Sign this petition to show your support of The Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act. The purpose of this legislation is to create a pilot grant program to provide healthy, climate-friendly plant-based meals in public schools in the United States. The bill prioritizes funding for low-income school districts and emphasizes culturally appropriate menus. Grant funds in this bill can be used for culinary training, technical assistance, procurement costs of plant-based foods from socially disadvantaged producers and local farms, marketing, student engagement, additional labor costs, and nutrition education.
 
Students are increasingly asking for more plant-based options at school for health, environmental, ethical, religious, or other reasons. The Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act will help schools better accommodate students’ desires.
 
This bill is important because it can improve the health of students in the United States. Increasing consumption of plant-based foods reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and protects against certain forms of cancer and other diseases. School meals are the primary source of nutrition for many students, so it is crucial that schools provide them with healthy meals. Additionally, many people cannot process lactose. According to the National Institutes of Health about 95% of Asians, 60-80% of African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews, 80-100% of American Indians, and 50-80% of Hispanics are unable to process lactose. Schools should provide nondairy options to accommodate diverse student needs.
 
Plant-based school meals are also crucial to mitigating the climate crisis. Food is a major driver of Climate Change. In the United States, Animal Agriculture creates more greenhouse emissions than all transportation combined. Animal products tend to produce more greenhouse gas emissions and take up more land and water than plant-based foods. According to Project Drawdown, plant rich diets are one of the top 8 most effective climate solutions.
 
Please sign to help get healthy and climate friendly plant-based foods in our public schools!
 
References:
Micha, R., Wallace, S. K., & Mozaffarian, D. (2010). Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes  Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Circulation, 121(21), 2271–2283. 
 
Melina V, Craig W, Levin S. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: vegetarian diets. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2 016 ;116 :19 70 -198 0 McMacken M, Sapana S. A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14:342–354. 

US Department of Health and Human Services. "Lactose Intolerance: Information for Health Care Providers." US Department of Health and Human Services (2006): 1-6.
 
Heller, M. C. and Keoleian, G. A. (2015), Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimates of U.S. Dietary Choices and Food Loss. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 19: 391–401.  doi:10.1111/jiec.12174_, Supporting Information (3) 
 
"Livestock's Long Shadow: environmental issues and Options". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome 2006