Text and Photo by ASH MEHTA
Petitioning for plant-based plates Students push for vegan meals options
S
everal Palo Alto High School students are leading a campaign to get more plant-based lunches on the menu through a petition which now has over 331 signatures. Although over 25% of the Paly survey respondents are vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian, according to an opt-in, anonymous Anthro survey of 117 students conducted from Jan. 18 to Jan. 20, there often aren’t any fully plant-based options on the school’s lunch menu. Through their petition, juniors Margot Blanco and Morgan Greenlaw, along with several other students, are trying to change that. “The nutrition team is a little apprehensive about taking on this project just because they would have to change some meal options,” Blanco said. “So our petition is a way of showing that students are in support of this change and that students care about the environment and the food they're receiving.” Greenlaw and Blanco are hoping that after the petition gains more traction, they can speak to administrators, gather data, and broaden their campaign. “Next steps are going to be to get more detailed information on the current menu and budget and how other schools have done this and just gathering a lot of information,” Greenlaw said. Blanco and Greenlaw are working with the nonprofit organization Friends of the Earth to speak with administrators and work out the logistics of changing school lunch menus. Friends of the Earth is a nonprofit organization that helps students with environmental activism. Though Blanco and Greenlaw said that though many students they talked to supported more plant-based food options, some are still skeptical. To these students, Greenlaw would clarify that the free lunch program is not being taken away, and that there would still be meat options available if they implemented their plan. “We're not going to make all the food options vegan at the cafeteria,” she said. “That's not what's going to happen. We just want more variety and we want a fully
plant-based option each day.” ers are low income people of color, many More vegan options may be difficult to who are undocumented, and who depend implement due to the higher cost of plant- on these jobs to provide for their family. based foods, according to Alva Spence, Palo They’re susceptible to dangerous work conAlto Unified School District student nutri- ditions, but are threatened with deportation tion director. if they report any injury.” “The Food Service Department operGreenlaw said she hopes that even if ates on a budget and the Paly students change to add any plant- “I was always so skeptical don’t go fully based items will have to vegan or even be discussed as … plant- of these campaigns, be- vegetarian, they based items are not built lieving that my voice, my start implementinto our current budget,” ing more plantopinions, wouldn’t really based options Spence said. Spence said that she into their diets. impact a community.” would also want more She said this student input before was her reason — MARGOT BLANCO, junior for using “plantconsidering changing the menus. based” in her “All students that currently participate language, rather than “vegan.” in the meal program should be surveyed for “You don't have to be 100% vegan your their input before any changes of this type entire life to make a difference,” Greenlaw should be considered,” she said. “I appre- said. “Every single choice we make does ciate and respect that there is a petition for have an impact.” these items to be added; however, we should Blanco said that, before, she didn’t bemake sure that we are hearing the voices of lieve her voice could make a tangible differ(all) students that participate.” ence. She said that her advocacy for plantDespite these anticipated difficulties, based eating has changed that. Blanco and her team are still pushing for “Up until we started the campaign a change. Blanco said her devotion to the couple of weeks ago and I started researchcause comes from the multifaceted benefits ing more into what I could do, I was always plant-based eating can provide. so skeptical of these campaigns, believing “These problems are so inextricably that my voice, my opinions, wouldn’t really linked to so many social problems that we impact a community of so many people,” have like racial justice issues, environmen- Blanco said. tal problems, health problems,” she said. “A Caption: Students in line for free lunch at significant number of slaughterhouse work- the cafeteria. Photo: Neil Rathi
anthromagazine.org 17
