„We want to live in peace“ and „We will eat responsibly!“ – these two songs were proudly sung by the kids from Micul Print kindergarten during the final event of the We Eat Responsibly project. At the event, three schools, Gymnasium School „Bogdan Voda,“ Kindergarten „Micul Print,“ and National College „Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi,“ presented their activities and results.
These three Romanian schools, together with the Kindergarten The Little Prince, cooperated to highlight the importance of healthy food for children, students, parents, and others. Through their activities, the coordinators of the We Eat Responsibly project were trying to motivate Radauti people to eat fresh local products, ideally grown in their own house.
The whole community is involved
At first, the teachers explored the topic of responsible food consumption themselves. After that they started to share and explore the topic of local and seasonal food with their pupils to understand what are the important steps towards sustainability and to take action. They managed to organize a food exhibition, plant tree seedlings in the schools’ garden, host different kinds of debates, a session in their eco-kitchen or make posters about food waste and responsible consumer code together with their pupils and students. The teachers had a significant impact on the whole school community because they involved pupils of all ages. Moreover, they not only succeeded to involve the pupils’ parents and grandparents but also the local personalities, doctors, producers, managers of commercial companies, sponsors and mass media, such as Tele Radauti, Cromtel Radauti or Radauti TV.
The smart buyers
At the same time, they tried to clarify why and how important reading labels on food products before buying them is and how essential it is to prefer local and unprocessed food over imported and processed. Students and others interested learned the crucial role of vegetables and antioxidants in our diet, the effects of consuming too much sugar and salt and the impact of food choices on the natural environment. Teachers promoted responsible diets, rational food consumption, the elimination of food waste or donations of surplus food to the people in need. Thanks to these activities they managed to change the mentality of their community. People became more aware of different crucial issues concerning responsible production and consumption of food. Now they can characterize themselves as “smart buyers”. Their food choices are more responsible and they also started to support local production of fruit and vegetables.
The ecological march
About 250 preschoolers, 100 students, 23 teachers, numerous parents, and supporters… All these followers of a responsible lifestyle marched together in the streets of Radauti to raise awareness about healthy and local food consumption that protects our nature. They headed to the Central Park of Radauti where they managed to distribute over 1000 flyers with “eco-messages”. During the whole event they carried balloons with important slogans like: “Eat Responsibly”, “Read the label”, “Do not waste food”, “Buy food, fruit, and vegetables from local producers!” and many others…
