Center for Ecoliteracy to Launch Business Plan in Spring 2004

The Center for Ecoliteracy and its Food Systems Project will be releasing a web-based business plan in Spring 2004 that will help mid-sized school districts improve the nutrition of students through healthier school lunches—while ensuring that the districts’ food service remains economically viable.

Made possible by a grant from The California Endowment, the how-to plan will offer a systemic approach to the organizational, financial and infrastructural elements of change necessary to realize a new food service model. This model recognizes the link between nutrition and cognition in children and provides for on-site meal preparation from wholesome food procured from local, sustainable farms. The business plan incorporates practical information from a number of experts and usable tools: an interactive financial spreadsheet for school food service directors; architectural and kitchen designs; food systems curricula; messaging about how to encourage students, parents, and teachers to support farm to school programs; and much more.

For more information about the Center for Ecoliteracy, visit www.ecoliteracy.org. The Center for Ecoliteracy is a public foundation dedicated to fostering a profound understanding of the natural world in children, grounded in direct experience.

Center for Ecoliteracy Farm to School Workshop “Solving for Pattern: A Common-Sense Approach to Linking Education, Children’s Health, Sustainable Agriculture, and Public Policy” held at San Francisco Ferry Plaza Building Farmers Market

Close to one hundred sustainable agriculture and food systems advocates from around the United States, and from as far away as Brazil, gathered in October, 2003 at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza––home of the city’s newest and largest farmers market overlooking San Francisco Bay. The group participated in a day-long workshop and dialogue about the national Farm to School movement and interacted with programs of the Fertile Crescent Network of Farm to School Projects (see side bar). The workshop was a pre-conference Bioneers event.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Ecoliteracy (CEL), CEL’s Food System Project, and the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA); the day was a great success. Peter Buckley, Co-Founder of the Center for Ecoliteracy; Zenobia Barlow, CEL’s Executive Director; Janet Brown, CEL Program Officer for Food Systems and Ann Evans, California Department of Education, introduced the day and highlighted innovative educational projects and policies that connect in a pattern of human, community, and environment health.

Members of the Center for Ecoliteracy’s Fertile Crescent Network also talked about their projects. They included The Edible Schoolyard, Marin Food Systems Project, Davis Crunch Lunch, and Food Matters in Sonoma County. One participant said, “It was tough to choose the first breakout session since all of the projects sounded important, but it was very good to get more details about a specific project.” About a dozen participants also helped prepare lunch by chopping fresh organic tomatoes, onions and cilantro for fresh salsa and salad fixings that accompanied fresh tamales from the Farmers Market. Not only was lunch delicious, but it was a time for people to talk, connect and network with others involved in this work around the country.

The day also consisted of a tour of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and a tomato tasting featuring the organic heirloom tomatoes of All Star Organics!