The Conscious Cafeteria Project

As Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, pediatrician and founder of the reusable foodware company Ahimsa®, points out—schools need data to make decisions. The Conscious Cafeteria Report, produced by Upstream and Ahimsa, is the latest evidence-based study projecting the environmental and financial impact of switching to reuse in K-12 schools, while robustly making the case for transitioning away from single-use foodware to protect children's health. Upstream’s Macy Zander sits down with Dr. Mantravadi and Data Science Specialist Madhavi Trikha to break down the findings of the report as well as challenges and opportunities inherent in switching to reuse for schools. Spoiler alert: across geographies, demographics, and school set-ups—reuse wins, every time. 

Resources: 

• The Conscious Cafeteria Report
• ahimsaschools.com 
• ReThink Disposable Case Study: Palo Alto School District
• Center for Environmental Health (CEH)
• StopWaste 
• Plastic Free Restaurants
• Reuse for Onsite Dining Library
• Reuse Solutions Network (RSN)