Food Conservation

What you need:

• The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) website
  • Note: NRDC works to safeguard the Earth, people, plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.
• Access to a local grocery store
• Food Conservation Poster worksheet

What you do:

1. Ask your child to look through the fridge and to count the number of things that may have gone bad.
2. Ask, "How much food do you think is wasted in the United States alone?"
3. Log onto The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) website. Highlight the following statistic on the site: "Up to 40 percent of the food in the United States is never eaten. But at the same time, one in eight Americans struggles to put enough food on the table."
4. Scroll down to the What You Can Do Section, and choose one of the following articles to read together:
   • "Your Freezer Could Be The Secret To Saving Money and Reducing Food Waste"
   • "Composting Is Way Easier Than You Think"
5. Have your child use the first page of the Food Conservation Poster worksheet to write down at least three things they notice and at least three things they wonder from what you read together.
6. Ask, "What stood out from you in the article?"
7. Review what your child wrote down on their worksheet,
8. Ask, "How can we overcome food waste and conserve food in our home? In our community?"
9. Arrange to interview an employee or manager of your local grocery story. Have your child decide on three questions to ask about food waste and conservation.
10. Review the second page of the Food Conservation Poster worksheet with your child and support them in creating their poster.
11. Have your child share their findings with your whole family or family friends. Together, make a plan to not waste food and to consume mindfully.