Educated Choices Program

Food, education, and climate action brought us together in New York City! 🌎🌱

During the Climate Group's Climate Week NYC 2026, the Educated Choices Program connected with educators and nonprofit leaders to explore how our food systems can support healthier communities and a healthier planet.

Highlights included the 10th NYC Green Mentors Green School Conference, Food Day, Biodiversity Bites, and Glynwood’s “Women Leading Philanthropy at the Intersection of Food, Climate, and Community” event.

Our CEO, Lorena Prieto Mucke, enjoyed connecting with Adam O’Ceallaigh, Patrick Huntjens, Paul Newnham, Alice Müller Coleman of Balanced, and Jennifer Channin of the Better Food Foundation. We also appreciated insights from Glynwood panelists Lisa Holmes, Caroline Noble, and Kathleen Finlay.

These gatherings connect our food systems education work with a wider community working toward a sustainable future. Thank you to the organizers and everyone who shared their ideas, experiences, and enthusiasm! 💚

Swipe for a few moments from the week.

We’re heading to Portland, Oregon, for the 55th Annual North American Association for Environmental Education - NAAEE Conference! 🌎 We’re excited to connect with fellow educators and share how food systems education can inspire informed choices and environmental action.

Catch these two presentations from the Educated Choices Program team:

📚 Debbie Cravey
“Exhibitor Showcase: Using Materials from the Educated Choices Program with Your Learners”
Wednesday, October 7 | 4:00–4:40 PM | Broadway II

🌱 Casey Clemens
“Driving Conservation Behavior Through Food Systems Education”
Friday, October 9 | 8:30–9:10 AM | Broadway IV

Stop by booth #1 to meet us and explore our free educational resources. We’d love to hear how you’re bringing food and sustainability into your learning spaces!

Remember how much food got thrown away after school lunch?

For Food Waste Prevention Week, we’re highlighting how schools can help students notice food waste, understand why it happens, and explore ways to prevent it.

Explore Sustainable NCW's Organics Management Education video series for practical guidance on managing food scraps and composting in Washington.

Then bring the bigger picture into your classroom with ECP’s free Rethinking Food Waste video and education package, following a slice of pizza through the food system to uncover where waste happens and how we can reduce it.

Save this post or share it with an educator ready to start the conversation!

🔗 Ecprogram.org/food-waste

“Food waste is a systems problem, but many solutions begin with everyday choices.” 🍎🌎

For Food Waste Prevention Week, we’re highlighting how education can help students understand food waste, take practical action, and bring those habits into their homes and communities.

Swipe through ECP’s key takeaways from our webinar, including the resources lost to food waste and everyday steps to prevent it.

Watch the full webinar for more insights from ECP’s Founder and CEO Lorena Mucke, plus Michele Drucker, President of Florida Green Schools PTSA, on how education and action in schools can help reduce food waste.

🔗 Watch the recording and our free educational resources here: ecprogram.org/food-waste

And check out our new blog on How to Reduce Food Waste: bit.ly/4z1gH1O

We’re heading to the NAAEE 🎓🌎 conference next week! 🌎🌱

We’re so excited to connect with environmental educators, share ECP’s free food systems education resources, and have both Debbie Cravey and Casey Clemens presenting during the conference!

📍 Come meet ECP at Booth #1!

🎤 Debbie Cravey
Wednesday, October 7 | 4:00–4:40 PM | Broadway II
Exhibitor Showcase—Using Materials from the Educated Choices Program with Your Learners
Get an inside look at ECP’s free food systems resource library and hands-on materials designed for classroom learning.

🎤 Casey Clemens
Friday, October 9 | 8:30–9:10 AM | Broadway IV
Driving Conservation Behavior Through Food Systems Education
Explore how research-informed food systems education can connect students’ everyday choices with conservation impact.

If you’ll be at NAAEE, stop by Booth #1 to say hello, meet our team, and learn more about bringing food systems education into your classroom. We can’t wait to see you there! 💙

What could change if students helped lead the effort to prevent food waste? 💚

From noticing what gets tossed in the lunchroom to planning solutions with their communities, students can put learning into action.

We’re joining Food Waste Prevention Week in highlighting how education can help prevent waste, protect resources, and empower young people to be part of the solution.

Start the conversation with Rethinking Food Waste, our most popular educational video! Follow a slice of pizza from field to trash, then explore solutions with free lesson plans, activities, and our Food Waste Guide. 🍕

Educators: What’s one food waste solution your students could explore at school?

Explore our Food Waste Prevention Week Landing Page: Ecprogram.org/food-waste

Food waste prevention starts before, during, and after mealtime. 🍎♻️

For , we’re breaking down practical ways to waste less food at home and in the classroom in our new blog: How to Reduce Food Waste.

From smarter meal planning and shopping to making the most of leftovers and composting scraps, small changes can help save food, money, and the valuable resources that go into producing what we eat. 🌎

We’re taking it a step further with 3 food waste challenges you can try yourself or turn into a classroom activity!

👉 Read the new blog and choose your challenge: bit.ly/4AN2sQb