You’ve Found Your Passion. Now Find Your People.

While Emily Riordan doesn’t work specifically on cafeteria sustainability, she has plenty of experience to share with high school club leaders who care about protecting the planet. She started an initiative called Opening Doors to raise awareness and support for people facing housing insecurity, especially those displaced by environmental factors. She also runs STEM and outreach programs at her school, Newton North, in Massachusetts. She really enjoys helping other students get involved in creating change.

For Emily, the hardest part wasn’t caring. It was starting.

“I think the hardest part can be taking that first step. I didn’t know where to start. I knew that I cared about the issue,” she explains. “It was a rough start. It started with some small fundraisers and drives at my school.” On her first drive, she got some expired peanut butter, a few clothing items, and even had shampoo stolen out of the collection box.

Looking back, she says, “I knew what I cared about for a long time, but early on, I didn’t really know how to turn that into meaningful impact.”

One thing that helped was saying yes, even when she wasn’t sure where it would go. “My mom’s like, any opportunity you get, if you can, you say yes. I totally agree with that. Any opportunity that comes my way, and it’s been so helpful. I’ve been able to build off of those opportunities. I’ve been able to learn so much from so many different people.”

Those opportunities led her to new communities. “When I moved into my community, I found that there were a lot more people like me who cared about these issues. Building that community has really helped me grow my projects.” She started connecting with friends, teachers, organizations, and clubs to find what she was looking for all along. “As long as you care about something, there’s gonna be other people who care too. You’re gonna be able to find people, even if it starts small. You’re going to be able to build on that and to build that community... Not having that originally made me more appreciative.”

Opening Doors made the impact of her work feel very real. Emily remembers one conversation clearly. “I spoke with a man. He was visibly upset, telling me he missed this art show he really wanted to tell us about. Right after that, he said it was right next to the bench where he sleeps every night. I was like, ‘Wow, these are real people. These are real stories.’ That was a big moment for me that I feel like I wasn’t prepared for. It was also important because I got to see what my work is really doing. I think that can apply to almost any work that anybody’s doing; that you are affecting real people.”

That mindset shows up when she notices waste at school, too. “One of the coolest things about the work that I’m doing is that I love seeing it reflected in other areas of my life. I am commonly able to see waste in other work that I’m doing, whether it’s food, clothing, or something else. When I see waste at school, I think about the people who aren’t being fed. Being able to connect those dots and connect to real people is really important to me.”

Through Project Green Schools, Emily runs the National Youth Council's education committee. Right now, they’re working on a project to create art, activities, and art worksheets that go to libraries, communities, and elementary schools to build environmental awareness in younger kids. “I’ve been able to take what I have learned there and bring it back to my community.”

Each of you also carries within you inspiring stories, innovative ideas, and the invaluable experience to offer one another practical advice. You are the most effective ambassadors for encouraging more students to take an active role in environmental conservation. Why? Because you are their peers, navigating the same systems, and facing the same challenges.

Cafeteria Victories is one of the communities you’ve already found. It’s a space built for students like you who care about reducing food and packaging waste where you are every day: your school cafeteria, and about how change actually happens there. We focus on leadership development, peer influence, and real participation so students don’t just eat in the cafeteria, they lead there. By sharing what’s working, where you’re stuck, and how you’re leading change, you help other schools and teams do more, faster.

We invite you to Spotlight Your School at CafeteriaVictories.com. If this sounds like the kind of change you want to lead, the Climate Action Lab at CafeteriaVictories.com is a space where students like you explore ideas and turn them into real projects. If your school already has a cafeteria sustainability program, our Green Team Strategy Sessions help you focus on cafeteria wins, troubleshoot challenges, and plan next steps with other youth leaders nationwide.

Your voice matters. Your actions make a difference. Together, as a community, we create a more sustainable present.