According to News 10 in Rochester, New York, the Rochester River
School will only serve 100 percent plant-based foods. This means no milk
cartons or chicken nuggets.
One of the school’s goals is for students to become self-sustaining.
Ideally, they will farm, harvest, and cook most of the food on-site. The school
plans to create an outdoor fruit and vegetable garden for the growing season
and a greenhouse and hydroponic system for the winter.
This upstate New York school, which aims to open in fall of 2017,
centers its entire curriculum on humane education.
Joel Helfrich, co-founder of the Rochester River School notes:
We have to figure out whether the USDA will provide money for a lunch that doesn’t include dairy. If that’s the case, we can take some government funding in order to provide free lunches to our children and the students at our school. If it doesn’t, that will bring about other challenges like fundraising and figuring out how to make that work.
These fortunate students will have the opportunity to eat
nutritious foods while learning about sustainability and compassion. They may also
gain habits crucial to avoiding childhood obesity.
Rochester River School is the latest school to go veg. California and Chicago are
already home to some all-vegetarian schools. Forward-thinking schools like
these are literally shaping the way future generations will eat.
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