“We are facing an obesity epidemic. This generation will be the first in the nations’ history to live shorter lives than those of their parents.” - Centers for Disease Control
Sustainable Sandhills Presents “Two Angry Moms”
Thursday, July 22nd 6:30-8:00 PM
Dempsey Student Center Sandhills Community College
Two Angry Moms shows not only what is wrong with school food; it offers strategies for overcoming roadblocks and getting healthy, good tasting, real food into school cafeterias. The movie explores the roles the federal government, corporate interests, school administration and parents play in feeding our country’s school kids. See what happens when fed-up moms start a grass-roots revolution!
Please stay after the film for a panel discussion with local school food experts.
Showing posts with label schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schools. Show all posts
7/19/2010
5/19/2010
Berkeley schools serve Epic Chicken | Cafeteria Confidential: Behind the scenes in school kitchens | Grist
No more nuggets: Berkeley schools serve Epic Chicken Cafeteria Confidential: Behind the scenes in school kitchens Grist: "The Tyson nuggets are really extrusions and amalgamations of all sorts of chicken scraps, seasoned with a dose of salt and chemical additives. Factory machines shape the mix into kid-size mouthfuls that are breaded and baked assembly-line style, then frozen and shipped hundreds of miles to school kitchens. Low-skilled workers pour the frozen nuggets out of plastic bags onto sheet pans and quickly reheat them. A few minutes in a 350-degree oven is all it takes before the factory nuggets are ready to be displayed on the food service line where hungry kids scoop them up."
[How do we dare to feed much stuff to children?]
[How do we dare to feed much stuff to children?]
5/09/2010
Sustainable Sandhills Film, SCC, July 22
Thursday, July 22, 2010 6:30pm - 8:00pm Location: Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Center, Clement Dining Room
Two Angry Moms
Amy Kalafa was stewing for years, packing her kids lunches from home and trying to get her community to pay attention to what kids are eating in school. When news of a national child health crisis began making headlines, Amy, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, decided to take the fight to film. Two Angry Moms is Amy's quest to learn what she and other parents need to know and do to get better food in their kids' schools.
Susan Rubin had been trying for a decade to work with her district on improving school food, earning herself a reputation as a rabble-rouser with a "macrobiotic agenda" (NOT!). She's even been banned from her children's' school cafeteria! In the meantime, legions of kids continue to make a daily lunch out of neon green slushies, greasy fries and supersize cookies, imperiling not only their long-term health but also their ability to learn. Exasperated, Susan decided to reach beyond her school district, and founded Better School Food, her own grassroots organization.
Part exposé, part "how-to", Amy chronicles the efforts of Susan and other leaders in the fledgling better school food movement as they take on the system nationwide. From Chefs Alice Waters and Ann Cooper reinventing school food in Berkley California to Chef Tony Geraci's student designed meals in New Hampshire, Amy discovers programs that connect the cafeteria with the classroom and connect our kids with the earth. Over the course of a school year, we see Susan's coalition drive dramatic changes in one Westchester, NY school district.
Two Angry Moms shows not only on what is wrong with school food; it offers strategies for overcoming roadblocks and getting healthy, good tasting, real food into school cafeterias. The movie explores the roles the federal government, corporate interests, school administration and parents play in feeding our country's school kids.
See what happens when fed-up moms start a grass-roots revolution!
Two Angry Moms
Amy Kalafa was stewing for years, packing her kids lunches from home and trying to get her community to pay attention to what kids are eating in school. When news of a national child health crisis began making headlines, Amy, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, decided to take the fight to film. Two Angry Moms is Amy's quest to learn what she and other parents need to know and do to get better food in their kids' schools.
Susan Rubin had been trying for a decade to work with her district on improving school food, earning herself a reputation as a rabble-rouser with a "macrobiotic agenda" (NOT!). She's even been banned from her children's' school cafeteria! In the meantime, legions of kids continue to make a daily lunch out of neon green slushies, greasy fries and supersize cookies, imperiling not only their long-term health but also their ability to learn. Exasperated, Susan decided to reach beyond her school district, and founded Better School Food, her own grassroots organization.
Part exposé, part "how-to", Amy chronicles the efforts of Susan and other leaders in the fledgling better school food movement as they take on the system nationwide. From Chefs Alice Waters and Ann Cooper reinventing school food in Berkley California to Chef Tony Geraci's student designed meals in New Hampshire, Amy discovers programs that connect the cafeteria with the classroom and connect our kids with the earth. Over the course of a school year, we see Susan's coalition drive dramatic changes in one Westchester, NY school district.
Two Angry Moms shows not only on what is wrong with school food; it offers strategies for overcoming roadblocks and getting healthy, good tasting, real food into school cafeterias. The movie explores the roles the federal government, corporate interests, school administration and parents play in feeding our country's school kids.
See what happens when fed-up moms start a grass-roots revolution!
2/13/2010
Celeb Chef to Fight Obesity Gets TED Prize
TED Prize to fight obesity and to educate about food!
http://www.tonic.com/article/jamie-oliver-ted-prize-wish-movement-fight-obesity/
http://www.tonic.com/article/jamie-oliver-ted-prize-wish-movement-fight-obesity/
11/29/2009
5/12/2009
eBlast, Sustainable Sandhills
Sustainable Sandhills 2009 Earth Day/Week Events Review
There is no busier week of the year for Sustainable Sandhills than the week of Earth Day. Here is a roundup of a few of the events we are involved in during “Earth Week 2009” in the Sandhills. Activities included the Apple Crate, Sandhills Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, the Air Quality Poster Contest Awards and Alma Easom Elementary School.
Cumberland County Local Government Goes Green
In celebration of “National County Government” Week, May 3-9, and with encouragement by James Martin, the County Manager, Cumberland County is going green. As part of the Sustainable Sandhills’ “Greening Local Government” project, 12 Cumberland County departments are now Certified Green Businesses!
New Century International Elementary School Breaks Ground
Cumberland County government and school system officials participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for New Century International Elementary School, the first LEED elementary school in the Sandhills region. In addition to the school, a new branch of the Cumberland County Library System will also be built.
May 3-9: National County Government Week
May 7: Greening Fayetteville’s New UDO Community Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm,PWC Operations Center, 955 Old Wilmington Road, Fayetteville.
May 7 - 8: North Carolina Conservation Network Retreat
May 19: Moore County CAT meeting, 6:30-8pm, Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Center, Clement Dining Hall, 3395 Airport Rd, Pinehurst.
May 21: Cumberland County Sustainable Film Series, 6:30-8pm, "The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil." Pate Room, Cumberland County Public Library Headquarters, 300 Maiden Lane, Fayetteville.
May 26: Harnett County CAT KICKOFF, 6:30-8pm, Central Carolina CC, Harnett County Campus, Miriello Administration Building, Room #135, 1075 E. Cornelius Harnett Blvd (Hwy 421), Lillington.
Support Sustainable Sandhills
Our continued growth and success depends in large part on your support.
Become a fan of Sustainable Sandhills’ new Facebook page to find out more about upcoming projects in your community!
There is no busier week of the year for Sustainable Sandhills than the week of Earth Day. Here is a roundup of a few of the events we are involved in during “Earth Week 2009” in the Sandhills. Activities included the Apple Crate, Sandhills Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, the Air Quality Poster Contest Awards and Alma Easom Elementary School.
Cumberland County Local Government Goes Green
In celebration of “National County Government” Week, May 3-9, and with encouragement by James Martin, the County Manager, Cumberland County is going green. As part of the Sustainable Sandhills’ “Greening Local Government” project, 12 Cumberland County departments are now Certified Green Businesses!
New Century International Elementary School Breaks Ground
Cumberland County government and school system officials participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for New Century International Elementary School, the first LEED elementary school in the Sandhills region. In addition to the school, a new branch of the Cumberland County Library System will also be built.
May 3-9: National County Government Week
May 7: Greening Fayetteville’s New UDO Community Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm,PWC Operations Center, 955 Old Wilmington Road, Fayetteville.
May 7 - 8: North Carolina Conservation Network Retreat
May 19: Moore County CAT meeting, 6:30-8pm, Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Center, Clement Dining Hall, 3395 Airport Rd, Pinehurst.
May 21: Cumberland County Sustainable Film Series, 6:30-8pm, "The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil." Pate Room, Cumberland County Public Library Headquarters, 300 Maiden Lane, Fayetteville.
May 26: Harnett County CAT KICKOFF, 6:30-8pm, Central Carolina CC, Harnett County Campus, Miriello Administration Building, Room #135, 1075 E. Cornelius Harnett Blvd (Hwy 421), Lillington.
Support Sustainable Sandhills
Our continued growth and success depends in large part on your support.
Become a fan of Sustainable Sandhills’ new Facebook page to find out more about upcoming projects in your community!
3/16/2009
School Lunches Fall Prey, Lobbyists
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Healthy-People-Healthy-Planet/School-Lunches-and-Lobbyists.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=iPost
2/16/2009
Bridge to an Organic Future Forum, Carrboro, April
Bridge to an Organic Future: Opportunities for health and the environment, the 27th National Pesticide Forum, will be held April 3-4, 2009 at the Century Center in Carrboro, NC.
This national environmental conference, convened by Beyond Pesticides and Toxic Free NC, will cover a range of issues affecting NC and the nation including: fair, organic food; pesticides and health; clean water; organic lawns; schools and daycare; and more. Keynote speakers include: Jim Hightower, author and radio commentator; Baldemar Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee; and, Philip and Alice Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned Profits.
Registration and more information online at www.beyondpesticides.org/forum. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is co-sponsoring this event.
This national environmental conference, convened by Beyond Pesticides and Toxic Free NC, will cover a range of issues affecting NC and the nation including: fair, organic food; pesticides and health; clean water; organic lawns; schools and daycare; and more. Keynote speakers include: Jim Hightower, author and radio commentator; Baldemar Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee; and, Philip and Alice Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned Profits.
Registration and more information online at www.beyondpesticides.org/forum. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is co-sponsoring this event.
4/21/2008
2/18/2008
Recall of Beef, California
US orders massive recall of beef
The US government orders its largest recall of beef, saying a meat plant broke rules on cattle inspection. [it will be used in part for federal nutrition programs such as school lunches]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7249911.stm
The US government orders its largest recall of beef, saying a meat plant broke rules on cattle inspection. [it will be used in part for federal nutrition programs such as school lunches]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7249911.stm
10/04/2007
Eco-Friendly Schools
Published on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 by The Kansas City Star
More Schools Are Riding An Eco-Friendly Green Wave
by Melodee Hall Blobaum
Jacob Chapman wants to plant a rooftop garden at Olathe South High School. He encourages classmates to recycle plastic bottles and paper. And he would like them to reduce their use of disposables in the school cafeteria.”Our school is farther along than some, but I’m sure we could do more,” he said.
Chapman, 18, like other students around the nation, is a green kid who is working to make his school greener as he learns more about the environment.
And bit by bit, Matt Riggs of the Mid-America Regional Council is seeing Kansas City-area school districts start to practice what they teach.
Riggs, the outreach coordinator for MARC’s solid waste management district, said the shade of green varies, but many districts are reducing energy and water use, taking steps to reduce school-bus emissions or building green buildings.
What pleases him most are when those practices are linked to what kids learn in the classroom.
“Then the school becomes the model by which kids can see things in action,” he said. “… It’s more of a holistic approach.”
In the North Kansas City district, for example, the new Staley High School will be a giant teaching tool, said Jeff Vandel, the district’s assistant director of operations and maintenance.
“Each student who attends that school will learn about environmental issues, and specifically how that school is environmentally friendly,” he said.
Scheduled to open next year, Staley High is expected to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification for its energy-saving and earth-friendly construction.
Blue Valley schools started using the best practices defined by the U.S. Green Building Council even before buildings could earn a LEED designation, said Dave Hill, the district’s executive director of facilities and operations.
Hill said that as the growing district added buildings, planners oriented the structures for maximum daylight, chose adhesives and floor tiles that did not emit fumes and chose windows and mechanical systems that saved energy.
With each new building, the district fine-tunes the design based on what worked and what teachers and parents preferred, Hill said.
Blue Valley was the first district in the nation to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Model of Sustained Excellence award. But Hill said that the main reason for going green is it’s the right thing to do.
“Not only is it good for the environment, but most importantly for us, it creates exceptional learning environments for kids,” he said.
Going green can save money, too.
Fifteen years ago, Olathe schools began controlling thermostat settings and installing energy-saving lights, said Bob Courtney, the district’s energy manager.
New buildings - 21 in the last 15 years - were built with energy efficiency in mind.
Courtney said that although the district has nearly doubled the square footage of its buildings since 1992, electricity consumption has risen only 45 percent, and natural-gas use has increased only 2 percent.
But Courtney likes to measure the energy savings another way: with a computer program that calculates it in terms of trees and cars. Over the last 15 years the district’s efforts have had roughly the same effect as removing 39,400 cars from the road or planting 81,700 acres of trees.
Still, at least one parent wonders whether schools could do more, particularly in the cafeteria.
Jerri Campbell of Olathe said she was surprised to see disposable trays, plates, bowls and flatware when she ate lunch earlier this year with her daughter, a first-grader at Ravenwood Elementary School.
“They’re teaching children to use a product for 10 minutes and then throw it away,” Campbell said.
Campbell said she would like the district to investigate other options: reusable trays, dishes and silverware or more earth-friendly disposables.
Scott Kingery, Olathe’s director of food services, said that the district put a great deal of research into the decision to switch to polystyrene trays eight years ago.
Kingery said reusable trays use up water when they are washed. Paper products cannot be recycled because they are soiled with food. Kingery said that when the polystyrene trays go to landfills, they don’t biodegrade - but that also means that they don’t leach chemicals into groundwater.
“Polystyrene was chosen because we feel that it probably has the least negative impact on the environment,” he said.
The disposable lunch trays caught the attention of Tim Oberhelman’s student naturalist class last year at Olathe South. The students, including Jacob Chapman, gathered a day’s worth of the trays that stood 22 feet high. The students then considered how they might keep the trays out of landfills.
Their best answer? Reduce use.
“If you’re just getting a slice of pizza, all you really need is a plate,” Chapman said.
His interest in the environment stems from a love of science and the outdoors. Chapman carpools to school, and belongs to the Eco Club, which leads recycling efforts.
And with the approval of administrators, Chapman hopes to make the rooftop garden a reality. It would help insulate the classroom over which it is built, clean the air and capture rainwater that otherwise would run off into the parking lot.
It also could capture something else, Chapman said.
“Kids could go out after school and help with it. It will catch more kids’ interest than just sitting in a classroom.”
For more examples of how schools are turning green, go to KansasCity.com.
More Schools Are Riding An Eco-Friendly Green Wave
by Melodee Hall Blobaum
Jacob Chapman wants to plant a rooftop garden at Olathe South High School. He encourages classmates to recycle plastic bottles and paper. And he would like them to reduce their use of disposables in the school cafeteria.”Our school is farther along than some, but I’m sure we could do more,” he said.
Chapman, 18, like other students around the nation, is a green kid who is working to make his school greener as he learns more about the environment.
And bit by bit, Matt Riggs of the Mid-America Regional Council is seeing Kansas City-area school districts start to practice what they teach.
Riggs, the outreach coordinator for MARC’s solid waste management district, said the shade of green varies, but many districts are reducing energy and water use, taking steps to reduce school-bus emissions or building green buildings.
What pleases him most are when those practices are linked to what kids learn in the classroom.
“Then the school becomes the model by which kids can see things in action,” he said. “… It’s more of a holistic approach.”
In the North Kansas City district, for example, the new Staley High School will be a giant teaching tool, said Jeff Vandel, the district’s assistant director of operations and maintenance.
“Each student who attends that school will learn about environmental issues, and specifically how that school is environmentally friendly,” he said.
Scheduled to open next year, Staley High is expected to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification for its energy-saving and earth-friendly construction.
Blue Valley schools started using the best practices defined by the U.S. Green Building Council even before buildings could earn a LEED designation, said Dave Hill, the district’s executive director of facilities and operations.
Hill said that as the growing district added buildings, planners oriented the structures for maximum daylight, chose adhesives and floor tiles that did not emit fumes and chose windows and mechanical systems that saved energy.
With each new building, the district fine-tunes the design based on what worked and what teachers and parents preferred, Hill said.
Blue Valley was the first district in the nation to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Model of Sustained Excellence award. But Hill said that the main reason for going green is it’s the right thing to do.
“Not only is it good for the environment, but most importantly for us, it creates exceptional learning environments for kids,” he said.
Going green can save money, too.
Fifteen years ago, Olathe schools began controlling thermostat settings and installing energy-saving lights, said Bob Courtney, the district’s energy manager.
New buildings - 21 in the last 15 years - were built with energy efficiency in mind.
Courtney said that although the district has nearly doubled the square footage of its buildings since 1992, electricity consumption has risen only 45 percent, and natural-gas use has increased only 2 percent.
But Courtney likes to measure the energy savings another way: with a computer program that calculates it in terms of trees and cars. Over the last 15 years the district’s efforts have had roughly the same effect as removing 39,400 cars from the road or planting 81,700 acres of trees.
Still, at least one parent wonders whether schools could do more, particularly in the cafeteria.
Jerri Campbell of Olathe said she was surprised to see disposable trays, plates, bowls and flatware when she ate lunch earlier this year with her daughter, a first-grader at Ravenwood Elementary School.
“They’re teaching children to use a product for 10 minutes and then throw it away,” Campbell said.
Campbell said she would like the district to investigate other options: reusable trays, dishes and silverware or more earth-friendly disposables.
Scott Kingery, Olathe’s director of food services, said that the district put a great deal of research into the decision to switch to polystyrene trays eight years ago.
Kingery said reusable trays use up water when they are washed. Paper products cannot be recycled because they are soiled with food. Kingery said that when the polystyrene trays go to landfills, they don’t biodegrade - but that also means that they don’t leach chemicals into groundwater.
“Polystyrene was chosen because we feel that it probably has the least negative impact on the environment,” he said.
The disposable lunch trays caught the attention of Tim Oberhelman’s student naturalist class last year at Olathe South. The students, including Jacob Chapman, gathered a day’s worth of the trays that stood 22 feet high. The students then considered how they might keep the trays out of landfills.
Their best answer? Reduce use.
“If you’re just getting a slice of pizza, all you really need is a plate,” Chapman said.
His interest in the environment stems from a love of science and the outdoors. Chapman carpools to school, and belongs to the Eco Club, which leads recycling efforts.
And with the approval of administrators, Chapman hopes to make the rooftop garden a reality. It would help insulate the classroom over which it is built, clean the air and capture rainwater that otherwise would run off into the parking lot.
It also could capture something else, Chapman said.
“Kids could go out after school and help with it. It will catch more kids’ interest than just sitting in a classroom.”
For more examples of how schools are turning green, go to KansasCity.com.
9/04/2007
Volunteers Needed for Sept. 7
Friday, September 7th, 2007
The United Way will assist Communities In Schools (and other United Way Agencies) with projects to celebrate the United Way Day of Caring.
8:30AM Breakfast at the Jefferson Inn
9AM - 1:30PM Teams of volunteers from CIS and the United Way will disperse to the Communities in Schools (CIS) office to help distribute school supplies from the 'Stuff the Bus' event
or
to Aberdeen Elementary School to help CIS build the FIRSTSCHOOL GARDEN
Then 1:30PM Lunch to celebrate at the Jefferson Inn
Please let me know at which project you plan to volunteer so that we know how
many lunches to have United Way order.
If you plan to work in the garden, please dress in yard work clothes and
bring a pair of garden gloves...we will be constructing the garden beds. We
need lots of volunteers, so please feel free to bring your friends.
Thank you for your support. Andi Korte
Executive Director
Communities In Schools
910-692-9010 office
910-528-2173 cell
andikorte@yahoo.com
Communities In Schools helping kids stay in school, succeed in school and be better prepared for life.
The United Way will assist Communities In Schools (and other United Way Agencies) with projects to celebrate the United Way Day of Caring.
8:30AM Breakfast at the Jefferson Inn
9AM - 1:30PM Teams of volunteers from CIS and the United Way will disperse to the Communities in Schools (CIS) office to help distribute school supplies from the 'Stuff the Bus' event
or
to Aberdeen Elementary School to help CIS build the FIRSTSCHOOL GARDEN
Then 1:30PM Lunch to celebrate at the Jefferson Inn
Please let me know at which project you plan to volunteer so that we know how
many lunches to have United Way order.
If you plan to work in the garden, please dress in yard work clothes and
bring a pair of garden gloves...we will be constructing the garden beds. We
need lots of volunteers, so please feel free to bring your friends.
Thank you for your support. Andi Korte
Executive Director
Communities In Schools
910-692-9010 office
910-528-2173 cell
andikorte@yahoo.com
Communities In Schools helping kids stay in school, succeed in school and be better prepared for life.
3/22/2007
School Lunches
"Lunch Lady" With a Mission: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/032107HB.shtml
Driven to reform school lunches as concerns grow over childhood obesity and diabetes, Ann Cooper is not your typical lunch lady. The former chef, who spent much of her 30-plus-year career working in white-tablecloth restaurants and catering for celebrities, is now best known as the "Lunch Lady" in Berkeley, California, schools. In cafeterias there she has tossed out fried, frozen and sugary foods and replaced them with fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic meals.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/032107HB.shtml
Driven to reform school lunches as concerns grow over childhood obesity and diabetes, Ann Cooper is not your typical lunch lady. The former chef, who spent much of her 30-plus-year career working in white-tablecloth restaurants and catering for celebrities, is now best known as the "Lunch Lady" in Berkeley, California, schools. In cafeterias there she has tossed out fried, frozen and sugary foods and replaced them with fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic meals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)