I live close to a school. This summer, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it had a garden. I came to learn that it’s one of those Edible Schoolyard type gardens, and I’ve been told that they use it to teach math and other subjects in addition to illustrating where food comes from.
Apparently they also use the garden to teach food waste. Last night while I was walking by, I noticed that all of the tomato plants had been cleared. I was surprised, given that my not-so-robust ones are still bearing fruit.
Upon closer examination, I saw that the compost bin was filled with the stalks laden with cherry tomatoes. There were green ones, ripe ones and everything in-between.
I can’t quite imagine why the people who watered the plants all through the summer would call time on these tomatoes. Especially given the abundance of yet-to-ripen tomatoes and the distant first freeze here in North 
Carolina. At the very least, they could have found a home for the delicious red ones.
Instead, the students are receiving one more lesson–in a country full of them–that food is disposable.
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