Taking a Bite Out of Lunchroom Waste Curriculum

Does your lunchroom generate a lot of waste? Would you like to do something about it?

With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan and the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative created the Taking a Bite out of Lunchroom Waste curriculum to provide teachers and students with the information and tools to help reduce lunchroom waste and marine debris at a system level. The goal is to help students discover they have the power to make a difference in their school and community. The process developed through this curriculum will introduce students to trash, how it becomes marine debris and its impact on our Great Lakes. After students explore the problem of marine debris and how we contribute to it, it's important to provide an avenue for them to begin to fix the problem. 

These materials were created as a part of the “Food for Thought” project. Partners led efforts to engage youth in Northeast Michigan to reduce waste produced in school lunchrooms. Working directly with teachers and the Michigan State University Extension, students examined the waste they found in their communities and school, and then developed potential solutions to reduce waste and ultimately prevent marine debris.

Get Next Generation Science Standards alignment, storyline and pacing guides, a glossary, and additional resources, including a virtual training workshop video, on the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative website!