“Sustainability is hard work, and the hardest step is getting started. Begin.”
Develop purchasing process for local producers. Conduct Taste Tests and Customer Satisfaction Surveys at High Schools. Partner with Industry Experts.
Work with district wellness champions to review and revise your Wellness Policy for stakeholder buy-in. Final Thoughts Do what you love and love what you do with passion. Be a risk taker. Connect those dots. Share. Sustainability is hard work, and the hardest step is getting started. Begin. You aren’t alone, so begin, brainstorm, find those connections and champions to help push your program onward and upward.Start small,support your work with policy and procedures. Prioritize building those relationships with stakeholders. Understand that sustainability work can support your mission, vision, and future success of your food service operations.
Perhaps, the most recognized subject when someone mentions sustainability is its environmental impact. In addition to prioritizing purchasing locally, SVVSD’s wellness programs want to ensure resources in place are continually available to our students and community while being an environmental steward. In 2023, we were awarded a $100,0000 BOCO Sustainable Food & Agriculture Grant. Select students will all be able to work toward sustainability, entrepreneurship and global impact with construction of a storage container farm from Farm Box Foods. It will produce 10,000- 12,000 pounds of leafy greens, in which NS will then purchase to serve hyper-local student grown greens in our cafeterias. Takeaways for environmental sustainability in your organization: Connect with others in district departments. Start small, with hydroponic towers in your foodservice operations. Share your good works on social media.
Theresa Spires has been a registered dietitian within the School Wellness and Farm to School K-12 sector for five years. Her passion for feeding kids healthy and delicious meals have built a value chain of curiosity and excitement within the food systems, creating educational opportunities in the future of food production. Theresa is active within the local agricultural community. Her family operates a small hobby farm which includes a plum orchard, gardens, chickens, turkey, emu and honey bee hives along the front range in Longmont, Colorado. St. Vrain Valley School District (CO) Theresa Spires, RDN
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