The gardening movement

A way that some schools are going green, is by participating in the gardening movement. In the gardening movement, school officials create organic gardens where they can grow their own food, teach their students how to grow their own food, while creating a healthier environment for them. Through the gardening movement, schools can lessen the obesity rate in their area and also help prevent diabetes in their students because childhood obesity and diabetes has been increasing throughout America.

Since the majority of the population does not grow their own food, people are forced to get food from other resources, such as fast food places, and grocery stores. Food that is sold from places like these, are usually shipped from farms that are distant, therefore, many pesticides are needed in order to preserve the food. The ingestion of these pesticides, has created many health problems among the population, such as high blood pressure, and diabetes.


Food that is from grocery stores and fast food services, is also often processed food, which can also create many health risks. Many products found in supermarkets contain high fructose corn syrup, which is a man made sugar derived from corn. It is glucose turned into fructose which is a form of sugar. Many places use high fructose corn syrup because it is cheaper than regular sugar and it also works as a preservative. Although it is cheaper, it is very unhealthy, and is high in calories.

By creating organic gardens at schools, students are able to enjoy food that does not contain pesticides and is not processed, and they are also able to learn about gardening and nutrition. At Troy Howard Middle School, students have learned how to use scraps of food as fertilizer for the soil that they grow their garden in. They have also learned how to grow plants,  and cook healthy food. By Creating gardens at schools, students health will improve, and so will their knowledge about organic gardening.

http://www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/schools-teaching-organic-gardening.htm
http://www.atlantapublicschools.us/1861101118113928800/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=292309&C=55708