Billie Eilish, a Grammy Award winner, and Maggie Baird, a food justice and climate activist, spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference today in favor of the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act (H.R.4108). Reps. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) proposed this bill in June 2021, which would establish a pilot grant program to assist school districts in overcoming hurdles to offering nutritious, climate-friendly meals.
Students and their families are increasingly requesting more plant-based alternatives at school, whether for health, environmental, philosophical, religious, or other reasons. However, most schools are having difficulty meeting this demand, in part owing to regulatory constraints that favor animal-based diets. The Nutritious Future Students and Earth Act would help relieve food insecurity, enhance health and educational results for our children, and combat climate change by giving schools the resources they need to deliver healthy, plant-based meal alternatives.
“I’m proud to advocate for this legislation that will help to fight climate change, combat food insecurity, and promote health equity,” said Billie Eilish, Grammy Award winning artist, songwriter, and activist.
“Providing nourishing, plant-based school meals is crucial to improving the health of our kids and protecting the planet that they will inherit from us,” said Maggie Baird, founder of Support and Feed, a plant-based food justice organization. “With climate catastrophe looming and racial health disparities worsening, Congress must prioritize passing the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act.”
Eilish and Baird are passionate champions for food justice, believing that everyone deserves access to nutritious, plant-based foods. They Are Trying to Kill Us, a film on the linkages between food, sickness, institutional racism, and poverty, was executive produced by Eilish. Baird is the creator of Support and Feed, a non-profit that feeds individuals in need with wholesome plant-based meals.