This video examines both consumer food waste and the waste problems facing farmers and grocers.
It discusses why food waste happens, where it happens, and how we can stop it.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video offers practical, actionable ideas that students can take action on to help stop this problem.
It highlights how the psychology of what we view as desirable food is a large part of the problem.
Additional Prerequisites
The content ends at about 9 minutes, with sponsorship content at the end.
There are ads before and during the video.
Differentiation
Health classes can use this video to discuss the psychology of different food choices, for better and worse.
Science classes can use this video to discuss the environmental impacts from farming when discussing the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, or deforestation.
Social studies classes could integrate this video into lessons that discuss how changing behaviors can be as effective as technological advancements in addressing some problems.
Other resources to consider on this topic include this video about the effects of diet on climate change, this interactive table of climate solutions, and this video about the many ways humans affect the planet.
Scientist Notes
This resource examines the cost of food waste. More than just financial, food waste is a large contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. As this video highlights, in order to combat climate change we will need to solve the food waste problem. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
8.ESS3.4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.
Social Sciences
Economics (K-8)
7.8 Examine how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
Social Science Analysis (K-12)
6.27 Assess individual and collective capacities to take action to address local and regional issues, taking into account a range of possible levers of power, strategies, and potential outcomes.
