Climate Action Lab: Share Tables for Middle & High Schools (District Cohorts)
Climate Action Lab: A 12‑Week Student Leadership Pilot for Middle & High School Cafeterias
Turn new school year energy into sustained, student‑led cafeteria change in your middle or high schools.
Climate Action Lab is designed for:
District sustainability, operations, and green schools leaders who want strong student participation in middle & high school cafeterias, not just elementaries
Middle/High school administrators and site leaders who see the cafeteria as a space for real student leadership
Student leadership advisors and community partners supporting climate clubs, green teams, or service learning programs
Program participants:
Student teams of about 6-12 students per school
Each team has an on‑campus adult sponsor (teacher, advisor, custodial or nutrition services staff member) who students can check in with between sessions for site specific questions
Lab sessions are student‑only; sponsors receive guidance and updates but do not attend the weekly Labs
For a first cohort, a strong starting point is:
Incoming 6th graders and climate concerned 7th grade student teams who experienced share tables in elementary school and are ready for visible leadership in middle school cafeterias.
What’s included
12 weeks of live, online, after‑school Labs for student teams
Weekly 60‑minute student‑only sessions on Zoom
A shared cohort of 3–5 middle schools, so students learn from peers in other buildings
Simple between‑session actions to design, run, and refine a real cafeteria campaign during lunch
Clear structure that builds four layers of leadership:
Identity & agency
Behavior change design
Real‑world action
Impact and storytelling
Timeline
Program length: 12 weeks
When: Start date customized to your district calendar, ending by Thanksgiving break
Start date: Cohort begins within 3 weeks of the first day of school
Session format: Weekly 60‑minute live session after school (student‑only)
Fit with calendar: Designed to turn new school year energy into sustained, student‑led cafeteria change
Student outcomes
By the end of the Lab, participating students will:
See themselves as leaders in the cafeteria, not just participants
Design and run at least one real campaign during lunch at their school
Apply basic behavior change tools (social norms, friction, incentives)
Measure a baseline and track changes over time
Create a short Impact Story documenting what they tried, what worked, and what they’ll change next
Practice communication, teamwork, and persistence in a visible, real‑world setting
Cafeteria outcomes
Each school’s team chooses its own focus so it’s meaningful to students. Common campaign goals include:
Reducing edible food waste (through share tables and promoting Offer Vs Serve milk not required policy )
Increasing participation in existing cafeteria sustainability programs
Across the cohort, schools can expect:
A clear before/after snapshot for their chosen issue
At least one student‑designed, student‑run test of cafeteria behavior change
Practical insights about what actually engages middle school students in their cafeterias
Session‑by‑session breakdown
Week 1 – Identity, Agency & FocusGoal: “I see myself as a leader who can act.”
Welcome & orientation
What leadership is (behavior, not titles)
Why the cafeteria is a leadership space
Each team chooses one cafeteria issue to focus on
Decide how they will measure a baseline
Week 2 – Behavior Change DesignGoal: “I know how change actually happens.”
Share baseline findings
Why most awareness campaigns don’t change behavior
Behavior change basics: social norms, friction, incentives
Design a small, safe test to run during lunch
Weeks 3–5 – Action SprintGoal: “I did something real – and it worked (or I learned why it didn’t).”
Weekly check‑ins on what was tested at lunch
Real‑time problem‑solving and adaptation
Ongoing measurement of the chosen outcome
Focus on rapid testing, not perfection
Weeks 6–7 – Proof, Impact & StoryGoal: “I can prove my leadership to others.”
Compare results to baseline
Reflect on what they learned as leaders
Draft each team’s Impact Story
Create a simple way to share it (short presentation, graphic, or school blurb)
Week 8 – Graduation & Next StepsGoal: “My leadership is visible and part of something bigger.”
Teams share their results with the cohort
Certificates and recognition for students
Discussion of “what’s next” for each school’s cafeteria
Spring pilot pricing:
1–2 schools: $1,998 per school
3‑school cohort: $5,500 total
Up to 5 schools in one cohort: $9,000 total
A practical way to begin is with a 3‑school pilot cohort to test the model in your context before expanding.
$1,998.00 USD
