(USA)
Kimbal Musk is on a mission to give youngster across America access to ‘real food’.
The entrepreneur is rolling out Learning Gardens in 100 local schools in Detroit as part of plans to have 1000 throughout America by 2020. Led by the Big Green nonprofit organisation, founded by Kimbal, the outdoor spaces are a place for kids to take part in ‘real food literacy programs’.
Kimball said: “Access to real food is one of the key challenges facing our society. Unless we curb our addiction to processed, calorie rich, nutrient poor foods and replace them with real food, we will continue to suffer from obesity-related diseases that kill more people than smoking or gun violence. Detroit is a resilient city with passionate and dedicated residents who care about the future of their kids and schools. There is inspiring work happening in urban agriculture, community gardening, and school gardens in Detroit; and we are proud to join this collective effort to impact even more kids.”
He continued in his blog: “Today, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and costs the country around $245 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity each year. We are not setting our kids up for a healthy future when we fail to teach them how to nourish their bodies and their minds. Inadequate access to healthy foods, in particular veggies and fruits, can lead to preventable chronic diseases that affect children into adolescence and beyond. I am talking about kids feeling healthy and going to school, graduating from school, getting a job and starting a family. Habits form early and so should a good diet. It all starts with real food.”
Kimbal is the driving force behind the real food revolution. Innovators Magazine reported last year he was leading the urban farming initiative Square Roots, an urban food accelerator where innovators take forward their ideas – inside shipping containers located in Brooklyn – for developing indoor farming businesses.