Since a taste for processed, sugar- and salt-heavy foods is developed at a young age, many healthy food initiatives are focusing on kids. And that means schools, where healthy eating programs are multiplying. Many of those go beyond just providing better quality food in lunch programs to educate and excite children about how food is grown and prepared.
The mission of the 23-year-old Atlanta-based Captain Planet Foundation, founded by media mogul Ted Turner, is to encourage students to assume environmental leadership in their communities while beefing up their knowledge in all subject areas. Its Project Learning Garden program, for instance, teaches them about food production and processing while incorporating lessons in math, science, history, language arts and health.
"One key element often overlooked in getting kids to eat better is the importance of how they eat at school," said Project Learning Gardens' program manager Kyla Van Deusen. "Kids learn how to enjoy fruits, vegetables and salads as a part of lunch, and this program has a direct impact on developing their palates from an early age. That palate development can also have an impact on how their parents eat, home meal preparation and on childhood obesity."
"Parents often report that their children ask them to buy new vegetables at the grocery store after growing and cooking the veggies themselves as part of a school garden program," she added. "One five-year-old said she preferred eating raw Brussels sprouts in the garden to her sour gummy worm treat!"
The program, which piloted in the 2011-2012 school year, is growing by leaps and bounds. Now, with more than 100 gardens in Atlanta, 10 more in Ventura, California that will be functioning by the end of this year and resources provided to more than 700 school gardens across the country, the Captain Planet Foundation is looking for ways to reach more kids and more schools.
As of this month, K-5 teachers and school groups anywhere in the U.S. are able download the program as well as purchase a supply kit to launch the program. The expansion is getting help from two partners. National food-to-school organization FoodCorps, part of the AmeriCorps Service Network, is providing service members to help create nutrition education programs, build and maintain school gardens (including planning for the knotty issue of summer garden maintenance when school is out) and bring quality local foods to school cafeterias.
Captain Planet Foundation also partners with packaging company Pratt Industries to allow schools that already have gardens to download the Learning Gardens standards-based lessons for free and order the classroom supply kits for $500. Schools can also order the Learning Gardens mobile cooking cart at cost, also about $500, shipping included.
Watch this great video to learn more:
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!