More On Healthy Lunches

07/29/2005

The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance, the wise person grows it under his feet.
James Oppenheim

In response to Tuesday’s ExchangeEveryDay, “Tony Blair VS Junk Food,” Exchange team member, Kirsten Haugen, shared these additional ideas:

“There are many healthier lunch programs in the US, including Olympia (WA), Marin (CA) and Berkeley (CA) public schools, which have all made a commitment to serving local, organic produce. Olympia Schools paid for the change by eliminating fattening desserts, and involves students in menu planning. Marin and Berkeley partnered with local producers and restaurant owners to boost their organic programs.

“Morgan Spurlock's film Super Size Me is mainly about fast food, but touches on the subject of school lunches as well, comparing the junk food provided by Sodexho to the nutritious lunches served at a program for students with challenging behavior (where the healthier food has had a very positive impact). http://www.supersizeme.com/

“A few of the many resources on healthier, organic lunch programs:

* http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/school-lunch.cfm

* http://www.marinorganic.org/organic_school_lunch.html

* http://www.organicvalley.com/newsroom/article.html?cat=1&id=83

* http://www.stonyfield.com/MenuForChange/index.cfm

“On a related note, reducing waste is also gaining headway in schools, with support from organizations such as Waste Free Lunches (http://www.wastefreelunches.org/) which helps school communities raise awareness about and reduce the amount of garbage generated at lunchtime. Other schools have instituted composting and recycling programs, which not only reduce waste, but also save on disposal fees.”

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