“Food and sustainability” – the third Eco Patrol workshop.

On March 21, 2025, a workshop entitled “Food and Sustainability” was held with the participation of students from Vodice Elementary School.

Activity name: It stinks — it stinks terribly

The activity began with a short introduction about the importance of thinking about food, its origin and the consequences of unsustainable consumption. The children were given six cards on which were written facts related to food production, transportation, food waste and injustice in trade (examples with strawberries from Spain, quinoa from South America and data on food waste).

The task was to find all the cards, read them out loud and discuss together what seemed “illogical” or “unfair” to them. After that, in smaller groups, the children had to write three key messages or conclusions and present them to the rest of the class.

The children concluded that a lot of food is wasted unnecessarily while at the same time many people are starving, which they considered “unfair and meaningless”. They were surprised by how much energy and money is spent on transporting food from far away places instead of buying local products. They also highlighted the problem of food prices becoming unaffordable for poor people in the countries where these foods are grown.

In the end, they agreed that everyone should be more careful about how much food they buy and throw away, that local production should be supported, and that it is important to ask questions about the origin of what we eat. The activity encouraged a sense of responsibility in the children and a desire for more just and sustainable behavior.

After an introductory discussion and reading of stories, the children worked on the task of creating a consequence wheel based on an event related to quinoa. At the beginning, they were given a description of the event (the sudden popularity of quinoa in the world due to its health properties), and then they determined and wrote down the consequences together. It was a complex task because the children had to think about the wider impact of an event.

The children were then tasked with applying the same wheel principle to other stories (about strawberries and food waste), connecting causes and effects and developing their ability to think systems.

Through this activity, the children realized how often the consequences are hidden and long-term. They learned that the increased demand for quinoa leads to problems for the local population in the Andes – this food becomes too expensive for them. They also noticed how the global market can negatively affect local communities and the environment.

Through the conversation, the children pointed out that they were not aware of the length of the journey food takes to our plates and how many problems arise due to thoughtless consumer decisions. They were particularly shocked by the information about the amount of food thrown away.

Name of the activity: Helium Stick

The activity was conducted with the aim of strengthening teamwork and developing cooperation skills and joint problem-solving. The children were divided into two groups and their task was to lower the stick to the ground, using only two fingers of each hand. The emphasis was on cooperation and communication, because the task is seemingly simple, but requires coordination and agreement.

One group quickly recognized the importance of working together and lowered the stick without any problems. The other group had more difficulties, which led to discussion and analysis during reflection. The children noticed that failure is not the result of incompetence, but a lack of agreement and listening within the team.

The children concluded that the key to success in teamwork is good communication, listening and joint planning. They learned that sometimes it is necessary to stop, think and agree before starting a task. The activity encouraged them to better understand how important each team member is and how a positive atmosphere contributes to solving a problem.

Activity name: Mission Impossible

The children were divided into groups, each group was given tasks that included finding information about 20 different foods, their origin and the kilometers traveled. Through the tasks, they had to make a list of the countries from which the foods come, estimate the transportation distances and complete a crossword puzzle. The activity required reading comprehension, cooperation, logical connection of data and good organization in a limited time of 40 minutes.

The children approached the tasks with great interest. The groups organized themselves quickly — most of them distributed the tasks effectively among the members. Some teams showed excellent cooperation and coordination, while others needed more time to find a common way of working.

The children concluded that the food we eat every day comes from different parts of the world and that its transportation leaves a significant ecological footprint. They learned how important it is to think about seasonal and local food and how small individual choices can affect the environment. In their reflections, they emphasized that the activity helped them better understand the importance of planning, working together, and critical thinking. They were especially interested in how far food travels and how this affects the environment.

Activity name: Day-night in the garden

The activity was conducted with the aim of developing awareness of the importance of polyculture and diversity in nutrition. Through play, children represented different gardens with more or less diverse crops. Through an interesting simulation with pests and the “survival” of plants, students quickly realized that diverse gardens are more resilient. During the discussion, they came to the conclusion that diversity is important not only in the garden, but also in their

nutrition. The children actively participated, showed a high level of understanding and critical thinking, and enjoyed the activity.

Name of the activity: Pantomime School

The activity was conducted in the form of a game through which children learned about the rules of reducing food waste and responsible behavior. Through a fun pantomime, the children presented different concepts related to reducing food waste, while the others guessed. The activity was conducted in a cheerful and cooperative tone. The children showed creativity, resourcefulness, and understanding of the topic. After the activity, a discussion followed in which the children recognized the importance of carefully planning the purchase and storage of food, as well as reusing leftovers. The goal of the activity was fully achieved.

The project leader is the Association for the Protection of Nature and the Environment and the Promotion of Sustainable Development Argonauta, and the project partners are: the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, the Kornati National Park, the Spužvica Kindergarten Tisno, the Šubićevac Education Center, the Aurora Association, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Zagreb, and the Vodice Elementary School. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Education.

PLACE AND DATE: Vodice, March 21, 2025.

REPORT COMPILED BY: Josipa Biluš