May 03, 2025

Quote of the Week

"There is enough in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." - Mohandas K. Gandhi

Teens Cut Food Waste At Their School In Half

For two years, Dyanne Jiang and Myra Datta — Grade 11 students at Appleby College, in Oakville, Ontario — have cut down food waste at their school by more than half, after learning that nearly all food waste came from food that students purchased in the cafeteria but didn’t finish. Food waste was cut by 57% in the 2023-2024 school year - 360 kilograms less waste. 

Dyanne and Myra gave students tips for reducing food waste, and volunteers called “compost coaches” encouraged students to waste less. Each day, they used a special scale to weigh the garbage bins in the cafeteria, with their first goal being to reduce waste by 100 kilograms for the first month. Every time the students met a monthly goal, the organizers handed out ice cream sandwiches as rewards. They have also begun working with two other schools using a WasteZero Ambassador Toolbox. [Read More]

Reading Corner

Title: Story of Stuff
By: Annie Leonard
Ages: Preteens/Teens

A classic exposé in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.

Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea—that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal—Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet. 

With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic. 

While the book was published in 2011, through their YouTube channel and website, they continue to offer ideas and inspiration for action.
 

Be the Change

Reflect on "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" as a way of life and take a small step today in that direction. You can also get some inspiration from these lesson ideas and experiment on one of them with children: