“The Greenest Restaurant within the World” Is a Faculty, and It’s Nonetheless Successful Awards for Its Meatless Meals

In recent times, US colleges have made vital strides in providing extra plant-based choices. New York Metropolis public colleges now function a plant-based meal as the first lunch possibility each Friday. In California, analysis signifies that 68 p.c of faculties within the state’s 25 largest districts present plant-based meals day by day or weekly. Certainly, this shift marks substantial progress from the traditionally animal product-dominated college menus. 

And kids, analysis suggests, are comfortable about it. In actual fact, final 12 months, one examine concluded that when plant-based meals is the default at lunchtime, 81 p.c of scholars will eat it. Nowhere is that this extra evident than at one college in California. Muse International Faculty in Calabasas stands out for its distinctive dedication to providing kids plant-based lunches solely. 

Based in 2006 by Suzy Amis Cameron and Rebecca Amis, Muse International Faculty provides its college students contemporary, natural plant-based meals, all of which is ready on-site utilizing solar energy. Cameron, a passionate advocate for plant-based diets, additionally based the One Meal a Day (OMD) for the Planet motion, selling day by day plant-based meals for higher well being and environmental influence. Reflecting this ethos, Muse’s cafeteria is aptly named “The OMD Kitchen,” a scratch plant-based eatery sourcing natural produce.

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Muse School MealMuse International Faculty

Earlier this 12 months, the kitchen acquired three awards from the Inexperienced Restaurant Affiliation, together with the 2024 Greenest Restaurant Award, the 2024 Sustainable Meals Award, and the Greenest Okay-12 Award. Suzy Amis Cameron shared her pleasure on Instagram, highlighting Muse’s dedication to environmental sustainability. “I’m proud to share [the Muse Global School], famend for its dedication to environmental sustainability, has clinched three prestigious meals service operation awards from [the Green Restaurant Association],” she wrote again in April. 

Acknowledged in 2016 because the “Greenest Restaurant within the World” by the Inexperienced Restaurant Affiliation, Muse continues to set excessive requirements. We spoke with Julie Parnell, the advertising and marketing director at Muse International Faculty, to be taught extra about The OMD Kitchen, the college’s sustainability training, and its future plans.

VegNews: What’s the story behind the Muse Faculty? Are you able to inform us how the thought first took place?

Julie Parnell: The preliminary idea took place as Suzy, a mom of 5, grew bored with watching her older kids wrestle in standard colleges, regardless that the colleges have been thought of to be among the many finest out there. She consulted main academic consultants like Sir Ken Robinson, Paul Cummins, and Elliot Washor (simply to call a couple of) to develop one thing new—a state-of-the-art science-based different strategy that will additionally nurture environmental consciousness.

VN: Practically 20 years on, and the college remains to be going sturdy. It’s recognized all over the world not only for training, but in addition for its ongoing dedication to serving kids sustainable, plant-based meals. 

JP: As part of our founding pillars, sustainability shines by our whole campus, beginning within the kitchen. Muse International Faculty’s inexperienced initiatives even contributed to the popularity because the “Greenest Restaurant within the World.”

VN: Are you able to elaborate on what particular facets of the kitchen operations contributed to this recognition?

JP: Our aim is to be as near zero waste as attainable. The varsity composts all of its meals waste on-site, leading to completed compost which is then used within the college’s 70 backyard beds to develop extra meals for the college kitchen. We keep plastic-free in our day-to-day operations and solely use compostable merchandise for occasions when wanted.

Muse school gardenMuse International Faculty

VN: Decreasing meals waste and choosing natural, plastic-free produce is so essential in the case of our well being and the planet. What different methods does the Muse International Faculty prioritize the surroundings?

JP: The campus runs on solar-powered power, which comes from our 5 fantastically constructed photo voltaic sunflowers that offset day by day energy utilization between 75 p.c and 90 p.c. Every thing from the lights, air con, electrical cooking tools, fridges, and freezers are all powered by the solar.

VN: The varsity is clearly doing a lot to show kids in regards to the planet by actions in addition to phrases. How do you intend to maintain and improve its inexperienced initiatives sooner or later?

JP: We host compost workshops for our MUSE neighborhood and encourage households to drop off their residence compost on campus to return the vitamins to the college’s gardens. This program and extra like this might be within the works subsequent college 12 months. Our seed-to-table program can be all the time planting timber on campus and can proceed subsequent 12 months. As a campus, we’re dedicated to staying plant-based for our well being and the planet, sustaining sustainability requirements, and all the time taking steps to cut back our power and water utilization. 

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