Statistics Lesson: Reducing NYC Food Emissions
Created by Teacher(s): Sol Giesso, Julie Santaniello|Published on: July 16, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plan
Subjects: Mathematics
Duration: 3 hours
Created by: New York Climate Education Hub teachers
Region: Global, New York
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
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This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
In this lesson, students investigate and analyze data about how food travels to New York City supermarkets and how much of it is wasted, using statistical tools to characterize and compare climate impacts. Students then choose and justify a climate action strategy for a NYC supermarket, using statistics to guide decision-making.
Inquire: Students discuss feelings around food waste, explore where food comes from, and consider how living in a large city affects food distribution and sustainability.
Investigate: Students take the role of supermarket managers to calculate statistics (mean, weighted average, median, mode, range, interquartile range) from data, create and interpret scatter plots, lines of best fit, box plots, and histograms, and compare the environmental costs of different food items.
Inspire: Students calculate and synthesize statistical findings to choose and justify a climate action strategy for the supermarket that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and/or food waste while preserving customer loyalty and profits.
Share: This lesson plan is licensed under Creative Commons.
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Teacher Writer
Sol Giesso
Content Writer
Sol Giesso holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and a Master of Science in Community Climate Adaptation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as a Master of Education in Teaching and Teacher Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They teach science, biology, and mathematics for grades 7–10 and have been teaching since 2025.
Julie Santaniello
Middle School Math
Julie is a NYC middle school math teacher and librarian with forty years of experience teaching grades 6-12 in public and private schools. Currently, she is a Math for America Master Teacher Fellow and enjoys engaging students with "mathistry," incorporating color and art into learning math by visualizing patterns. Collaborating with colleagues to create welcoming, equitable learning spaces is her passion, and Julie is always seeking ways to empower students to see themselves as true mathematicians. When not in the classroom, Julie enjoys crafting using materials she finds on her travels.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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