While still a slow-growing trend, Americans have received more newsfeed and educational resources pertaining to plant-based living lately than ever before. Thanks to resources like The China Study, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and popular documentary Forks Over Knives, the public is quickly beginning to realize what they consume does matter, and it’s a fair few that are starting to get fed up with propagandized misinformation and do something about it.
One such healthy-minded activist is Suzy Amis Cameron. A mother dissatisfied by her 4-year-old daughter’s school environment, she decided to take action and create the school environment she wanted.
With the support of her husband, James Cameron, famously know for films Titanic, Avatar, and The Terminator series, the duo created the MUSE school in Calabasas, California.
Along with her sister who co-founded the school, Cameron is transitioning the school to a 100% plant-based menu – making it the first ever completely vegan school in the United States.
Suzy told NPR, “We are gradually moving towards a plant-based menu because we do call ourselves an environmental school.” It is a goal for the school to be entirely plant-based within the next year and a half. Cameron feels that, due to the amount of waste produced by the meat, dairy, and polluting egg industries, cutting animal products out of one’s diet is the best way to contribute to the sustainability of the environment.
Both Suzy and James switched to a vegan diet after seeing the documentary Forks Over Knives; they felt ‘enlightened’ learning about the effect food production and consumption has on the environment. “You can’t really call yourself an environmentalist if you’re still consuming animals. You just can’t.” stated Cameron.
Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of director James Cameron, and gardener and educator Paul Hudak inspect seedlings in the MUSE School CA greenhouse in Calabasas, Calif. Amis Cameron, who founded the school with her sister, wants the school menu to be entirely plant-based by fall 2015
The menu change specifically benefits students and their health. With the numbing statistic of childhood obesity, prevention and early-education is no longer debatable, it’s essential. It is now also more popular for schools to add meat-free meals in their cafeterias in part to encourage students to eat more fruits and vegetables. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, kids can get all the nutrients they need by eating a wide variety of plant-based foods.
Another benefit of Cameron’s re-designed school is that it engages students to become more active with campus gardens and grow their own food. Such projects are to help students learn about their relationship with the environment and how to live more sustainably.
“At MUSE School we’ve implemented our own Seed-to-Table learning program, planting the seeds for life-long eating habits that produce healthy minds, bodies, and families.”
If you’re ready to jump on the ‘veg wagon’, a plethora of resources are available to cut out any confusion and help you get started. You can visit TryVeg.com for some great resources, recipes, and tips to get started.
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