The students use environmental footprint cards to compare different types of food and discuss which meals have a higher or lower carbon footprint.
The intention is to make students aware of the environmental impact of everyday food choices and to encourage them to reflect on how their eating habits affect the climate.
Introduction (5 min)
We start with a question: Do you think all food has the same impact on the environment?” Students use the Brainstorming methods to think about the question. Short discussion to activate prior knowledge.
Exploring the footprint cards (10 min)
Students in groups of 3 or 4 examine the Cards – Food Footprints and identify food with the highest and lowest environmental impact.
Each group shares 2–3 examples with the class.
Meal planning – current habits (20 min)
In groups, students prepare three meal plans (breakfast, lunch, dinner) based on what they usually eat. Cards Food Footprint – instructions on how to use the cards.
They use the Cards – Food Footprint game board and theCards – Food Footprints to calculate the environmental footprint of these meals and write the results in a Cards Food Footprint – worksheet.
Short presentations follow (each group presents one meal).
Meal planning – improved choices (20 min)
Groups now re-design their three meals to reduce the overall footprint.
They calculate again, write the new results in the worksheet and prepare a short comparison (“before and after”).
Presentations of the improvements.
Creative activity – Food on the Plate – Carbon Footprint Challenge (20 min)
Using food images from supermarket flyers (or drawings), groups create posters of climate-friendly meals with a low footprint.
Posters are displayed in the classroom or school corridor.
Conclusion and reflection (5 min)
Summarise of the key insights: “Our food choices affect the climate. Even small changes in meals can make a big difference.”
Students reflect to the final question: Which change would you most easily make in your diet?”
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