Call it a feast with a conscience.
Students from Kenner Collegiate’s Youth Leadership in Sustainability program hosted a 100-kilometre diet at The Mount Community Centre Tuesday night.
“There’s so many reasons to think about local food, certainly there’s lots of focus on the carbon impact on consuming locally versus a 3,000-kilometre diet,” said Kenner Collegiate teacher Cameron Douglas.
About 50 people were treated to some local cuisine, which included chicken and wild rice soup, squash, homemade bread, cider and apple pie.
“Part of this activity, when they were sourcing their food, was to interview the producers of the food, to understand what those producers’ priorities were as being farmers, whether it’s organic or trying to support a local economy,” Douglas said.
“It’s fairly easy to get a lot of things from the local area. Not everything, but it’s pretty good,” added Grade 11 student Jacob Bowman. “There’s a lot of selection.”
Students took a look at the social and economic benefits of a local diet. But the class isn’t all about food production. The program focuses on world issues, and that included a look at single-use plastics. As student Emma Booth explained, those global issues can often be addressed locally.
“I ended up going to a lot more bulk food stores because I found that everywhere I went if I wanted to buy something it was wrapped in plastic, so I decided to change my habits on where I was going,” Booth said.
Town Ward Coun. Dean Pappas has been a longtime advocate of local food systems. and says it’s an important message to share with younger generations.
“And I love seeing people like Cam just grab a hold of the idea and start teaching it to young people,” Pappas said. “Because that’s really where it starts.”