TiR – Edible Education

About This Project

Edible Education started out as a dream to take over school dinner halls and put on performative food surplus feasts cooked and served by students. I haven’t quite realised this dream (yet) but I did secured funding from David Tyler Trust, Awards for All, and Tudor Trust for my concept of an education project of anti-food waste organisation This is Rubbish.

I started the pilot programme in September, 2014 by bringing together educators, performers and food experts united by their passion for exciting and motivating education on food. You can see an overview of the successes, experiences and just how many banana muffins were baked in pilot of ‘The School Feast Learning Journey‘ here.

To my great fortune Mickey Reedy, trained early years educator, fabulous cook and ultimate food waste warrior, agreed to be my project partner and we are still developing Edible Education together today.

Edible Education offers:

• the ‘School Feast Learning Journey’, an experiential voyage for KS-2.
• an adaptable after-school programme for KS-2, KS-3 and youth groups, promoting creative responses and active citizenship.

London Borough of Waltham Forest and Veolia Haringey Environmental Education Department commissioned our programmes in 2015/2016.

Photos show the School Feast Learning Journey and a programme with young people from Lammas Secondary school. Their event ‘Don’t Waste’ won a UNEP award in the Think Eat Save challenge and the group went on to write and perform an inspiring rap which has received a great deal of attention.

It is the Edible Education mission to:

• inspire waste reduction by promoting an understanding of the food system and helping participants identify the vast array of natural resources we are wasting every time we put food in the bin.
• build an appreciation of the true value of food believing this to be a pathway to greater interest in the environment, sustainability and a desire to make choices which are healthy for the planet as well as themselves.
• to motivate active citizenship among young people through the development of skills and self confidence.

Our vision of success is:

To create a new norm in which people instinctively avoid food waste and act in the interests of the global community and the environment, understanding the true value of food. Through enjoyment and engagement, young people will regard a sustainable food system as a necessity and care about the interrelated, wider social and environmental issues the world is facing.

Young people will:

• seek to make sustainable lifestyle choices which have positive implications for the environment and global community.
• be inspired to lead environmental and social change, particularly to discourage pre-consumer food waste in a variety of ways.