Published Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Teen Corps is the Conservatory’s paid, eight-week summer program that empowers local teens to become community change agents through hands-on learning in agriculture, applied plant science and the local food system. Last summer, 23 teens ages 15-19 from 17 schools across Franklin County completed the program, gaining career skills, exploring green careers, learning about environmental stewardship and building teamwork skills. Each week, teens harvested and sold produce at the Conservatory’s Farmers Market, supported the Conservatory’s horticulture operations, drafted resumes and SMART goals and engaged with the local community.
(The 2025 Teen Corps graduating cohort)
However, this year’s cohort of teens did not stop there. Inspired by their experiences and passion to tackle today’s environmental challenges, the 2025 cohort applied for, and was awarded, a grant from the Columbus Youth Climate Action Fund. With this funding, they created the “Less Waste Cookbook,” a unique collection of recipes designed to help the community learn how to reduce food waste in their own kitchens.
“Our hope for this cookbook is not only to teach citizens of Franklin County about how to lessen food waste, but it is also to introduce the idea that adolescents can play such an important role in protecting our environment when provided with the appropriate tools, support and knowledge”
The cookbook features 18 creative and sustainable recipes that make reducing waste both delicious and accessible to everyone. From refreshing summer dishes like watermelon rind kimchi and cilantro lime cauliflower rice, to comforting fall favorites like eggplant parmesan and carrot soup, and year-round treats like bread pudding, potato skin chips and cheese empanadas, there is something for every taste. Recipes thoughtfully use parts of plants and produce that might usually be discarded, like potato skins, day-old bread, and watermelon rind. The cookbook also goes beyond recipes by offering composting tips, local food scrap drop-off locations and even includes a complimentary seed packet with every copy.
Two Teen Corps participants, Malynn and Tarika, were interviewed about their experience creating the Less Waste Cookbook.
What inspired you to create this project? Was there a specific experience that sparked the idea?
Malynn: “I think we were definitely inspired by cooking here at Teen Corps every week, and also our love for food. I remember when we all came together to create ideas, one of our main ideas was the cookbook and all of us love to cook.”
Where did you find information when you were putting it together?
Tarika: “For the first part, we mainly looked at food waste prevention by the City of Columbus. Then for the recipes, each Teen Corps member came up with their own and did their own research.”
Can you tell us a little bit about the project from the beginning to the end?
Malynn: “At the beginning, all of us had really original ideas, from art projects to fashion, but we ended up with the cookbook. It was a small idea first, at least in our heads, but it definitely was bigger as time went on. All of the Teen Corps teens helped with collaboration with just taking pictures or creating the recipes and ultimately me, Tarika, and Alesaundra – we helped a lot with the graphic design aspect and just putting everything together to make a cohesive and beautiful.”
What did you learn from doing the project? Has it changed the way you think about food?
Tarika: “So even making a project we learned a lot about food waste and its impact on the environment. One of the ways that you can combat it at home is composting. It’s a lot simpler than you might think. And then another, it’s just even making these recipes because a lot of them use perishable food items and use multiple parts of a plant that you might not know you can eat, like the skin of potatoes that you might otherwise throw away”.
Do you see yourself applying this work elsewhere or continuing it?
Malynn: “We can educate other people about food waste and the things that we’ve learned throughout making the book. All the recipes are pretty easy and beginner friendly too, so a larger audience can make them and reduce their own food waste”.
Malynn (left) and Tarika (right)
The 2025 Teen Corps cohort will be celebrated by Sustainable Columbus later this month, and copies of the Less Waste Cookbook will be available at the Farmers Market this summer.
Thank you to the Columbus Youth Climate Action Fund for their support that made this project possible. A special thank you to the Davis Foundation, Discover, and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, whose generous support of Teen Corps helps empower youth in our community.