City Councilmember Brad Lander (Democrat, 39th District) seems to be taking on the issue of healthy food in the public schools. In the following email sent my way, he talks about salad bars in the schools, school gardens, getting rid of Styrofoam and more. And that’ s not all. He and other local school leaders are even planning a local food conference.
As I talk to the parents of public school students, one issue I’ve heard about often is school food – making it more nutritious and sustainable, and getting kids to eat healthy meals (not always at easy thing, I know, as the parent of a 7 year old and a 10 year old).
Many schools in our community have already taken some great steps forward – among other things, they’re putting in salad bars, planting school gardens, working with SchoolFood staff on menus, getting rid of Styrofoam, reducing waste, and planning harvest days. As I educate myself further, I’ve learned that there are many ways for schools to improve the food they serve and that there are many actions we can take, as a city, to do better in feeding our children when they’re not at home.
Toward that end, my office and parent leaders from local schools have been working together with the New York City Department of Education’s Office of SchoolFood, the Brooklyn Food Coalition, GrowNYC, the District 15 Community Education Council and other organizations on the “School Food Rocks” conference, to be held Saturday, October 23rd.
“School Food Rocks” will bring together parents, educators, students, SchoolFood staff, and food activists to discuss how we can work together to achieve healthier and more sustainable school food throughout District 15. The conference will help schools get started or take next steps in improving their food programs, and strengthen the network of parents and school leaders working on food issues.
The conference will take place on Saturday, October 23rd, from 10am-3pm, at MS 51 (350 5th Avenue). You can register through our website. The day-long event will include an expo fair of sustainable school food programs; workshops on a range of topics; and keynote speeches from Chef Jorge (the first executive chef of the New York City schools) and celebrated author and “Renegade Lunch Lady” Chef Ann Cooper.
Topics covered at the conference will include:
* starting a school garden
* working with SchoolFood on implementing salad bars and healthy menus
* improving your schools’ recycling programWhether your school already has an active sustainable food program, or is just getting started, this conference will be a chance for you to share best practices and collect new information.