In a multi-week experiment, students monitor the core temperatures of two compost piles, one control and one tended, to see how air and water affect microbial activity. They daily aerate and wet the "treated" pile and collect 4-6 weeks' worth of daily temperature readings. Once the experiment is concluded, students plot and analyze their data to compare the behavior of the two piles. They find that the treated pile becomes hotter, an indication that more microbes are active and releasing heat. Through this activity, students see that microbes play a role in composting and how composting can be used as a carbon management process.

In a multi-week experiment, student teams gather biogas data from the mini-anaerobic digesters that they build to break down different types of food waste with microbes. Using plastic soda bottles for the mini-anaerobic digesters and gas measurement devices, they compare methane gas production from decomposing hot dogs, diced vs. whole. They monitor and measure the gas production, then graph and analyze the collected data. Students learn how anaerobic digestion can be used to biorecycle waste (food, poop or yard waste) into valuable resources (nutrients, biogas, energy).

A sequence of teaching units and activities with the aim of acquiring a series of specific skills about waste management (in particular about Home compost/Food waste).This  is the third Digital Project of a set of 6 facing specific challenges about waste management for primary and secondary education

Zombie Guacamole is a 6-8th unit created for migrant students engaged in summer learning. This 12 lesson unit offered in English and Spanish is driven by a real world phenomenon of a bowl of guacamole that was discovered at the bottom of a 25-year-old landfill perfectly preserved! Students in this unit develop models, investigate decomposition, and learn about local food webs and their waste stream through hands on activities. Contact EarthGen at info@earthgenwa.org for more information.

This inquiry based project will help students become more aware of food waste and they will learn how to prevent it.

Objectives
*Present to students alternative uses for older fruits and vegetables that have gone unused
*Teach students how vegetable scraps can be used for other purposes

Objectives
*Teach students about how long their fruits and vegetables last for safe consumption
*Allow students to practice asking scientific questions - forming questions and hypotheses

Objectives:
- Demonstrate to students the energy, resources, and extensive steps it takes to produce food and to dispose of food waste.
- Discuss how the environment is being harmed through excessive food waste.

In this design challenge lesson students explore the Denver Public School District’s solid waste plan and discuss how their school can save or decrease emissions by reducing solid waste at our school.

This lesson provides guidance for students to create and practice a presentation about design challenge results that they developed in the previous unit lessons and how to present it to the school administration.

In this activity students utilize collected data and propose solutions to mitigate food waste in their school.

This lesson outlines for students how to design and carry out an investigation to audit their school’s food waste system.

In this design challenge lesson, students examine their school food system and develop an investigation about food waste in order to know what should change.

Objectives:
* Illustrate the problem of food waste in the United States.
* Inspire students to make conscious efforts to reduce their food waste.
* Use the mini food waste audit activity to demonstrate to students how they are contributing to the problem

Objectives
-Demonstrate to students the enormous amount of produce that is wasted daily because they do not fit the aesthetic criteria of producers, retailers, and consumers.
-Show students that fruits and vegetables that do not look “perfect” taste the same as ones you find in the store.

While food waste is not typically seen as contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, it is a major contributor. Reducing food waste is the 3rd most beneficial drawdown solution. Wasted food, and the resources to produce that food, are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When individuals and groups reduce food waste, it has a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste awareness is applicable to every person and community. In this storyline, students conduct a “food waste audit”. Each participating class of students collects, sorts and measures their food waste for one day at lunch. Students discuss the local and global causes and effects of food waste in the environment. Students will also learn the cultural connections around food waste from experts or elders from the local Indian tribe and inquire how different agencies in the community deal with food waste (e.g, grocery store, food bank, city). Suggestion for how students can present their findings and create an action plan are also included. 

Mientras que el desperdicio de comida no es típicamente visto como un contribuyente de emisiones de gas de efecto invernadero, es un contribuyente mayor. Reducir el desperdicio de comida es la 3era solución más beneficiosa para la reducción de dichos gases. La comida desperdiciada y los recursos para producirla, son responsables del aproximadamente 8% de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero. Cuando los individuos y grupos reducen el desperdicio de comida, esto tiene un gran impacto en la reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. La conciencia del desperdicio de comida es aplicable a cada persona y comunidad. En este caso, los estudiantes van a conducir una “auditoría de desperdicio de comida”. Cada clase de estudiantes participantes recolecta, clasifica y mide su desperdicio de comida por un día durante el almuerzo. Los estudiantes discuten las causas locales y globales y los efectos del desperdicio de comida en el ambiente. Los estudiantes también aprenden las conexiones culturales alrededor del desperdicio de comida de los expertos o gente mayor de las tribus locales, e indagan cómo las diferentes agencias en la comunidad lidian con el desperdicio de comida (e.g. tiendas de abarrotes, bancos de comida, la ciudad). Los estudiantes presentan sus resultados y crean un plan de acción.

Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas. Wasted food and the resources to produce that food are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In this storyline, students learn about the resources required to produce food through following the carbon cycle and discover how food waste contributes to climate change. They will also learn the farm to table transport chain as well as how to conduct a food waste assessment. Finally, the students will research solutions to the problem of food waste and, as a final project, present one solution that they have thoroughly researched that can be applicable to their community. For CTE teachers, this storyline provides the basic knowledge needed to develop a deep understanding of WHY reducing food waste is an important solution to climate change. There are several potential extensions that Family Consumer Science teachers can utilize as well as Ag teachers and even Business teachers. There is a partial list at the end of the learning progressions. 

While food waste is not typically seen as contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, it is a major contributor. Reducing food waste ranks as the 3rd most beneficial drawdown solution. Wasted food, and the resources to produce that food, are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When individuals and groups reduce food waste, it has a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste awareness is applicable to every person and community. In this storyline, students connect with cultural values around food, impacts of food waste and solutions to food waste issues.  

Mientras que el desperdicio de comida no es típicamente visto como un contribuyente de emisiones de gas de efecto invernadero, es un contribuyente mayor, siendo la 3ʳᵃ solución más beneficiosa. La comida desperdiciada y los recursos para producirla, son responsables del aproximadamente 8% de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero. Cuando los individuos y grupos reducen el desperdicio de comida, esto tiene un gran impacto en la reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. La conciencia del desperdicio de comida se aplica a cada persona y comunidad. En este caso, los estudiantes se conectan con valores culturales alrededor de la comida, los impactos del desperdicio de comida y las soluciones a los problemas de desperdicio de comida.