VEGETARIAN SCHOOL LUNCH - RESOLUTION SCR 84
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Forwarded message from Bill Harris
Friday, April 11, 2008
FWD - Vegetarian School Lunch SCR84
Dear Friends,
Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution SCR 84, REQUESTING THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE HAWAII PUBLIC SCHOOL FOOD
SERVICE TO DEVELOP NUTRITIONALLY- SOUND PUBLIC SCHOOL MENU
PLANS THAT INCLUDE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN MEALS, got through
its State Senate hearings on 3/24/08 thanks to in-person
and e-mail testimony from about 31 of you.
SCR84 has now crossed over to the House and will be heard
on Monday April 14, 2008 2:00 PM Conference Room 329 State
Capitol 415 South Beretania Street. It is #2 on an agenda
of 5 resolutions (not bills) pending before the HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (EDN)
Rep. Roy M. Takumi, Chair
Rep. Lyla B. Berg , Ph.D., Vice Chair
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2008/hearingnotices/edn-lab_04-14-08_.htm
Full text of the resolution is available at
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2008/bills/SCR84_SD1_.htm
In short summary it requests that the Department of
Education and the Hawaii public school food service
consider nutritionally- sound public school menu plans that
give students the option of vegetarian and vegan public
school meals; and
that the Department of Education is requested to conduct
training and workshops for cafeteria managers and workers
to increase awareness of the benefits of and options for
providing vegetarian and vegan meals that are nutritious
and balanced to students in public schools; and
that the Department of Education is requested to post on
its website a list of schools that have vegetarian and
vegan menu options; and
that the Department of Education is requested to submit a
report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior
to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009 on action
it has undertaken pursuant to this measure; and
that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be
transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education
and the Superintendent of Education.
- - -
Please Submit testimony in ONE of the following ways:
PAPER: 10 copies (including an original) to Room 324 in the
State Capitol; 415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI
96813
FAX: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit to
586-6511(Oahu) or 1-800-535-3859 (Neighbor Islands); or
EMAIL: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit
to EDNtes...@Capitol.hawaii.gov
Testimony submitted will be placed on the Legislative Web
site after the hearing adjourns. This public posting of
testimony on the Web site should be considered when
including personal information in your testimony.
As Rep. Joe Bertram III repbe...@Capitol.hawaii.gov
explained in his VSH lecture of 3/8/08, decisions on
resolutions often come down to counting up the votes for
and against, so a simple subject line to
might simply be "SCR84 support"
The message body could then state:
For EDN HEARING April 14, 2008. 2:00 PM Conference Room 329
After that a few short explanatory comments of your own,
followed by your physical and e-mail addresses would
suffice. However if you need additional points here are
some I used last time:
1. Currently, other legislative proposals (e.g. HB2993
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2008/Bills/HB2993_.htm
)
are targeting the rising rate of childhood obesity in
Hawaii. Numerous peer-reviewed studies show that
vegetarians (particularly vegans) have lower BMI (Body Mass
Index) than omnivores, and lower risk for most of the
diseases resulting in later life from childhood obesity.
2. National surveys have shown that 2%-5% of the US population
identify themselves as vegetarian. Translated to Hawaii, that
means that 5000-13,000 (
http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/15000.html
) of our school children would benefit from passage of
SCR84
3. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer
Society, American Dietetic Association, American Heart
Association, and National Institutes of Health now
recommend that there be greater emphasis in the American
diet on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
4. Although only a fraction of Hawaii school children are
likely to adopt a vegetarian diet if they are not already
vegetarians, exposure to the information that it's possible
to be healthy, vigorous, and active without the use of
animal foods and processed foods would be an important
education for future use.
5. Vegetarian options in the schools, utilizing locally
grown produce would be a shot in the arm for Hawaii
farmers, at the same time reducing our dependence on
environmentally destructive animal agriculture
- - -
I apologize for the short notice on this, but I just got
word myself at 9 AM Friday, April 11, 2008. If this
resolution gets through EDN it will most likely go out on
the Floor without further committee hearings, and there it
is expected to pass the full Hawaii Legislature. Most of
the original language has been removed due to opposition
from the Hawaii Departments of Education and Health, on the
grounds of USDA conflicts.
However, if a vegetarian menu website becomes a reality at
the DOE, we will have accomplished a first step.
Sincerely,
William Harris, M.D.
Author of 'The Scientific Basis of Vegetarianism'
http://www.vegsource.com/harris/
Vegetarian Society of Hawaii (VSH) TV Coordinator
Vegetarian Society of Hawaii (VSH) Board Secretary
End of forwarded message from Bill Harris
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