In the classroom this week, we learned some surprising statistics about food waste and watched a video about where in the food system food gets wasted and what we can do about it. We discussed cultural and psychological barriers to wasting less food such as consumers not wanting to purchase blemished or oddly-shaped produce or responding only to the illusion of abundance at the grocery store, which forces stores to overbuy products they won’t be able to sell. The fourth and fifth graders learned that both our refrigerators and our plates have grown in size over the last few decades, which often tricks us into buying or ordering more food than we can eat. Food that gets thrown into the landfill produces methane, which contributes to climate change, and all the energy that went into producing food that doesn’t get eaten goes to waste as well.
In the kitchen, we revisited a popular recipe from our first grade Everybody Cooks Rice curriculum because it’s a wonderful way to use up leftover fruit, vegetables, protein, and/or noodles. Wrapped in edible rice paper and paired with a dipping sauce, leftovers transform into a fun meal as salad rolls, especially when they’re made together in community!
