Microplastic Madness
An award-winning documentary that's inspiring a global youth movement
Andreya D. Matthew, Media Assistant, is an up and coming Cinematographer. She’s shot two short films, “Too Much Love” and “Humanity,” and has been 2nd Camera on the short film, “A Prelude to.” She uses these skills to engage and educate students participating in Cafeteria Culture programs in the classroom, cafeteria, and community. She also edits CafCu’s promotional videos and assisted with editing on the feature documentary, Microplastic Madness. Through all this, she is able to continue to learn the craft and develop her creative eye.
Atsuko Quirk, Executive Director of Cafeteria Culture, is a documentary filmmaker, and 21st-generation member of a Samurai family from northern Japan, now happy to live in New York City. She directed and produced Microplastic Madness, Cafeteria Culture’s feature documentary, and also served as cinematographer and editor. Her short documentary, School Lunch in Japan – It’s Not Just About Eating (2010), has garnered over 37 million views on YouTube. Atsuko’s dedication and expertise in filmmaking, education have been key to shaping CafCu’s mission since its inception. She also designed and directed detailed cafeteria waste audits, allowing for evidence-based recommendations to the NYC DOE and accurate analysis of CafCu’s innovative waste reduction interventions. (more about Atsuko ->)
Beth Slepian, Data and National Outreach Specialist, is an educator and administrator whose work encompasses waste reduction, community and civic engagement, and arts integration. After more than fifteen years managing and teaching programs in schools, museums, theaters, and public spaces throughout NYC and nationwide, Beth embarked on a pandemic-inspired career shift into zero waste solutions. A lover of details and numbers, she is excited to work with Cafeteria Culture on projects that fall at the intersection of community participation and waste resource recovery. Beth is a certified Master Composter, TRUE Certified Waste Advisor, and a former zero waste educator for Common Ground Compost. She is a member of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board (BkSWAB) and Brooklyn Community Board 12.
Daniel Ramos, Multi-media Assistant and Lead Animator/Visual Effects Designer for Microplastic Madness, is a Brooklyn native, born and raised in the neighborhood of Williamsburg. Since childhood, he has had a passion for computer and digital technology, having constructed his own computer as a teenager. This led him to the field of film and media, earning a BFA in Radio and Television production at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), broadening his interest in visual effects and animation. Currently, his many roles at Cafeteria Culture include filming, editing, and creating animation and digital effects for the Microplastic Madness movie and resources. Daniel is excited to continue developing his After Effects and animation skills with the goal to become a motion graphics animator expert.
Debby Lee Cohen (1954-2024), Former Executive Director and Founder and Zero Waste educator. She is the Co-Director and Producer of Cafeteria Culture’s feature documentary, Microplastic Madness. In partnership with NYC school food directors, she led the Styrofoam Out of Schools campaign, resulting in the elimination of half a billion plastic styrofoam trays per year from landfills, incinerators and student meals in NYC and 15 other cities. She taught design at Parsons the New School and has been developing and piloting pre-K-8 environmental education for the past 12 years. Debby Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award (2022) from NY State Association for Reduction, Reuse, & Recycling (NYSAR3,) a Proclamation from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (2018) for her zero waste efforts, and is a board member of Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (MSWAB.) She has designed scenery, puppets, and animation for theater, parades, film and television, including design for HBO shows, “Classical Baby” and “Saving My Tomorrow.” (more about Debby Lee ->)
Hiroko Furuichi, Special Project Liaison for Global Partnerships, is leading CafCu’s Japanese outreach in New York City. Her extensive work experience includes supporting Japanese corporations and start-ups in the US, with 17 years at the Japan External Trade Organization in NYC. Hiroko has been a member of the Executive Committee of the United Nations Forum since 2019 and is also the President and Chief Sustainability Officer of NY Marketing Business Action, Inc, creating business strategies that align with the SDGs and ESG practices. Hiroko is a published writer and columnist who writes for Japanese companies in the US on SDG strategy. She holds an M.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the City University of New York and is currently researching SDGs at the UN Institute of Advanced Sustainability.
Lucrezia Alvarez-Mon, Bilingual Teaching Steward, Lucrezia Alvarez-Mon, Bilingual Teaching Steward and Garden coordinator, is passionate about building community and finding creative ways to engage with nature in the urban setting. She holds BAs in Political Science and Sociology. She has lived around the world and loves to learn new languages – she is going on 5. She has worked on organic farms, conducted academic research, and is currently loving her role learning from New York City kids.
Mariana Cardoso, Data Advisor, is a neuroscientist by training and an enthusiast of using data to inform decision making. She spent several years in US academic institutions; at Columbia as a graduate researcher, and at UCSF and NYU as a postdoctoral researcher. Mariana’s keen interests in sustainability, public health, and education were sparked by the contrasting experiences between her native Portugal and vibrant life in New York City. She aspires to continue leveraging her analytical skills to serve societal well-being and contribute positively to these critical areas.
Marjorie Duverge, Administrative Coordinator, is a born and raised Queens native, has always been fascinated with film as a means of sharing interesting and thought-provoking stories. Growing up, she loved immersing herself in the worlds of a Disney or Ghibli film, with their engaging and lovable characters, from the comfort of her couch. Years later, Marjorie earned her Bachelor’s in Media Studies from Queens College, and soon after interned with Insignia Films, an esteemed documentary company. At the moment, she is using her administrative and writing skills to help Cafeteria Culture set up screenings of their award-winning film, Microplastic Madness , to schools and organizations across the country and around the world. Having already done and learned so much during her time with the CafCu team, Marjorie is eager to see what comes next!
Megan Ortiz, Teaching Steward, is a former Cafeteria Culture Youth Advocate. She is a life-long New Yorker with experience working with youth, engaging stakeholders, and facilitating art education.
Rebeca Sabnam, Teaching Assistant, is a Columbia University senior and Cafeteria Culture Youth Advocate. She delivered a powerful speech about Human Rights at the Youth Strike NYC on 9/20/19, attended by 250,000 people. Her speech focused on how Bangladeshi women are extremely vulnerable to post- displacement trafficking. Born in NYC, Rebeca spent her early childhood in Bangladesh, facing challenges from storms, droughts and floods. She has marched with trash puppets around NYC’s Lower East Side, rallied at NY City Hall, delivered testimony to NYC Council, helped eliminate styrofoam from public schools and citywide, and advocated with her middle school classmates to get the NYC bag fee bill passed. Rebeca interned with CafCu in 2020, hosting the CafCu’s Youth Advocates Cafe Podcast and taking the lead in planning and design of a community mural project.
Rhonda Keyser, Program and Policy Director, is an actress, director, environmental educator, and grassroots organizer. She led the creation of the Microplastic Madness Curriculum Toolkit, a growing collection of lesson plans and activities that align with CafCu’s award-winning movie, Microplastic Madness. Her work in school cafeteria waste-reduction has centered students in schools across the City as leaders in diverting 85 to 97% of their cafeteria waste away from landfills and incinerators. In addition, she is a leading advocate for indoor air quality in schools and has successfully united stakeholders and advised New York Lawyers for the Public Interest in creating Safe Schools Renovation, a know-your-rights manual for public school students, teachers, administrators, and staff. She serves on the Board of Sure We Can, NYC’s only non-profit bottle and can redemption center, and is Chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board. (more about Rhonda->)
Tova Salzinger, Program and Development Associate, was shaped by environmental education at her elementary school in Berkeley, California and has been interested in environmental issues ever since. After earning her BA in Environmental Studies and Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies at Colorado College, she went on to work with the Environmental Justice Program with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, WE ACT, and in childcare. She is looking forward to building on her education and grant writing skills with Cafeteria Culture.
Misako Asai Suszckiewicz, Japan Projects Coordinator,
was born and raised in Japan, and moved to San Francisco in 2013. She was concerned about the environment at an early age while growing up in Chiba prefecture Japan, realizing that everyone needs to do their part to help make the world a better place. She is happy to be living in San Francisco, where conservation is a priority. Past employment at US and Japanese firms have given her an international perspective at how people and businesses view their surroundings. As a new member at the Cafeteria Culture team, she is excited to promote youth action on real-world issues.
Interested in interning with Cafeteria Culture?
Kelsey Wooddell, formerly CafCu Special Projects Coordinator, attained her Master’s in Public Administration and a focus in Earth Science and Policy from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. She graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in Environmental Engineering, Policy Studies, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and went on to join the Peace Corps, where she served as a Community Environmental Manager in Peru. After graduating from Columbia, she was the Assistant Director of Columbia’s Earth Institute Center for Sustainability. She cares deeply about advocating for science-based policy to address issues of sustainability, conservation, and education.
Maria Molloy is a software engineer and a former New York City public school student. She has been volunteering with Cafeteria Culture since she was in middle school. She has been involved with many CafCu projects from carrying foam tray puppets at marches and rallies to teaching kids about game design and coding. She has also worked with Girls Who Code to teach teenage girls how to code. Maria hopes to continue teaching computer science to girls and youth from every background and to use her skills to broaden in the field.
Daniel Simpson, born in Venezuela and raised in Miami,
is a graduate of Marist College with a BS in Information Technology and was on Marist’s D1 swim team. Daniel began volunteering with CafCu in early 2020, teaching game design principles to students at PS 188 M, providing remote technical support, and participating in CafCu’s Youth Advocates program. Daniel hopes to continue to use lessons learned from CafCu.
Anna Nixon, former CafCu Lead Science Teacher, received her Master of Science degree in Biology from New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Genetic and Developmental Biology. Anna taught at CafCu partner schools and at Lower East Side Girls Club in partnership with CafCu. She is passionate about advocating for diversity in science.
Lena Greenberg is a devoted systems thinker and advocate of youth participation in urbanism. They put these passions to work through developing and teaching curriculum at CafCu’s partner schools. Lena is a Brooklynite, a graduate of The New School, and can usually be found traversing the city by bike or processing food scraps at their community garden.
Gauri Rastogi is a college freshman from Rochester, Michigan. Her interest in the environment emerged upon learning about the science behind extreme weather events at the age of 12. Gauri worked on a campaign to remove styrofoam lunch trays from her school district, and her accomplishments were featured in the Oakland Press. During her high school internship with CafCu, Gauri created a detailed guide for students all over the country to eliminate styrofoam lunch trays and other unsustainable practices from their schools based on her own experiences.
Gigi Davies is a Korean adoptee from Portland Oregon. She is studying graphic design and art at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, where she is learning to incorporate her fine arts drawing and painting skills into graphic design. Growing up, Gigi was a competitive tennis player and is currently on the OSU club tennis team and is the Public Relations Officer for 2022-23. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, knitting and sewing, Gigi is interned with the CafCu Team for the summer 2022 to expand her design and animation skills.
Maybelle Keyser-Butson, Barnard College junior, interned with CafCu while at Bard High School Early College Queens. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NYC has always been ecologically conscious, learning from her family, and bringing the consciousness to her school and friendships. She was a student in Judith Enck’s “Beyond Plastic Pollution” class at Bennington College.
