HSC at the International Exchange Forum
 |
| View from a school cafeteria that HSC's Jean Saunders visited in France |
Jean Saunders, HSC’s director of school wellness, served as part of an American delegation to the 2007 International Exchange Forum on Children, Obesity, Food Choice and the Environment in the Loire Valley of France, April 22-27.
Saunders wrote daily about the forum and her experiences in France on HSC's blog. Her entries include guest blogs from other delegates and photos from a school cafeteria in France. To read her observations, visit her travel blog or check out some of these posts:
The Mystery of the Missing Menus | We walked the beautiful cobblestone streets taking in the sights and sounds, chatting with the friendly locals and stopping at countless cafes and bistros to examine the myriad menus handwritten in white chalk on blackboards. We are in France to explore the ways in which the French feed their children, so it wasn't long before I noticed a glaring omission: Where were the children's menus? ... Read more
"It Takes a Community to Raise Healthy Kids" | I have a tough assignment today -- keeping my blog post short. I have
so much to tell you about the great work I've learned is going on in
the U.S. ... Read more
Peaches & Greens: Engaging Our Senses and Sense of Community | Tuesday afternoon brought more fascinating and inspiring new information, including a wonderful keynote from Deborah Madison, a multi-talented chef who founded Greens, the famous vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco. ... Read more
A History Lesson About Food | Let me share the history lesson we had Wednesday -- a history lesson about food. . . Prior to this time, eating among the gentry was completely communal in almost every sense; people had neither their own forks nor their own napkins. They ate with their hands and wiped those dirty hands on the table runner. ... Read more
A School Lunch We'd All Enjoy | Probably the best way to share with you what I've learned about school food in France is to start with the school lunch we ate Thursday: salad of butter lettuce with smoked duck, tomato and fresh mozzarella salad,
smoked salmon with asparagus and creme fraiche, roasted chicken with roasted root vegetables and roasted potatoes, apples with sabyon, fresh strawberries, goat cheese, french bread, and water. ... Read more
In May, Saunders will discuss her findings at two Lunch & Learn presentations organized by HSC around international perspectives on childhood obesity and school food. The first is scheduled for May 16 in DuPage; the second will take place May 24 in Chicago.
Plus: Check out last week’s Chicago Tribune story featuring Jean Saunders cooking fried green tomatoes with a high school English class!
Parents United for Healthy Schools Lobby in Springfield
 |
| Rep. Mary Flowers with Parents United for Healthy Schools leaders and their children. |
More than 40 parents from Chicago communities affected by health disparities traveled to Springfield on Tuesday, April 24, to speak up for school recess, green cleaning, and an agenda of legislation for healthy school environments. (Read the press release for more details.) "In the Latino neighborhood in which I live, I see the number of kids who are obese increasing dramatically," said Jovita Flores of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. Flores is an active parent leader in HSC’s Parents United for Healthy Schools / Padres Unidos Para Escuelas Saludables, a coalition of more than 30 independent parent organizations representing Chicago communities affected by health disparities.
"When I recognized the disparities our children face, I knew I had to get involved," said Flores. "Parents are the most important messengers for these issues, because we have something at stake."
School Nurse Leadership Program
HSC, in partnership with National Louis University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, is launching the second School Nurse Leadership Program. This 3-part training series, Improving Your School’s Environmental Health, will be held in Elgin, Peoria and Mt. Vernon.
Join our team of school nurses who will work together to improve indoor air quality in school districts across the state. Apply now to the location nearest to you. Application deadline is Friday, May 25.
"Green Cleaning for Dummies" Features HSC's Quick & Easy Guide
Steve Ashkin, author of HSC’s Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, recently co-authored the book Green Cleaning for Dummies. Ashkin's new book includes a prominent focus on green cleaning in schools and features HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools as a reference.
The special industry-specific book made its debut this month at the ISSA conference for leaders in the cleaning and maintenance industries.
Bill Balek, Director of Legislative Affairs for ISSA, said that Ashkin and co-author David Holly “were involved in green cleaning long before it became mainstream, and they continue to provide outstanding leadership as green cleaning gains momentum and becomes the norm.”
Plus: Discuss Green Cleaning for Dummies at HSC's blog » |
