'youth action for EJ and waste equity' - to inspire community waste reduction (YA-EJ+we) is a unique demonstration project led by cafeteria culture (CAFCU) in partnership with sixth grade students…

'youth action for EJ and waste equity' - to inspire community waste reduction (YA-EJ+we) is a unique demonstration project led by cafeteria culture (CAFCU) in partnership with sixth grade students from a new york city (NYC) public school located in an environmental justice (EJ) community. Students demonstrate their own source reduction actions, while educating their school and local community on the connection between EJ, waste equity and waste reduction. To scale up and promote this timely and replicable educational resource, the project will be professionally video documented by the CAFCU team, who will produce an inspirational video (15-20 minutes) to showcase the students' voices and impact. The video will be shared and promoted on CAFCU's popular youtube channel with a free companion educator toolkit.activities: activities to be performed include: school curriculum planning and development. Implement curriculum with video documentation. Student field trip to newark. Student-led family drop-off of organics (2 events) development of public video and educator toolkit. Student field trip to local community garden. Student-led zero waste lunch week to reduce plastic and food waste event in school. Students collect food scraps from student lunches for community composting. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes: anticipated deliverables and expected outcomes include: demonstrate the inspirational power of youth to engage school and local EJ communities to reduce plastic packaging and food waste by connecting the urgency of source reduction to EJ and waste equity. Provide a scalable and realistic template for critically needed source reduction and behavioral change for other schools, school food directors and EJ communities across NYC and beyond by featuring these students' efforts in an entertaining and educational video with an easy-to-use companion educator toolkit. Accelerate citywide institutional change to reduce climate polluting emissions and reduce costs by providing new tools and pressure for staff to adhere to existing policy for school meal service with regard to U.S. And NYC procedures and by implementation of plastic free lunch day cost-saving changes on a daily basis. Increase participation in equitable waste reduction and disposal options by showing behavioral changes in students and adults to reduce waste at the source for the sake of protecting the rights of all communities, especially EJ communities.