A pilot to decarbonize NYC school cafeterias and improve health
Summary
In 2023, Ahimsa committed to replacing single use and reusable plastic products with reusable stainless steel food ware in 25 NYC elementary schools as a pilot to decarbonize school cafeterias and improve student health. This transition will result in reduced waste, particularly hazardous plastics, mitigated carbon emissions, and reduced health risks to students. Ahimsa provides educational curriculum along with food ware to improve environmental health knowledge of students and staff. The objective of this interventional study is to assess the impact of replacing single-use food ware with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended reusable stainless steel in school cafeterias. The study aims to measure the effects on children’s health, the environment, and the financial sustainability of schools. Using existing networks in the NYC public sector and charitable organizations as well as the global brand The Smurfs educational curriculum, Ahimsa will successfully pilot this model and aim to build a repeatable scalable model nationwide.
Approach
Ahimsa commits to pilot the transition of 25 New York City elementary school cafeterias by replacing single-use and reusable plastic products used in those school cafeterias with sustainable, NSF certified stainless-steel products, immediately reducing health and environmental harms caused by plastic.
Ahimsa and partners will provide educational materials to accompany its products and, with partners, has identified ways to address potential roadblocks and anticipated challenges, which are currently in practice in several other states. Ahimsa’s environmental and health experts and experienced partners will contribute to funding, creation of educational curriculum for students and school staff, and help with data and modeling around the environmental and health impacts of this intervention.
Ahimsa’s pediatrician-designed National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certified stainless steel food ware allows schools to serve meals in and on safer, more sustainable materials. Positive outcomes from the transition to metal from plastic food ware includes reduced waste, particularly hazardous plastics, mitigated carbon emissions, and reduced health risks to students.
In order to launch a successful pilot, Ahimsa has partnered and/or communicated already with officials from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy and non-for-profit organizations like Cafeteria Culture that has a long-standing relationship with NYC schools.
Ahimsa’s ultimate goal is to transform school cafeterias nationwide for the health of children. Currently, as a small business, Ahimsa school line has been implemented in schools in eight states. New York City is a new geographic region that is home to the largest school district in the nation. Ahimsa’s goal in New York City is to initially target a subset of schools, expanding to other schools within the district and region in order to build a repeatable model that can be implemented across the country.
Action Plan
June through August 2023:
Select 25 schools to participate in the pilot
Collect baseline data, including the amount of waste that results from the cafeterias at each selected school and student/staff baseline knowledge of the health and environmental impact of plastic as well as their current behaviors around plastic and single use.
Obtain financial support from schools on annual food ware budgets.
Work with school leaders of selected schools to track success of pilot (waste reduction, annual cost per school of disposables, projected cost of trays, cost saving analysis, implementation of educational materials, student knowledge assessments, health outcomes) .
September through December 2023:
Deliver stainless steel Ahimsa cafeteria trays to schools selected for implementation, along with educational materials for staff, students and parents.
Launch monthly data collection on environmental impact.
Post intervention baseline knowledge assessment survey to students and staff.
Launch quarterly educational projects, knowledge assessment surveys to students and staff, environmental and financial impact data collection, and product assessment and user experience data collection.
January through May 2024:
Launch quarterly educational projects, knowledge assessment surveys to students and staff, environmental and financial impact data collection, and product assessment and user experience data collection.
Compile all data and publish progress reports to CGI / presentation of initial findings at Pediatric Academic Society.
June through August 2024:
Present research findings of the pilot for publication in Pediatrics Journal.
Recruit 100 schools in NYC to repeat the model for 2024-2025 school year.
Background
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement in 2018 recommending the use of glass or stainless steel to serve and store food instead of plastic in schools across the United States. The AAP statement revealed that single-use and reusable plastic food ware products contain hazardous chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA) and Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) , linked to a variety of health complications, including hormone system disruption, cancers, behavioral and learning disorders, and more, according to research from the Mayo Clinic. Children are especially vulnerable to these toxic chemicals and can be exposed by handling or eating food served on products that contain them.
Most US schools are not following AAP’s guidance because school leaders are unaware of it and the health harm to their students. In addition, cafeterias are the biggest source of carbon emissions for schools. Plastics generate heat-trapping gasses at every stage of their life cycle, and 99% of plastics are made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels, a major contributor to carbon emissions. Plastics refining of ethylene (the building block of plastic) is also greenhouse-gas intensive. Waste management, including incineration and recycling, also has climate impacts. PlasticSoupFoundation.org reports that plastics never benignly degrade; instead, they break into microplastics and nano plastics, which are found all throughout nature, particularly in oceans. Historically, the ocean has sequestered 30-50% of CO2 emissions from human-related activities, but evidence suggests that microplastics could degrade plankton’s ability to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Reducing dependence on plastic use is consequently an essential step in addressing the climate crisis. The transformation of school cafeterias from disposable and plastic products to sustainable stainless-steel products will have a monumental impact on the environment and the health of millions of children.
Progress Update
The Conscious Cafeteria Project was launched by Ahimsa as a national pilot program study with 15 schools in four states (California, Minnesota, Indiana, and New York) over one school year to investigate the environmental, financial, and educational impact that a reusable foodware system could have in school cafeterias.
Upstream conducted an in-depth analysis of the environmental and economic outcomes of this transition. Over the course of the study, participating schools, serving over one million meals annually, provided valuable data on the benefits of reusable foodware. The impact has been remarkable: Greenhouse Gas Reduction: The transition to reusable trays resulted in significantly lowering the carbon footprint of school cafeterias, achieving over 80% reduction in GHG emissions (a total reduction of 291.17 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) Waste Reduction: Schools achieved a total waste reduction of 49,494.51 pounds, demonstrating the tangible impact of moving away from disposable foodware. The project displaced 1,106,200 single-use items this school year.
Water Savings: The use of reusable trays saved an estimated 146,208 gallons of water, a 67% decrease in water usage, highlighting the efficiency of reusable systems over single-use plastics. Cost Savings: Schools experienced a total cost savings of $42,305, proving that sustainable practices can also be financially advantageous. A small school with an average of 500 students saved over $2800 in annual savings and $1000 in waste hauling yearly. These findings demonstrate significant benefits at the school level and even greater potential at the district level. Nationwide adoption of reusable foodware systems could exponentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and water usage, while also providing schools substantial cost savings. These financial savings can be reinvested into other cafeteria programs, such as scratch cooking and farm-to-school models, further compounding health and sustainability benefits for students.
Partnership Opportunities
Ahimsa is seeking financial resources to scale the commitment and local NYC partners that can help implement the commitment through dishwashing services., Ahimsa is offering an implementing partnership to replace plastic food ware in the cafeterias. Ahimsa will provide guidance on best practices in pediatric health for organizations/partners, as well as media opportunities for partners to take part in.