Long Island Schools Promote Sustainability Through School Gardens
Islandia, NY (PRWEB) April 22, 2014 -- Once just a “foodie” trend, eating local foods has now become a widespread movement. People have realized the extensive wellness and environmental benefits that purchasing local fruits and vegetables bring. Schools have also embraced this movement and have created farm-to-school programs and school gardens. Research has proven that school gardens not only function as a hands-on learning tool for students, but also help children become more familiar with fruits and vegetables thus encouraging their presence in their diet.
In partnership with Whitsons School Nutrition, several schools on Long Island have created school gardens and greenhouses on their premises. These gardens are a great example of the collective effort of the school community -teachers, students, parents and foodservice providers- to promote environmental sustainability and healthy eating lifestyles. According to Bill Whitcomb Jr., School Gardens Coordinator at Whitsons School Nutrition, “With the increasing environmental and health concerns regarding the source of our food, we believe it is important to take the initiative to create connections between students and the foods they eat. That’s why Whitsons created the School Garden project in order to help organize and support school district communities in creating a greenhouse or garden.”
Whitsons School Nutrition has been involved in the development and execution of several school gardens in the following Long Island school districts:
• Hampton Bays Public Schools
• Greenport Public Schools
• Uniondale Public Schools
• East Hampton Public Schools
• Lawrence Public Schools
• Lindenhurst Public Schools
Whitsons has provided the technical support to develop these gardens and the link to have these fresh items featured as part of the school lunch in the cafeteria. Some of these gardens are already in their second or third year of production and have produced a bounty of produce such as spring greens, fresh herbs, squash, peppers, cucumbers, berries, etc. Other gardens, in East Hampton, Lindenhurst and Lawrence, are starting this spring 2014, with harvest times planned for the fall.
These gardens are designed to provide not only an academic resource to the schools, but also the ability to grow food for school cafeteria use. The main objective of the school garden project is to provide the children a complete experience where they can grow their own food, and build a connection between the environment and the food they eat.
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Whitsons Culinary Group provides a wide range of highly customized dining services to public schools, corporations and institutions, with a strong focus on nutritious, high quality menus made from fresh, wholesome ingredients. Whitsons has a long and proud history of excellence and growth since 1979 and currently ranks the 4th largest school nutrition provider in the United States. Whitsons’ scope of expertise and services extends to: emergency dining, residential and healthcare dining, prepared meals, and school dining and services.
Sonia Garrido, Whitsons Culinary Group, http://www.whitsons.com, +1 (631) 7501482, [email protected]
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