There are many ways to help stop climate change. One of the ways we can definitely help is by having access to sustainable restaurants and school lunch. Students in schools deserve to have more sustainable and healthy meal options.
Schools across the board need to change their meals to a more plant based diet that would help promote healthier eating habits and help schools achieve better nutrition. Plant based foods boost sustainability. Another reason as to why plant based foods in schools are a good option to promote sustainability is that they can help influence the kids in the schools to make more eco-friendly choices. By showing them that tasty and nutritious meals can come from plants, schools can help them build life long habits that are good for themselves and the planet in the long run.
I interviewed some of my classmates in student leadership and they all said that the schools need to do better when it comes to having sustainable foods in the cafeteria. Kyron Robinson, who I interviewed, said “the school could go out and buy more sustainable food.” Another student I interviewed Colleen said to “replace the entire menu” and to “give us better good food options.” There are some ways schools can do exactly what the two students I interviewed said. They can start by purchasing sustainable foods like organic, local, and seasonal products. We can also have courses to help students understand the importance of sustainable foods for their school lunch. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Nutrition education focused on sustainability, and reducing food waste were frequent.”
Having sustainable meals in schools has been listed to have lots of benefits such as reduced food and packaging waste, and educational opportunities for students to learn about the connections between the food they eat and the larger environment. By lowering food costs with plant-forward recipes, extra funds can be reallocated to higher-quality ingredients. Limited use of harsh cleaning chemicals is another way to help, according to The Lunchbox, an organization that is based on helping schools have better sustainable food options. An example of sustainable foods that can be used more in the cafeteria are salad bars. “A student could take 3 of the 5 options for ‘offer versus serve’ and entirely skip fruits and vegetables. The positive health impact of eating fruits and vegetables is well documented and now considered an intervention as well as a preventative measure against many diseases. This is reflected consistently in the USDA’s guidance Choose My Plate, where half of the virtual plate consists of fruits and vegetables.”
In conclusion, schools need to do better at making the cafeteria foods more sustainable, promoting plant based foods, buying more organic local products, and providing classes on how to make our diets more sustainable. All of these changes would enhance sustainability. These are just some of the many ways that we can improve our climate, environment, and our health.
