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- School Food Toolkit
Do you want to see more climate-friendly food in your local school district? This toolkit is designed to help you inform and inspire your school district to add more healthful, plant-based and organic options for kids.
Source: Friends of the Earth
- How to Create Change in My School
It takes time and commitment if you want to change the food in your school/school district. Learn how school food works, what you need to know before starting, and strategies for communicating with school decision makers.
Source: Coalition for Healthy School Food
- How to Veganize Your Cafeteria
Getting healthy vegan options added to your cafeteria is often as easy as simply asking, but if that doesn’t work, with a little help from PETA, you can learn how to get your campaign started.
Source: PETA
- Vegan Options for School Lunch Programs
Learn about putting best practices into action.
Source: PCRM
Educational Programs for Students
- DefaultVeg Internship Program
The program provides students with a structured internship to advocate for plant-based food by default and other nudges on your campuses. Students of any experience level can join, as the process is tailored to individual needs. Develop your leadership, critical thinking, project management, research, and communications skills while impacting your campus. Deepen your understanding through lectures and training with sustainability and food systems experts. Tailored and flexible projects to fit your campus schedule and holiday breaks. Ideal for internships, projects, and service work.
- New Roots Institute Leadership Development
Our leadership development programs train high school and college students to become leaders in the movement to end factory farming. These programs empower students to translate what they learn into real-world impact as they advocate for a just and sustainable food system within their communities.
Organizations
- Balanced
Balanced is a network of public health professionals, nutrition science experts, and everyday people from around the world fighting for a healthier food system one menu at a time. Their goal is to help institutions of all types commit to bold (but realistic) menu changes that have major impact. Their resources were designed to give community members and decision makers objective data and concrete action steps for improving the healthfulness of their menus.
- Coalition for Healthy School Food
The Coalition for Healthy School Food (CHSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that introduces plant-based foods and nutrition education in schools to educate the whole school community about the health, environmental, and social justice issues of our food choices.
- Friends of the Earth
The Climate-Friendly School Food Campaign: convenes regional, healthy, climate-friendly school forums; promotes practical tools, strategies and policy reforms; provides marketing tools, carbon footprinting analysis and infographics in targeted districts; builds collaboration among local, national and regional organizations; and advocates for and advances policies at the federal and district levels.
- One Meal A Day For The Planet
OMD supports school districts regionally across Rhode Island, North Carolina and California to offer a hot plant-based lunch every day to K-12 kids by resourcing food service professionals and engaging policymakers and food service manufacturing companies. Bringing our state-specific experience, we also work with the Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Lunch Coalition to grow access to healthy, climate-friendly school lunch by developing resources and also through online and in-person events.
Related Guides
- How do I raise vegan children?
- How do I become a vegan activist?
- How do I avoid vegan activist burnout?
Guide Updated October 20, 2025