Comments on: Mandated Waste: Simple Questions about School Lunch Reform

By: Lynn

Lynn — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:54:42 +0000

Laura, I’m curious to know if you’re in MoCo like me…and what excuse the school system is giving. I was told that we can’t give away food because of “health reasons.” Does it take a TV show like Jamie Oliver’s to wake people up? I think so, unfortunately. It seems like common sense has gone out the window. I’ll email you soon…I’d like to continue the discussion…maybe there’s something we could do together. Hang in there!

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:51:24 +0000

This battle with waste is killing me! I work at an elementary school. This year they started the recycling barrels. Awesome! I thought. Then I observed the kids being instructed to open their milk and pour it out if they didn’t want it .. then of course put the bottle in the recycle bin! What kind of double standard is that?! Then I watched unopened cereal, yogurt, cheesesticks, bananas, apples,kiwi’s, etc. being trashed and UNOPENED! I began instructing the kids to put it on the ends of the tables if they didn’t want it. One day I brought a new 30 gallon trash fillled, to the brim with milk, cereal and yogurt; that the kids has put on the “share table”, to a local homeless shelter! That was only breakfast! Well now I’m being told that we can’t do that anymore. We have to tell the kids to throw it away. I said “no. You want it thrown away, you’ll have to do it.” They won’t. Their just paying the custodians to do it. One of my students said ” Are their no more poor people?” I said ” what do you mean?” He said” Well, the janitor guy is throwing away the share table food. And at Christmas we all brought stuff like mac-a-cheese. But now he’s throwing away stuff. Does that mean there no more poor people?” It takes a 5 yr. old to clearly see the double standard we are setting for our children. How do we expect them to trust us on the big issues in their life when they can’t trust us to tell the truth about what is waste and what is not?
I don’t know what to do at this point. But tax payer money is being sent to landfills, and people are still hungry in local communities.. and now I feel like my hands have been tied.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:43:04 +0000

I hope schools will start to think more about the health of our planet and the kids!

All these articles are kind of shocking to me because I was homeschooled 4th grade and on and when I was in public school I always packed a lunch.
Lisa´s last blog ..Decorate For Fall: Eco Style

By: mcmilker

mcmilker — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:05:05 +0000

Chef Ann sounds awesome. I’d love to hear her speak.

I fear, the fear over swine flu is just going to make things worse as parents/schools will want every food item individually packaged and hermetically sealed in 3 layers.

By: Diane MacEachern

Diane MacEachern — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:00:09 +0000

I’m inspired by the kids at my local middle school (Takoma Park Middle). They’re fed up with all the throwaway plates and trays they get at lunch, so they’re raising money to buy durable trays and place settings. There are over 1,000 kids at the school; they’ll set a great example when they succeed, which I’m sure they will!
Diane MacEachern´s last blog ..Tampons- The Planet’s Most Extreme Case of PMS

By: Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish

Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:35:35 +0000

This stuff never ceases to amaze me. Why do they pour out the milk? What is the reason?
Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish´s last blog ..Year 3, Month 3 Results: 8.6 oz of plastic waste

By: mother earth aka karen hanrahan

mother earth aka karen hanrahan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:53:14 +0000

at my daughters college they are introducing one meal a week as organic…while this is “trendy” I find the logic rather baffling. Why once a week, why not daily? The department head said because it’s costly. He also sputtered about some sortof liability. I am very pro-organic, but a strong part of me would rather see veggie centric meals, a focus on raw eating – organic or otherwise and skip the token fries, pizza and sweets that are available at all times

when they were little I fought the mandatory milk program and won – i had allergic and mucous producing kids — they drank water – imagine that !!
mother earth aka karen hanrahan´s last blog ..Conserving Energy. Mine

By: JessTrev

JessTrev — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:29:11 +0000

I’m so jealous – my cousin lives in Boulder so she never packs lunch anymore! Also jealous that you got to hear Ann Cooper; I almost went but no child care…. Hardcore on the no milk or apple for your kid. Rock on, Lynn! But what about the hormone-laden cheese on that pizza, huh?! I just turn a blind eye every now and then and let my kid get the beloved Hot Lunch, scary as it may be. You will laugh – the first time I did this my child’s Pre-K teacher *called home* to ask if it was ok if my DC drank non-organic milk (”I don’t think I’ve ever had it before…” said my darling)! Love the pitchers of milk idea….
JessTrev´s last blog ..A Strong Community Equals A Happy Planet

By: Green Bean

Green Bean — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:39:33 +0000

What a concept indeed! It is so great to see change happening in this arena though – slow as the change may be.
Green Bean´s last blog ..A Strong Community Equals A Happy Planet