ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

 

"I love food, especially fried chicken, scallops, chocolate cake, and shrimp. I never take more than I can eat because I don't like wasting food. Wasting food is a waste of resources and money. The food can end up in landfills and destroy the environment by producing harmful gases. When I taste my favorite foods there is a party in my mouth! The sweet, sour and savory tastes, I love them so much. I encourage people to try new foods and enjoy the tastes, but don't waste! "- Arslan Soner

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"It is important to me because we need food to survive and if you don't like it, give it to someone in need." - Kiara Guzman

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"My class is doing a research on how food waste impacts the climate. My motivation for this project was that there is only so much food. We can solve the issue of hunger and a little of the issue of the climate crisis if we stop wasting food. It is important to me because I like the Earth, and the Earth needs our protection."    - Xinyang Wang

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MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

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"I was motivated to create this expression of artwork about what food means to me because my family and friends are the most important thing to me, and this poster says how food brings people together. I also wanted to create this poster to encourage some people to share a meal with someone they love. The message that food brings people together is important to me because it reminds me of all of the memories I have made with the people I love all because of something as simple as food."   - Josslyn Flood

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"I really wanted to show our world and the diversity. I wanted to show that our world is amazing and worth protecting. Food brings us together."    - Chloe Hayes

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"I was motivated by looking at the waste which we create and which affects the environment. This represents my view of the earth currently."   - Jonathan Roman

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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

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"When I think of food waste it makes me incredibly sad because I know the immense amount of time and effort that goes into producing and processing it. In todays age, time and effort are paid for with money. Throwing away food is like throwing away money. In Chinese culture people keep frogs around to represent wealth and prosperity. I put different languages all over the piece to symbolize the different places and people that your food comes from. My Japanese-American family cherishes every grain of rice, while the norm for my friends is scraping extra food into the trash. My goal is to create agricultural policy for an international organization, like the United Nations but in the mean time, art is a pretty powerful tool for getting your message across."     - Sophie Minot

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"This year (2024) prompt was what does food mean to you and for me I have a complicated relationship with food in the way that I forget to eat with so many distractions. This drawing showcases a lot of food not even touched just being wasted because of the female being distracted on the laptop. This is important to me as when I forget to eat, I feel like I am saving food but really it shows that I am wasting it by letting it sit and become inedible." 

- Arnay Rodriguez

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"When I saw the theme was the reduction of food waste, I was reminded of the expression “food heals the soul.” Healing the soul is something that is important, and the fact that food is able to do that is incredible. Food is something so constantly wasted, so my question is: Why are we essentially wasting a chance to heal the soul? Along with this, I was mainly inspired by pomegranates. They look so alive and vibrant, like a soul. Their fruit looks like a rib cage, protecting the seeds inside much like how ribs protect the heart. These two aspects were the primary inspiration for this piece. I feel this is important to me mainly because of how wasteful it is to throw food out. I was always taught to be respectful and not waste anything, especially food. People tend to see food waste as not a big deal, but it really makes an impact. I hope this program and competition is able to really show how harmful food waste actually is."      - Isabella Lugo

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"I was motivated by the connection that food has to everyone. As we grow up, meals are a way for people to connect and learn about those they love. Due to this, food waste is a very important issue to me, as with wasted food people begin to lose that opportunity to discover a new part of themselves while others may not have enough food available due to waste. I hope than in the future we can relearn what it means to share a meal: a sharing of our hearts and histories."     - Charity Dicken

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