US public schools serve over 7 billion meals annually, with the power to make a profound impact on the health of students and the environment. However, public schools face significant challenges in feeding students healthy, delicious, and environmentally friendly food on a tight budget.

Animal products require over 10x the resources to produce than plant-based products, greatly increasing their environmental impact. Additionally, choosing plant-based options reduces the demand for factory farms to produce meat and dairy through inhumane practices. Many students are strongly against the inhumane practices used today to produce meat/dairy/eggs. Providing plant-based options allows students to avoid supporting a practice that they stand against. Finally, transitioning to a plant-based diet reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and other common illnesses. According to Harvard Medical School, "vegan diets can absolutely be healthy" for children, teenagers, and adults alike.

Our mission is to launch a campaign to offer more plant-based options at the Paly cafeteria. Take a look at how this school in Florida successfully implemented 20 plant-based meals into its cafeteria cycle. More plant-based options will help ensure that every student has access to food that is in line with their dietary needs, cultural, religious, or other beliefs. If you are in support of increasing plant-based menu offerings at PAUSD, sign the petition and share it with friends and family!

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