Billie Eilish Takes To Capitol Hill To Support Plant-Based School Meals
The Grammy award-winning artist was among prominent figures and representatives advocating for a new bill to help schools serve healthy, climate-friendly meals.
Credit: Billie Eilish
A new bill that aims to help school districts overcome barriers to serving healthy, climate friendly plant-based meals has received support from social justice groups and public figures including musician and activist Billie Eilish.
The 20-year-old is known for using her platform to promote causes and charities that she supports. And having been vegan for over seven years, she regularly posts about the suffering of animals and the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle to her over 100 million Instagram followers.
Now, Ms. Eilish has spoken at a Capitol Hill briefing in support of the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act (H.R.4108).
The bill seeks to provide schools with the resources they need to serve healthy, plant-based meal options, in an effort to help alleviate food insecurity, improve health and educational outcomes for children, and fight climate change.
“I’m proud to advocate for this legislation that will help to fight climate change, combat food insecurity, and promote health equity,” said Billie Eilish, Grammy Award winning artist, songwriter, and activist.
Eilish was joined by her mother, Maggie Baird, who founded Support + Feed, a 'community resource' that helps provide nutritious meals to those in need.
The bill was first introduced in June 2021 by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), with last week’s Capitol Hill briefing also drawing prominent figures from across the social justice movement, including Genesis Butler, the 15-year-old founder of Youth Climate Save, Eloísa Trinidad, Chapter President of Hip Hop Is Green and Executive Director of Chilis on Wheels, and Public Health Nutritionist Tracye McQuirter.
“Black women experience the highest rates of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, but most of these illnesses can be prevented and often reversed by eating healthy plant-based foods”, explained Tracye McQuirter. “Ensuring our students have access to healthy, plant-based meals can help instil in them a lifetime of healthy eating habits that will mitigate the devastating impact these pre-existing conditions can have”.
Calls for healthy and nutritious plant-based food at school cafeterias have grown more prominent in recent years. Just this month, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced a new initiative dubbed Vegan Fridays, which will see over 1 million school children eat plant-based food every Friday in an effort to help tackle the country’s healthcare crisis.
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