Food Resources

CAMPUS RESOURCES

PHASE 1-2: BUY-IN, ASSESSMENT, AND PLANNING

GOALS, MANDATES, AND STRATEGIES

Food Goals, Mandates, and Strategies: This resource page makes the case for why sustainable food systems matter for schools, and lays out relevant goals, mandates, and strategies for school communities to consider.

ASSESSMENT AND AUDIT RESOURCES

District and Site Food Sustainability Audit: This tool provides a comprehensive audit for food issues across a campus, curriculum, and community.
Green Ribbon (ED-GRS & CA-GRS): PII - E2B: Nutrition and Fitness
CA Green Business Award: See pollution prevention, avoid waste, hire local vendors

TOOLKITS FOR PLANNING

CAFF: California School District Produce Procurement Guide
Planning Template for Environmental and Climate Action Plan (ECAP): Food Section Only
Environmental and Climate Action Plan Strategies Menu (use bookmarks to navigate to food strategies)
The Good Food Purchasing Program
California Food for California Kids

PHASE 2-3: IMPLEMENTATION, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, AND RECOGNITION

TRACKING AND MONITORING

There are a number of things to track and monitor when it comes to food in schools: % of food procured that is local and/or organic; % of food that is wasted, etc.

PLANT BASED MEALS IN SCHOOLS RESOURCES

Supporting school communities to embrace a plant based diet can be a challenging from a public relations and communications standpoint. Below are some key resources to support school communities - also see stories of change here.

Center for Ecoliteracy Plant Forward Meals: Engaging Students with Plant Forward Meals (pdf) AND Recipes and Techniques for Plant Forward Meals
One Meal a Day (OMD) for the Planet: This organization has resources that support building a culture of plant-based climate friendly school meal programs.
The Lunch Box on Plant Based Meals: This organization focuses on scratch cooking and their plant based meals page has recipes and marketing materials support.
Good Food Institute's Advice on promoting plant based menu items

SUCCESS AND RECOGNITION

AWARDS PROGRAM EXAMPLES

Green Ribbon (ED-GRS & CA-GRS): PII - E2B: Nutrition and Fitness
CA Green Business Award: See pollution prevention, avoid waste, hire local vendors

CURRICULUM RESOURCES

The San Mateo County Office of Education's (SMCOE) Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative (ELSI) developed a number of supplemental curriculum resources:

- Home Audits: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
- Food WebQuests: 6-8 Sustainable Food Webquest and 9-12 Sustainable Food Webquest
- Curriculum: K-12 Food Solutionary PBL Unit

K - 5 : Enrichment taste testing activities for students to explore California foods
6th - 12th grade : Understanding Food and Climate Change, an interactive guide

2nd grade: Food production depends on the availability of limited natural resources.
3rd grade: A healthy natural system is essential to help plants and animals survive the process of growth and reproduction.
6th grade: Learn about the importance of nature and natural cycles in the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.
10th grade: Examine the economic boom that followed World War II in agriculture and energy industries.

California Academy of Sciences:

3rd-11th grade: Food Waste Audit. Explore your impact on the food system.
3rd-12th grade : lesson on water embodied in food, how to eat healthy.
4th-12th grade : Sustainable grazing, land use, and food industry
4th-12th grade : Sustainable fishing lesson
6th-10th grade: Rapid Brainstorming: How Can We Improve Our Global Food System?
6th-10th grade: Exploring the Impacts of Feeding the World. 2 day lesson exploring the issues related to our food system
6th-10th grade: Sustainable Food Solutions: Weighing the Pros and Cons
6th-10th grade: Our Hungry Planet: Design Thinking Challenge

K - 5 : Edible Education for the Home Classroom. New lessons released weekly for students to do independently or with adult support at home to bring edible education to the home. Sign up for their newsletter for weekly updates.
8th grade: Students learn about food access and hold a debate.
8th grade: Students understand issues of labor and justice to formulate arguments.

Eco Rise: EcoRise develops the next generation of creative problem solvers by enlivening conventional classrooms with academically-aligned K-12 curriculum that introduce students to environmental literacy, social innovation and hands-on design skills. Green professionals serve as guest speakers and project mentors to help students solve real-world sustainability challenges concerning energy, water, waste, transportation, air quality, food and public spaces.

4th-9th grade: Lesson on food waste
4th-9th grade:Lesson on the people behind the different food industries
7th-12th grade: A lesson on plastic packaging of food

9th - 12th grade: Food Span offers 17 lessons on the food system that can be taught separately

K - 5 : National Agriculture in the Classroom has many lesson plans engaging students on the growth and production of food
6th - 12th grade : National Agriculture in the Classroom has many lesson plans engaging students on the growth and production of food

K - 5 The FoodCorps Lessons include hands-on experiential activities to engage kids in learning about healthy food. These 96 lessons are for grades K-5, and are organized through this learning progression by grade, season and theme. The lessons are tied to national academic standards and were developed following Culturally Responsive Teaching, Place Based Learning, and Social and Emotional Learning best practices and frameworks.