Reducing Food Waste

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Did you know that the average American creates 20 lbs of food waste per month? You'll be surprised by all the things you can do to pitch in to help reduce the amount of food we waste.

About This Video

Grade level: 6-10
Length: 2 minutes
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas: MS-ESS3.A, MS-ESS3.C

In this video, we'll explore some easy ways you can help reduce food waste, like using specialized mobile apps, composting, and making a weekly food menu. Below are discussion questions you can use in the classroom in conjunction with this video to inspire your students to waste less food.

Video Discussion Questions

Why is food waste an important environmental issue?
Why/how is food wasted?
What is compost? How is it a potential solution to food waste?
What are some ways that you can reduce your own food waste? Is there anything you are already doing?
What are some businesses doing to reduce their food waste?

Science Texts for Students

Use this resource to ground your understanding before integrating this video into your lesson. Alternatively, allow your students to practice close reading of scientific texts by passing out the article and the empty version of the chart—let them do the work!

Because the issues we're exploring in Flipside Science are complex, we've evaluated how the solution fares across three important dimensions: the environment, the economy, and society.

Evaluate reducing food waste [PDF]

Accompanying Activity: Sustainable Food Solutions

Weighing the Pros and Cons
How do we assess the benefits and drawbacks of various solutions to a problem? To decide how one potential solution compares to another, we have to consider the pros and cons of each from many dimensions, including environmental, social, cultural, and economic. In this activity, students will work together to map out the strengths and limitations of potential solutions to some important global food system issues.

Go to activity

Connections to the Next Generation Science Standards

While this video doesn't necessarily cover the following standards in depth, it is a compelling resource you can use to supplement your curriculum that does.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (Grades 6-8):

MS-ESS3.A: Natural Resources
MS-ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

Our Hungry Planet: About This Unit

To feed our growing world, we need innovative solutions. This unit explores environmental issues related to the food we grow and eat. We'll review topics from food waste to urban farming, and learn how simple choices we make impact our planet. This unit introduces students to the process of design thinking, and culminates in a design thinking challenge related to food systems issues.