There is a bill now in front of the House Education Committee that will eliminate certain foods that are considered "junk foods" from lunch rooms and vending machines in South Carolina. The bill would also allow for only water, 100% fruit juice, and fat-free or low-fat milk to be offered in schools. Changing regulations would require the snacks served in the lunch room or in vending machines must not have more than 200 calories, 35% of total calories from fat, 35% of their total weight composed of sugar, or 10% of their total calories from saturated fat. These rules will only apply to events and locations during the school day, and will not be regulated during after school clubs, activities, or fundraisers. The regulation of food and nutrition at fundraisers will be debated in the ...
The Fit Family Challenge, organized by San Antonio Sports--a local non-profit organization--has provided hundreds of families in San Antonio an opportunity to participate in free fitness events over a four-month period. The goal of this campaign, made possible through a grant from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and local sponsors, is to motivate San Antonio families to get active, eat better and learn about health and fitness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Gl4FKL0CI&list=UUye2TxFjae2cCSSALF4ikWg&index=3 Visit the Fit Family Challenge Facebook page to find out about more about the ...
Many residents in San Jose’s low-income communities don’t have access to fresh produce or can’t afford it, which is one reason they experience higher rates of nutrition-related diseases than residents of more affluent areas. Some city policies make it difficult to bring new community gardens, farmers’ markets and mobile produce vendors into low-income communities. The Campaign for Healthy Food San Jose was a year-long coalition started in September 2011. They had many big dreams for the city, like getting healthier foods into the neighborhoods that don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. In the end, the City of San Jose adopted a new Specific Use Regulation for the permit process of Certified Farmers’ Markets (CFMs) located on private property. The Regulation states ...
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, have reintroduced Senate and House versions of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, legislation that aims to increase access to healthier foods for consumers in underserved communities by expanding economic opportunities for local and regional farmers. The bill would provide funding to help farmers process and sell their food locally, which incentivizes schools and low-income residents to purchase it. ...
In January of 2013, Salud al Pasito was formed by University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) students wanting to emphasize the low cost, easy-to-do, family friendly, activity of walking to the Latino community. One month later, on February 16, 2013, the group held their first walking event. Every month the group organizes a walking event and invites a guest speaker from the medical community to discuss the many health benefits that can be derived from walking. Check out the Salud al Pasito Facebook page to see when the next event will take ...
Residents living on the Westside of the city of Ventura needed park space. Only three parks existed in their community and only 1.5 acres of park space was available per 1,000 residents who lived there. After several months of working with city officials, local residents finally convinced the City of Ventura to purchase a 2.4 acre lot which will be used to develop a park for the community. Plans for the park are being developed and now residents are working to make sure that city officials will see the development of this project through to completion. According to a blog post from the City Project, on February 4, 2013 the Ventura City Council unanimously agreed to purchase property for the development of a new park. Members from the community attended the meeting where they showed their ...
The Walkable Community Program, an initiative created by the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), exists to inform, unite, and support local residents and organizations in improving the walkability of their communities. Anyone interested in promoting walking or biking activities in their community can contact the MPO to get assistance in starting a walking program in their community. Every third Wednesday of the month the MPO's Pedestrian Mobility Advisory Committee (PMAC) meets to develop plans for a safe and accessible network of sidewalks and pedestrian amenities throughout the community. Citizens wishing to participate on this committee are encouraged to attend meetings. Resources The Walkable Community Program Home Page Information about ...
According to this article, children in Taylor, Texas near Austin, have safer access to schools since the city was awarded $574,000 in Safe Routes to School infrastructure funds from the Texas Department of Transportation in 2008. The city strategically partnered with Taylor Independent School District to apply for funds to construct a sidewalk that would connect four schools: two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Once construction of the sidewalks are complete, the city anticipates that more children will be walking to school. While some components are funded by the state, federal funding is also available for these programs. Communities and school districts across Texas, have developed Safe Routes to School plans. Funding for Safe Routes programs exists for ...
In 2012, the Better Block Team and City of San Antonio residents took some time to see what West Commerce, a four-lane street, would look like if improvements were made to encourage walking and biking. The Better Block event allowed citizens to imagine what their community would look like with temporary bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. City officials looked to the reaction of constituents to decide how funds from the 2012 bond program would be spent. Read More About San Antonio's Better Block Experiment Recap of Final San Antonio Better Block for 2012-Case Study: Transportation and Retail Study Testing West Commerce Temporary Transformation into a Better Block (San Antonio Express ...
