Curriculum Resources on Reducing Food Waste
Summary: 

Below is a collection of Edible Schoolyard lessons that explore approaches for reducing food waste. Reducing food waste is not only important from an environmental and equity standpoint, but is also an opportunity for creative uses of food and ingredients. The lessons below provide an introduction to understanding the factors that contribute to food waste and ways to reduce food waste.

No. Lesson Location Grade Key Concepts
1 Food Waste Introduction Kitchen Classroom 6 – 8 Food waste statistics, food waste diversion
2 Food as a Commodity Kitchen Classroom 6 – 8 Edible vs sellable foods
3 Composting vs. Landfill Kitchen Classroom 6 – 8 Maximizing food use
4 Flexible Recipes: Savory Kitchen Classroom 6 – 8 Maximizing food use, flexible recipes
5 Flexible Recipes: Sweet Kitchen Classroom 6 – 8 Maximizing food use, flexible recipes

Advocacy Resources:

Food Waste
In this lesson, students explore the common causes and environmental and community impacts of food waste. They brainstorm potential solutions to reducing food waste, in their own lives and more broadly.
Resources for Social Action Projects
This resource from Edible Schoolyard's Understanding Organic curriculum offers information around what social action projects can achieve, what a social action project is, how to plan a social action project, and some considerations to take when developing a social action project.

Kitchen-Based Resources:

Autumn Harvest Soup
In this lesson, students prepare a soup with vegetables harvested from the fall garden while they practice knife skills and learn the basics of making stock.
Create Your Own: Any Organic Greens Pesto
Have you eaten pesto before? Traditionally, pesto recipes are made with basil. In this recipe, we encourage you to experiment with different kinds of greens and herbs! In this lesson, you will practice the cooking skill of emulsifying by making a pesto.
Growing From Food Scraps
Did you know that a lot of the produce in your kitchen will sprout new growth just by putting it in water or soil? This activity explores growing food from the ends and scraps of produce in your kitchen.
Create Your Own: Quick Organic Pickles
Pickles are a delicious snack or accompaniment to many different foods. Pickling – the process of fermenting in a salt brine or using vinegar to preserve and flavor vegetables – is believed to be the oldest method of preserving food and dates back to over 4,000 years old. In this lesson, you will learn one of the many techniques to pickle vegetables.

Garden-Based Resources:

Practices of Organic Farming: Compost
In this lesson, students will make a compost pile and learn about how composting supports plant growth.