💡How to Integrate This Activity into the Classroom?

Transform Your Classroom into a Living Sustainability Lab

In this section, we want to help you transform your classroom into a space for practical and meaningful learning through a transversal project that addresses food waste and promotes the circular economy. Discover how to create homemade cleaning products using food waste and instill environmental commitment in your students.

Ideas for Creating Your Own Project:

1) Research and Awareness:

Start the project with an in-depth investigation into the impact of food waste on the environment and the vital importance of sustainability. Encourage students to explore the topic of food waste and consider its potential alternative uses.

Did you know that, according to the UNEP’s 2021 Food Waste Index, most food waste occurs in households and retail stores? This presents a significant opportunity to transform food waste figures from within our homes and communities. However, before improvement can begin, measurement is essential.

Motivate your students to analyze how waste can have alternative uses and empower them to take action to make a positive impact in their school and community. 🌱💪

2) Ingredient Analysis

Explore common ingredients in conventional cleaning products and compare their effectiveness and sustainability with natural ingredients and food waste. Conduct experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of homemade products.

3) Material Collection

Organize school campaigns to collect food waste suitable for making cleaning products. 🌍 Engage the community: Encourage students to research local businesses or organizations that can provide food waste. Use a mapping tool to involve social actors in the project and create a real-world learning situation.

4) Recipe Creation

Invite students to research and develop homemade cleaning product recipes using food waste as the main ingredients. Encourage experimentation and creativity in crafting these recipes. Here are some interesting recipes from the website Sostenible o sustentable there are over 20 different options!

5) Testing and Evaluation

Once students have created their homemade cleaning products, organize tests to evaluate their effectiveness and compare them with commercial products. They could ask the school cafeteria or cleaning team to try the products and provide feedback. Encourage students to reflect on the results and identify areas for improvement.

6) Outreach and Awareness

Host a fair or presentation at school to share the project’s results with the school community. Invite sustainability and food waste experts to share their knowledge and experiences.

7) Developing Sustainable Habits

Use the project as an opportunity to promote sustainable habits in the classroom and at home. Encourage students to reflect on their consumption habits and commit to concrete actions to reduce food waste and promote sustainability.

Get Inspired by Our Videos

We are excited to share this practical resource with you: a tutorial on how to make cleaning detergents using food waste, an initiative that promotes sustainability and responsible use of resources. This video was made possible thanks to the guidance of Arleny Medina, Sustainability Director at Green Leka restaurant in Barcelona.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the teachers from Escola Joan Miró, Institut Ciutat de Balaguer, Escola Cal.lipolis, and Escola Àngela Roca for their dedication, active participation in the project, and for inspiring their students with their motivation and commitment. 🌿✨