As a nutritionist who has worked with school districts for over a decade, I've seen one intervention consistently transform students' relationship with food: school gardens.
What happens when children plant a seed, nurture it, and watch it grow? They connect with their food. They understand where nutrition comes from. They choose carrots over candy - not because adults tell them to, but because they grew those carrots themselves.
The research is compelling. A study in the Journal of Nutrition Education found that students with school gardens consumed 2.5 more servings of vegetables per day than their peers. Another study showed garden-based learning improved science scores by an average of 17%. Gardens don't just feed bodies; they feed minds.
Some argue that gardens are too expensive. Yet a single garden bed costs less than one textbook per student and provides hands-on learning for years. Some say maintenance is difficult. Yet students gain responsibility, teamwork, and pride by maintaining the gardens themselves.
Our children deserve to know where their food comes from. They deserve to understand the science of growth. They deserve the joy of eating what they've cultivated. Let's plant the seeds of change - literally.
At sixteen, you can drive a car. You can work a job and pay taxes. You can be tried as an adult in criminal court. But you cannot have a say in who makes the laws that govern your life. Does this seem fair?
Countries like Austria, Brazil, and Scotland have already lowered their voting age to sixteen, and the results are encouraging. A study by the University of Denmark found that 16-year-olds who voted were significantly more likely to continue voting throughout their lives than those who waited until 18. Starting the voting habit early creates engaged citizens for decades.
Critics worry that teenagers lack the maturity for such responsibility. Yet research from Rutgers University shows that 16-year-olds demonstrate the same levels of civic knowledge as 21-year-olds. They study government in school. They follow current events. Many are more informed than adults who have stopped paying attention.
The issues being decided today - climate change, education funding, student debt - will shape teenage lives more than anyone else's. Why should they have no voice in their own future?
Democracy means rule by the people. All the people. It's time to include the voices of those with the most at stake.