SECTION 6 - Solutions 12+, Science & Economics Food Waste and Food Loss AGE RANGE: 12+ SUBJECTS: Science & Economics OBJECTIVES • Recognize ways that food is wasted. • Apply 3 ways to limit food waste in their households • After two weeks, evaluate how successful they have been in reducing food waste within their households DURATION ENDURING UNDERSTANDING • 3, 30-45 minute sessions • Human food waste can be reduced. ACTIVITIES: • In The Carbon Almanac (in paper or as an ebook) read the section on food waste and solutions. You will need to provide ample time for the students to do this. NOTE: Educator explains the concept of per capita • Research in small groups or individually on-line or library how much food is wasted in their country. • Learners create charts displaying how much food is wasted in their country. DISCUSSION: • Discussion Questions/Topics: ʦ What is a carbon footprint? ʦ What is the carbon footprint of food? ʦ Learners brainstorm ways foods can be treated so that it can be preserved. Write their ideas down and display them. (pickling, stewing, freezing, drying are examples) ʦ Ask your learners how many of them have eaten: dried fruit (for example), or a pickled vegetable (go down the list) ʦ Think about what you had to eat this morning. Did you eat it all? Why didn’t you eat it all? (write down their responses) ʦ Now, I want you to think about that food that was leftover this morning, can you think of a way that it could have been saved for later consumption? (write down their ideas) • Put up the learners charts about the room that show the amount of food waste created in their country. • Give the learners enough time to look at everyone’s work. • Come back together as a group and ask the learners what they noticed, what did the charts reveal to them? • As a class, predict how many days it will take an average household to 昀椀ll a school bus with food waste. HOMEWORK • For the next two weeks I want you to log how much food your household throws away. Make sure to let your parents know this is a school assignment. ASSESSMENT: • After two weeks each learner tells the class one instance where they used the lesson to prevent food waste. T RESOURCES: • The Carbon Almanac - Solutions: Food Waste and Food Loss, p.201/ 031 • flipcharts and markers or digital documents for displaying the results of the class discussion 37