces. Plastic doesn't biodegrade. That means unless they've been incinerated -- a noxious proposition -- every plastic bag you've ever used in your entire life still exists in some form, even fragmented bits, and will exist long after you're dead. 26 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Reusing Ziploc Bags Ziploc
bags
are
so
handy,
yet
so
wasteful.
Use
them
once
and
throw
them
away,
right?
Wrong!
Why
not
simply
wash
 them?
You
probably
don't
want
to
do
this
if
the
storage
bag
was
holding
raw
meat
or
fish,
but
if
it
was
only
holding
a
 sandwich,
crackers
or
even
cheese,
try
this:

Wash
your
Ziploc
bags Let
your
used
storage
bags
accumulate
un2l
you
have
a
few.
 Then
take
the
bags,
turn
them
inside
out,
being
careful
to
get
 the
corners
pulled
all
the
way
out.
Fill
a
dishpan
or
pot
in
your
 sink
with
hot,
sudsy
water
and
dip
each
bag
in
turn,
wiping
it
 clean
with
a
sponge
and
rinsing
it.
Then
it's
2me
to
hang
them
 on
your
clothesline
or
drying
rack.
Turn
them
rightside
in
 again‐‐especially
if
you're
even
thinking
about
hanging
them
 outside
somewhere
very
dirty
‐‐and
clip
them
up
by
one
corner.
 It
may
seem
a
lot
of
trouble
to
go
just
to
reuse
something
 meant
to
be
used
just
once‐‐but
the
material
these
bags
are
 made
of
will
be
around
forever,
so
if
you
must
possess
these
bags,
the
least
you
can
do
is
double
or
triple
their
intended
 usage. When
the
Ziploc
bags
are
too
beat
up
to
use
for
food
storage
anymore,
keep
one
or
two
set
aside
as
pastry
bags
and
sauce
 bags:
just
put
whatever
sauce
or
dough
you
need
to
distribute
into
a
bag,
snip
the
corner
off,
et
voila!
Instant
pastry
bag.
 Use
other
reject
bags
for
travel,
keeping
your
toiletries,
wet
small
clothing
items,
and
electronics
all
apart
from
each
other.

Other
uses:

By
curng
a
small
hole
in
the
corner
of
a
baggie,
you
have
an
instant
icing
bag. You
can
clean
them
and
save
them
up
to
make
a
wreath
...
if
you're
into
that
sort
of
thing. Place
a
recipe
card
inside
them
while
cooking
to
protect
the
paper
from
any
splaFers.

A
beSer
alterna<ve:
 Use
a
reusable
lunch
box,
sandwich
 box
and
utensils. Find
out
where
you
can
recycle
 plas<c
bags: www.plas<cbagrecycling.org

27 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Drinks: Theres is a better way! Juice pouches are not recyclable. Juice pouches are polyesterreverse side printed to aluminum then laminated to polyethylene (a plastic polymer). Like the juice boxes, the elements are too hard to separate.

It is recommended to purchase juice in bulk, in large glass or metal containers, and use a thermos when packing lunches.

A popular convenience product is the juice box, ubiquitous in school lunch boxes. Juice boxes were an immediate hit with parents because they are convenient, have a long shelf life with no refrigeration required, and are disposable. Yet, these juice boxes are an environmental disaster. They hold an average of eight ounces, have multilayer packaging made of waxed paper, plastic barriers and metal insulation. These layers are extremely difficult to separate and are nearly impossible to recycle except in a laboratory environment. In addition to the environmental costs, you will pay more money for convenience.

Aluminum soda cans are highly recyclable and should always go in a recycling bin. It takes aluminum about 500 years to break down in the environment.

28 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Homemade Lunches At lunch time children go into the cafeteria, throw open their lunchboxes, take a bite or two out of their sandwiches, nibble on a carrot, possibly pop a strawberry into their mouths, maybe think to open their water bottle--and then rush off to recess. While I stood over the compost bin and the garbage can and helped kids sort their waste lunches beautifully prepared by their parents, I was shocked to see the number of perfectly packaged food thrown away. Some children put their uneaten food back in their boxes but many were tossing their sandwiches, sushi rolls, bags of chips, bananas, crackers, cheese sticks, and apples. I commented on the waste to the ladies who oversee lunch duty and all agreed that it's terribly upsetting.

Students have their own reasons for leaving things behind -- some feel too rushed to finish meals during brief lunch periods, some don't like the food, some don't think to reuse those sealable bags, some just feel embarrassed about the food they have. According to the survey, 21 percent of 7 - 8 year olds say they never eat anything from their lunchboxes. The research found that apples were usually the first item of food to go in the bin, and 73 percent of kids swapped their lunchbox contents regularly with friends. However, 54 percent of parents thought that their kids wouldn't dream of swapping their food or throwing it away. With the cost of school dinners set to rise, lunchboxes are still an economical solution to school lunches. However, the research indicates that children might not always like what is put in their lunchboxes. Interestingly 78 percent of children said they would eat the food in their lunchboxes, if they could help prepare it!

Thousands of parents are wasting money on food for their children始s lunchboxes, which they never eat, according to a survey commissioned by a cheese manufacturer and BBC, and my own research proved it as well. Two out of three children do not eat everything in their lunchboxes.

29 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

National School Lunch Program Launched
in
1946
as
a
 public
safety
net,
it
has
 turned
out
to
be
a
poor
 investment.
It
should
be
 redesigned
to
make
our
children
healthier. Under
the
program,
the
United
States
Department
of
Agriculture
gives
 public
schools
cash
for
every
meal
they
serve
—
$2.57
for
a
free
lunch,
 $2.17
for
a
reduced‐price
lunch
and
24
cents
for
a
paid
lunch.
In
2007,
 the
program
cost
around
$9
billion,
a
figure
widely
acknowledged
as
inadequate
to
cover
food
costs.
But
 what
most
people
don’t
realize
is
that
the
Food
Service
Department
is
supposed
to
be
self
suppor<ng,
so
this
 money
and
any
money
raised
goes
towards
not
only
food
but
equipment,
wages,
medical
and
repairs.
 On
top
of
these
reimbursements,
schools
are
en<tled
to
receive
commodity
foods
that
are
valued
at
a
liSle
 over
20
cents
per
meal.
Schools
also
get
periodic,
addi<onal
“bonus”
 commodi<es
from
the
U.S.D.A.,
which
pays
good
money
for
what
is
 essen<ally
excess
from
big
American
food
producers.

Flaws
Crea<ng
Unnecessary
Waste A
lunch
must
include
at
least
three
menu
items.
One
of
those
 menu
items
must
be
an
entree,
and
one
must
be
2luid
milk
as
a
 beverage,
and
a
side
dish.
All
menu
items
or
foods
offered
in
a
 lunch
contribute
to
the
nutrition
standards
and
to
the
levels
of
 nutrients
and
calories
that
must
be
met. In
order
to
receive
a
reimbursement
from
the
USDA,
the
student
 needs
to
take
a
minimum
of
any
two
items.
The
problem
with
this
 is
that
even
if
the
child
might
not
be
very
hungry,
doesn't
like
fruit
 or
vegetables,
or
doesn't
have
enough
time
to
drink
or
2inish
the
 food
on
the
tray
during
recess,

they
are
asked
to
take
two
items
 Parents and teachers should support the Food Service program so we the school or
the
school
won't
get
reimbursed
for
that
meal. may stay self supporting and not have to go in to the district general fund. For
that
reason,
fruit
and
milk
are
the
most
common
lunch
 items
thrown
into
the
trash
entirely
or
partially
eaten. Parents should contact their government officials urging that reimbursements should be given no For
health
issues,
items
that
were
sold
once
cannot
 matter how much a child puts on the be
put
back
into
the
kitchen
for
another
child.
 lunch tray, as long as the lunches are still meeting the standards set by the Milk
cannot
be
out
of
the
fridge
for
more
than
a
 USDA and a complete healthy meal is few
hours,
so
they
can't
take
them
back. being offered. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/ 30 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

For Parents - Education Starts at Home Educa<on
is
the
first
step
in
the
transi<on
to
a
waste‐free
lunch.
 Talk
to
your
children
about
why
the
school
has
decided
to
 ins<tute
a
waste‐free
lunch
program.
Provide
them
with
age‐ appropriate
informa<on
about
the
nega<ve
impact
of
a
 disposable
lunch.
Below
is
a
list
of
sugges<ons
that
will
help
build
 communica<on
and
foster
understanding. • • • • • •

• •

Teach
children
about
recycling
at
home.
Encourage
them
to
help
 separate
the
recyclables
from
the
non‐recyclables. When
you
choose
not
to
buy
an
excessively
packaged
item,
point
it
out
to
your
children
and
ask
if
they
can
 think
of
some
earth‐friendly
packaging
alterna2ves. If
possible,
take
a
trip
to
your
local
landfill
or
recycling
facility. Find
books
on
waste
reduc2on
at
your
local
library
or
bookstore.
Read
them
together
and
discuss
how
 these
issues
relate
to
your
lives. Discuss
where
foods
come
from
and
how
much
processing
occurs
before
they
get
to
your
table. Search
your
local,
preferably
used,
bookstore
for
some
good
health‐oriented
cookbooks,
including
some
 with
large
color
photographs
that
you
can
share
with
your
children.
Read
them
together,
look
at
the
 photographs,
and
ask
your
children
to
show
you
which
recipes
they
find
most
appealing.
Make
a
shopping
 list
together,
buy
the
necessary
ingredients,
and
give
the
recipes
a
try.
Pack
the
leCovers
for
lunch. When
ea2ng
out,
favor
restaurants
that
use
reusable
plates,
cups,
and
utensils.
Talk
with
your
children
 about
why
you're
making
that
choice. If
you
don't
finish
your
restaurant
meal,
take
it
home
in
a
reusable
container
that
you've
brought
from
 home
instead
of
using
the
disposable
container
that
restaurants
offer.

Tips for Reducing Your Workload • • • •

If you don't do so already, try packing lunches the night before and keeping them in the refrigerator overnight. Make your children responsible for adding the ice pack and placing their own lunchbox near the door or in the car. Teach your older children how to make nutritious, wastefree lunches and then let them make their own lunches. Older children can also be responsible for washing their reusable lunch containers or rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher. Children of all ages can take responsibility for putting recyclables in the recycle bin. Source:
www.wastefreelunches.org 31 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

For Parents - Reducing Food Waste Pack drinks in reusable containers. Children cannot reseal juice boxes, cans, or pouches. Often they drink half (or less) and throw the rest away. To get the most out of your money, buy drinks in larger containers. Send a small amount to school in a reusable container. (Recycle the bottle at home.) Remember, children need plenty of water, so consider making water your beverage of choice.

Before offering your children an afterschool snack, request that they finish their lunch. How many times have you given them a snack and then dumped the contents of their lunch box into the trash?

Cut up fruits and vegetables. Children often take 1 or 2 bites out of an uncut apple or banana and throw the rest away. To avoid this, pack cut-up fruits and vegetables in a reusable container. Your child can take a few bites and save the rest for later.

Encourage your children to help plan, prepare and pack their own lunches. They're more likely to eat a meal that they've helped prepare. Involvement in meal preparation also teaches them where their food comes from, and it provides them with the confidence and skills they will need to prepare food for themselves later in life. Younger children can cut fruit or make their own trail mix from a selection of healthy items such as raisins, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, whole-grain cereals, and pumpkin seeds.

Ask your child to bring home lunch leftovers. Looking at leftover lunches is a great way to get information about your children's lunch preferences. Find out why certain foods have come back uneaten. Did your child not like it? Was she not hungry enough to eat everything in the lunchbox? Was there a birthday celebration at school that day? Did she share someone else's lunch instead? Maintain a dialogue without criticizing. Consider making a list of foods that your child likes to eat for lunch and update it regularly with input from your child.

Source:
www.wastefreelunches.org 32 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Cost Comparison Waste Free Lunch DISPOSABLE
LUNCH

WASTE‐FREE
LUNCH

1
egg
salad
sandwich

1.25

1
egg
salad
sandwich

1.25

1
yogurt

.85

1
serving
of
yogurt

.50

1
granola
bar

.45

1
serving
of
granola

.35

1
apple

.30

1
apple

.30

1
package
of
carrots
and
dip

.65

1
serving
of
carrots
and
dip

.25

3
plas2c
bags

.12

Water

0

1
juice
pouch

.35

Cloth
napkin

0

1
plas2c
spoon

.04

Stainless
steel
spoon

0

1
paper
napkin

.01

Packaging

0

TOTAL

$4.02

TOTAL

DISPOSABLE
LUNCH
(per
child)

$2.65

WASTE‐FREE
LUNCH
(per
child)

$
4.02

$
2.65

$
20.10/
Week

$
13.25
/
Week

$
635.16
/
School
Year
(158
days)

$
418.07/
School
Year
(158
days)

Savings
$
216.46
per
child/year Source:
www.wastefreelunches.org 33 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

In School - Reducing Waste Start at the beginning: reduce what is provided for lunch.

Pass it on: have a "no thanks" table.

While free-choice salad bar offerings are an excellent idea, kids often take more than they can eat in one sitting. Signs and classroom guidance can help everyone remember to "take what you want, but eat what you take."

Anything brought from home that is unopened, such as yogurt cups, bags of chips, granola bars, applesauce cups and the like can be dropped off at a "no thanks" table where other kids can find something they like. Although there are some issues such as allergy concerns and the stigma associated with "the used food table," they are not insurmountable.

Tackle the tabletop culture: use reusable containers. It has been observed that when a sack lunch is packed in baggies and disposables, any leftover food - like a whole sandwich - is seen as disposable, just like the containers it came in. The same holds true for prepackaged foods, like chips, crackers or cookies in single-serve bags. However, when lunch is packed in reusable containers, uneaten food is returned to the container and put back in the lunchbox. This has several immediate and valuable benefits: first, based on the quantities that come home after school, portions can be adjusted accordingly. Second, if there is any leftover food, it usually becomes a ready-made after-school snack (assuming the lunchbox has an ice pack to keep everything fresh until mid-afternoon).

Food left over at the end of each day would be welcomed at a shelter or food bank.

Schools should consider investing in washable cups and a milk dispenser This will help eliminate the single-use cartons and reduce the wasted milk. Children rarely drink the full eight ounces of milk that is provided, resulting in additional waste. This also has its own issues, one of which is the time necessary to wash the cups after use. Again, this isn't insurmountable, but may only be a shift in behavior away from stocking the refrigerated milk case to handling the washing of cups. Students themselves can fill the dishwasher trays as well.

Invest in reusable trays, utensils and napkins dispensers. The accumulated expenses for trays and utensils can cover the cost of a dishwasher in a few years. Also consider using napkin dispensers and monitoring the number of napkins taken by students. Most children do not use the napkins provided in the plastic container, so it would be better to bring a cloth napkin from home. 34 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

In School - Reducing Waste Address the school culture: have recess before lunch. Many schools report that cafeteria time is frequently cut short because kids are in a rush to go to recess. The result is that many kids never eat at all, and spend the afternoon hungry and unable to concentrate. Several school districts throughout the U.S. have implemented a reverse strategy: kids go directly to recess for their mid-day break, after which they return to the cafeteria for lunch, where they stay until it's time to return to the classroom. Reports from Montana schools indicate that "recess before lunch" programs improved student behavior on the playground, in the cafeteria, and in the classroom and resulted in less wasted food.

Finish at the end: offer composting. Some food waste is just that - inedible parts, like banana peels, eggshells and coffee grounds

Many schools have introduced compost bins to help manage these leftover bits, often in One middle school reported a 50% drop in "plate waste" (food thrown away), and a decrease of 60% association with school garden projects. in disciplinary actions related to the lunchroom over As with any change, the usual guidance applies: a three year period. The teachers also reported find advocates among the school staff and parents; better concentration and more effective time research where similar strategies have been management with the recess before lunch attempted and consider whether the results would program. apply at your own school; consider how every step in a new program might impact classroom time, staff time, and staff resources; and communicate, communicate, communicate to students, parents, teachers, and staff. Schools are embracing, and teaching, a refreshing environmental message, but they could drive that message home if they applied it to the simplest of everyday activities such as eating lunch. By reducing food and food packaging waste, families and schools alike save money both by reducing the loss of good food to landfills and by avoiding having to pay for its disposal. In today's budgetconscious home and school economic conditions, this is not insignificant. 35 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Our Choice - Our World - Their Future We
have
choices.
We
can
choose
to
not
pay
aSen<on
to
 the
consequences
of
our
lifestyle,
or
we
can
start
being
 part
of
the
solu<on
and
live
with
respect
and
reverence
 for
all
that
the
world
has
to
offer. Mahatma
Gandhi
said:
"Be
the
change
you
wish
to
see
in
 the
world."
Being
the
change
you
wish
to
see
in
the
 world
starts
with
taking
full
responsibility
for
everything
 that
is
happening
in
your
life
and
the
lives
of
the
 genera<ons
to
come. As
parents
and
teachers,
we
need
to
educate
our
 children
about
how
our
over‐consump<on
and
waste
is
 affec<ng
our
planet,
animals
and
the
way
we
live,
as
 much
as
the
lives
of
those
people,
thousands
of
miles
 away,
who
provide
the
things
that
we
so
easily
take
for
 granted. We
are
shaping
the
future
of
our
children.
By
choosing
a
 more
ethical
life
today,
they
will
thank
us
for
being
part
 of
the
changes
that
made
their
world
a
beSer
place.

36 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Book Recommendations Most Good, Least Harm: A simple principle for a better world and a meaninful life.

Consuming Kids: The hostile takeover of childhood.

Confessions of an Eco Sinner: Travels to Find Where My Stuff Comes from

A Better World Handbook: small changes that make a big difference.

The Food Revolution: How your diet can save your life and our world.

37 of 40

Zoe Weil

Susan E. Linn

Fred Pearce

Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson

John Robbins


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Useful Links California
Educa<on
‐
School
Lunch
Program

hSp://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/nslp.asp

Food
Produc<on
Daily

hSp://www.foodproduc<ondaily.com/

EPA
‐
Food
Waste

hSp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/organics/food/ index.htm

Wasted
Food
‐
Very
comprehensive
and
interes<ng
blog

hSp://www.wastedfood.com/

Hunger
Solu<ons

www.hungersolu<ons.org

Mom
Goes
Green

www.mongoesgreen.com

Waste
Free
Lunches

www.wastefreelunches.org

Laptop
Lunches

www.laptoplunches.com

Healthy
Schools
Network

hSp://www.healthyschools.org/

Eat
Well
Guide

www.eatwellguide.org

The
Green
Schools
ini<a<ves

www.greenschools.net

Ethical
Consumer

www.ethicalconsumer.ort

Fair
Trade
Labeling
Organiza<on

www.fairtrade.net

Global
Footprint
Network

www.footprintnetwork.org

EPA
‐
Water

www.epa.gov/water/index.html

Water
Footprint

www.waterfootprint.org

Center
for
Food
Safety

www.centerforfoodsafety.org

Eat
Less
Meat

www.eatlessmeat.org

Factory
Farming
‐
Humane
Society
of
the
USA

www.hsus.org/farm

Food
and
Agriculture
Organiza<on
of
the
United
Na<ons

www.FAO.org

Union
of
Concerned
Scien<sts

www.ucsusa.org

World
Health
Organiza<on

www.who.org

Worldwatch
Ins<tute

www.worldwatch.org

BoSled
Water
Blues

www.boSledwaterblues.com 38 of 40


Provokare

School Lunch Waste

PRESENTATIONS www.provokare.com

Hazardous Waste Disposal - San Francisco Bay Area Alameda County • Recycling Hotline (TOLL-FREE) • Home Composting Information Hotline • Household Hazardous Waste

(877) STOPWASTE (510) 444-SOIL (800) 606-6606

Contra Costa County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(925) 335-1225 (800) 750-4096

Marin County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(415) 499-6647 (415) 485-6806

Napa County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 257-9292 (800) 984-9661

San Francisco City & County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(415) 554-6193 (415) 554-4333

San Joaquin County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(209) 468-3066

San Mateo County • Recycling • Household Hazardous Waste

(888) 442-2666 (650) 363-4718

Santa Clara County • Recycling • Home Composting • Household Hazardous Waste

(800) 533-8414 (408) 918-4640 (408) 299-7300

Solano County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 421-6765

Sonoma County • Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste

(707) 565-3375

State of California California Integrated Waste Management Board • Recycling Hotline • California Materials Exchange (CALMAX) • Department of Conservation Recycling Hotline

(916) 341-6000 (877) 520-9703 (800) 732-9253

Source: www.stopwaste.org 39 of 40


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by

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Presenta<ons

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Provokare Presentations Roberto Giannicola www.provokare.com

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Giannicola


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