Physical Place:
Sustainable Food Service
START Metric #45:
Low-Impact Dining
⬅ Back
Ideas & Resources
Low-impact dining focuses on reducing the environmental footprint of school meals by offering vegetarian and vegan options and promoting the benefits of plant-based eating to the school community. This approach directly addresses the significant environmental impact of animal agriculture, which contributes to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (FAO).
By incorporating more plant-based options into school meals, schools can lower their carbon footprint, conserve water, and reduce land use. Beyond the environmental benefits, low-impact dining also promotes health, encourages inclusivity, and teaches students about the importance of sustainable food choices, making it a critical component of a well-rounded sustainability program.
Project Drawdown highlights the profound impact shifting to plant-rich diets can have on lowering Greenhouse Gas emissions.
Strategies for Low-Impact Dining
NOTE: This is not a prescriptive list; it just offers ideas to inspire action and can be tailored to fit the unique needs of each school.
Offer Daily Plant-Based Options
Include vegetarian or vegan meal options on the menu every day to ensure accessibility and variety.
Ensure these options are balanced, appealing, and culturally inclusive to meet diverse tastes.
Conduct Taste Tests and Gather Feedback
Organize tastings to introduce students and staff to plant-based dishes and gather feedback for menu planning.
Highlight popular plant-based options to increase buy-in and excitement.
Educate the School Community
Share information about the environmental, ethical, and health benefits of plant-based eating through posters, newsletters, or events.
Integrate lessons on sustainable food systems and nutrition into the curriculum.
Promote Meatless Days
Introduce “Meatless Monday” or similar initiatives to encourage the entire school to participate in low-impact dining once a week.
Use themed events to celebrate plant-based cuisines from around the world.
Collaborate with Local Suppliers
Source plant-based ingredients from local farms to further reduce the carbon footprint of meals.
Partner with suppliers who specialize in sustainable and organic plant-based products.
Highlight the Environmental Impact
Use data to demonstrate the difference made by choosing plant-based options, such as the reduction in water use, carbon emissions, or land use.
Share these metrics with the school community to encourage continued participation.
Engage Students in Menu Development
Create opportunities for students to suggest or create plant-based recipes.
Host cooking workshops or competitions that focus on low-impact dining.
Incorporate Plant-Based Education into Food Classes
Teach students how to prepare simple, delicious vegetarian and vegan meals in home economics or food technology classes.
Highlight the nutritional benefits of plant-based diets in health and science lessons.
Promote Inclusivity Through Dining Options
Ensure plant-based meals cater to dietary restrictions, such as allergies or cultural preferences.
Create signage that normalizes and celebrates plant-based options rather than treating them as alternatives.
Celebrate Success
Host events or campaigns to celebrate milestones in low-impact dining, such as a percentage increase in plant-based meal consumption.
Share success stories and testimonials from students and staff who enjoy the new options.
Monitor and Reduce Food Waste
Pair low-impact dining initiatives with food waste reduction programs to maximize sustainability.
Compost food scraps and incorporate finished compost into school gardens.
Use Marketing and Visual Appeal
Present plant-based dishes attractively and label them with enticing names and descriptions.
Use digital boards or menus to highlight the sustainability benefits of the day’s plant-based options.
‘How To’ Guides
-
How to Launch 'Meatless Mondays'
From a GSA student intern, a guide to starting Meatless Mondays, including planning, implementing, communicating, evaluating, and plant-based recipe ideas.
-
How to Guide Students towards Sustainable Food Choices
From the Educated Choices Program, free video presentations, lesson plans, quizzes and additional resources to guide students towards more sustainable food choices.
-
Vegetarian Meals Options at AISD
Learn from a variety of successful strategies implemented by AISD for low-impact dining!
-
Upcycled Foods Quiz
The "Upcycled Foods Quiz" on EarthDay.org is an interactive quiz that introduces students to the concept of upcycled foods, teaching them how food waste can be transformed into new, nutritious products. It's an educational way to explore sustainability in the food industry while encouraging discussions on reducing waste and supporting a circular economy.
-
Food for Thought
From the WWF, a resource for students on food and sustainability.
-
Student Activities for Low-Impact Dining
Activities & recommended resources, from conducting a diet self-audit and
creating a class recipe book to engaging in a Food Citizen Action Project and
integrating food systems studies into Science, Social Studies and Health. -
How to educate students on our food system’s impact on the environment.
From the Educated Choices Program, a video presentation, lesson plans, quizzes
and additional resources to help students understand the impact of modern agriculture on the environment. -
Reducing our Carbon 'Foodprint'
From the Educated Choices Program, this video explores the environmental impacts associated with the production of modern food products and food waste as well as sustainable alternative options and practices.
Schools hold the key to a healthy, sustainable and regenerative future.
They are role-models and incubators that that nurture, educate and prepare each generation for adult life.
Schools have a unique opportunity and profound responsibility to become part the transition to a sustainable, regenerative future in which people and planet can thrive.
But how do we get there?
START: Sustainability Tracking, Analytics & Roadmap Tool was created by schools, for schools, to help them develop comprehensive programs for step-by-step progress towards sustainability, regenerative practice, and student empowerment.
START provides a Roadmap for School Sustainability:
It breaks down school sustainability into clear actions (‘metrics’), such as Minimizing Waste, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and supporting Sustainable Transportation options.
However, research shows it’s not enough for a school to simply reduce its environmental impact.
Students and staff also need to learn about sustainability, and practice it in day-to-day activities, because this impacts their attitudes and behaviors when they leave school. That’s why START includes metrics like Sustainability Events for Students, Sustainability Course Content, and Sustainable Purchasing Practices.
How sustainable is our school now?
Schools use START to measure how sustainable they are now. A school’s START team investigates how their school currently operates to find their ‘sustainability baseline’ for each metric. For example, is our school a beginner, intermediate or advanced in sustainable water use? START enables schools to benchmark, track and visualize their current sustainability levels, as well as hard data around their waste, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
Where should we go next, and do we collaborate for success?
What do we need to do to ‘level up’ in each metric? Once schools have their baselines, START helps them to set goals and plan for progress. START provides a central hub for school members to collaborate, document, and plan their school’s sustainability journey.
START is a subscription-based Whole School Sustainability dashboard.
It requires at least one adult school member to create a school’s START account, but it will need a team (students, teachers and staff) to grow a Whole School Sustainability program.
Interested schools can sign up for a demo or apply to set up an account.
Learn more about START here, and consider sharing the brochure with your school.
Let’s create a better future, one school at a time.
Contact us at guides@greenschoolsalliance.org if you have a free resource to contribute or recommend that can help schools take action around this specific sustainability metric.