Alice Waters, Founder of Edible Schoolyard and Chez Panisse Foundation

In the depths of winter in Wisconsin, we like to dream of spring, seeds, and gardens. As I am just starting to plan a community garden with my neighbors, I've been looking at other models, and love seeing what Alice Waters has done with the Edible Schoolyard. Alice Waters is a chef who created Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, serving organic food in season. But she brought organic food down to earth when she launched the Edible Schoolyard on one acre of public school grounds, where the students are involved in growing the food they then get to eat in their school lunches. Here, growing and preparing healthy food is part of the school curriculum, and is incorporated into other lessons on science, history, and culture. What would our childhood obesity and diabetes rates look like if most of our schools offered this for their students instead of the highly processed packaged foods that are the daily fare?