With childhood obesity skyrocketing and climate change
looming for future generations, schools across the country are fighting back.
A recent Organic
Authority article reports that schools in major cities from Los Angeles
to Philadelphia are implementing policies to reduce animal-based offerings in
cafeterias and increase plant-based options.
The author explains:
Interest in plant-based foods is at an all-time high, according to Lux Research, a strategic advisory firm for emerging technologies, “by 2054 meat alternatives will comprise 33 percent of the overall protein market.
The market for meat alternatives includes school lunch
programs. In fact, more than 50 school districts nationwide observe Meatless
Monday, “the popular diet that promises improved personal health and a
healthier planet if more people give up meat just one day per week.
MUSE School in Southern California, founded by film director
James
Cameron and his wife, became entirely vegan last year. Both Cameron and his
wife are committed vegans. Jeff King, MUSE’s head of school, explains, “The way
we eat is the easiest and most impactful way we can alter our carbon footprint
as a school. The largest consumers of water are not people but cattle. To
truly deliver our mission of sustainability, we had to find a sustainable way of
eating.
Earlier this year, The
Wall Street Journal reported that The Scandinavian School of Jersey City, a
preschool just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, went entirely vegan.
Whether it’s to save the planet, help children be healthier,
or prevent animal suffering, these shifts toward plant-based school lunches are
shaping the way future generations will eat.
Interested in reducing your environmental impact with a vegan diet? Check out ChooseVeg.com for more information.
Interested in reducing your environmental impact with a vegan diet? Check out ChooseVeg.com for more information.