The work of our youth at Consumption Literacy Project is making waves and headlines with our partners at NRDC!
Here is a link to an article written about some of the organizations currently working to solve food waste and food insecurity in the greater Denver area including the great work being done by our youth through CLP!
"Meanwhile, the nonprofit Consumption Literacy Project, another grant recipient, is engaging kids in the art and science of composting. Soil and nutrients may seem abstract to young children, but “kids understand food,” says the group’s founder, Austine Luce. In 2015 she started worm composting projects in nine Denver and Jefferson County schools, working with children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Kids get a hands-on understanding of food’s life cycle by adding snacktime leftovers to a small worm bin and examining the difference between soil and dirt with microscopes. Younger kids sometimes scream upon first encountering wriggling earthworms, Luce says, but repeated exposure helps minimize any fear. Soon enough, when teachers pull out the worm bin after snacktime, the children’s eyes grow big with wonder and fascination. Many are holding the worms in their hands by the semester’s end.
In Denver, composting is part of a larger social justice movement. “The injustice in this community is that many people struggle with economic resources and access to food,” Luce says. Montbello youth are capturing food waste and creating healthy soil that will be used by CFA to grow food for the community.
“We’re creating young scientists and young activists, “ Luce says. “But it’s also a way to make classroom science fun again, and these youth are becoming a part of their community transformation.”
Thank you to Lora Shinn for including NearlyZeroProject in this article and NRDC for funding and partnering with CLP!
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