Even before participating in the We Eat Responsibly project, members of the Eco-committee at Biskupske gymnasium in Bohosudov were convinced that food issues are crucially important. People cannot live without food; therefore, it is essential they also think about the questions: What do I buy? What do I eat?
Students and members of the Eco-committee decided that they do not want to support products containing palm oil because of their harmful impact on the natural environment and people´s health and lives. Furthermore, they are determined to not purchase and eat imported food which is harvested unripe and is being ripened with the use of ethylene. They understand that they cannot eat strawberries whenever they want. With the use of all their knowledge, they want to think and eat responsibly, but what more, they want to inform others about responsible choices as well.
Only 5 %
Firstly, students wanted to detect and evaluate the situation in their school. For that reason, they distributed questionnaires about consumption in their school cafeteria, buffet and students´ households. They re-collected majority of the questionnaires and by analyzing them they discovered that more than 90 % of students never buy any products directly from a farmer or producer and only 5 % consider shopping at the farmers market as “normal”. They put these results on the noticeboard so that everybody could take notice. Thereafter they decided that the most important task to focus on is to raise awareness about local products and their advantages.
The Eco-committee organized many lectures, project-days, and visits to eco-farms. In addition, their goal was to inform about organic and fair-trade products, even though price is the main determining factor for purchase for the surveyed households. They also touched the issue of palm oil and organized a screening of the Green Desert movie with a discussion.
„We learn from each other “
During the event „We learn from each other” older students prepared many activities for the younger ones. Thanks to that pupils could learn new things in an entertaining and engaging way, not being disinterested by many facts. For example, they have learned about the issue of palm oil and its harmful production. They discovered that palm oil is connected to deforestation which affects not only the natural environment but also the lives of local inhabitants.
Another topic they focused on was fishing. Pupils knew that fish are healthy to eat but they were not aware that fishing tends to reduce the biodiversity of ocean species and affects ecosystems. After taking part in the event, they understood that one day, oceans could become just deserts with no life.
Pupils also discovered new and traditional types of food they did not recognize before. Buckwheat, millet, amaranth or chickpeas – they can enrich our menu and be consumed with less harmful impact on the environment! Students even let their younger classmates taste some products – homemade jams and pancakes. This was, of course, the most popular part that everybody enjoyed. Thanks to the tasting they understood that homemade products can be delicious while being more beneficial to our surroundings than the ones purchased in a supermarket. Younger pupils learned a lot during this event, but also older students obtained new insights as they had to find answers for many new questions raised by the attendants.
How to milk a cow and cook responsible food
Students from one class even organized a two-day long school trip to eco-farm Klíny where they were learning about responsible food consumption and local food. They also learned many new interesting skills, for example how to milk a cow or make a cheese.
The school´s Eco-committee is still working. They are planning a public event where they will present their results and inform others about the importance of acknowledging the many issues our food system faces today. They would also like to organize a series of cooking classes with the owner of a local bio-restaurant to teach people how to use more responsible ingredients at home. They are still not sure whether such an event would be popular among ordinary citizens, nevertheless they plan on organizing such an event in the future. We can definitely say that their effort for a more responsible food model has not ended yet and there is many more to come; and still much work that has to be done within our society!
