Schools in the United States play an enormous role in contributing to the plastic waste crisis. The use of single-use plastic in school lunches can perpetuate a culture of throwaway mentality. This can create a cycle of waste, where items are used briefly and then discarded, contributing to the growing problem of plastic pollution and environmental degradation.

We created our StoryMap to highlight the efforts of Cafeteria Culture, an organization based in NYC devoted to eliminating plastic waste in schools. We focus on promoting their initiative Plastic Free Lunch Day to get more students, teachers, administrators, and school districts involved. If each school in the U.S. reduces just 2 pieces of plastic per day, we can eliminate 10 billion tons of plastic each year! It's easier than you think!

Check out the StoryMap here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ec8cb038cc864e819280daa3678b9080

Student Team:

• Olya Sukonrat [United States - Columbia University]
• Ismaila Trawally [The Gambia - University of The Gambia]
• Piper Van Kerkhove [United States - SUNY Binghamton]