Zero Food Waste Challenge
Provided by: ASU Global Futures|Published on: January 20, 2023|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Biology, Economics
Authors: ASU Global Futures
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 →
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
- This is an activity where students will watch a video about the sources of food waste, work in groups to complete a brainstorming activity, and come up with realistic solutions to address food waste.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The lesson plan is easy to implement and it challenges students to think critically and find realistic solutions to a real-world problem.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers will need to print and cut out these Food Waste Source Cards for the activity.
- There are commercials before the video.
- For background on the footprints of different foods, these resources might be useful to present before this lesson: Foodprint Calculator, Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet, Carbon Check, and Food Data Explorer.
Differentiation
- Encourage students to think about beneficial changes that could be made to the entire food system and the impacts of consumer demand for specific products.
- Civics and government classes could discuss the role of regulations, laws, and government funding to support a more efficient, equitable, and sustainable food system.
- Students could explore this table of solutions to climate change, this video about food waste, and this video about dietary choices.
The activity demonstrates the impact of food waste on the environment and explores options for net-zero food waste. It will motivate students to brainstorm and develop a zero food-waste strategy in their homes, communities, and society. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
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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