ABOUT US
The Center for Ecoliteracy is reimagining school food as a pathway for learning and change.
For 30 years, we’ve transformed education in classrooms, cafeterias, and gardens—partnering with hundreds of school districts, supporting thousands of educators, and ensuring millions of children have access to nutritious meals at school.
Our core initiative, California Food for California Kids®, inspires schools to serve fresh, locally-sourced meals and engage students in the connections between food, culture, health, and the environment.
Together, we can build a healthier, more hopeful future for our children.
“The Center for Ecoliteracy has been a steadfast partner in ensuring more and more California students have access to nutritious meals as well as education about the origins of their food and food systems.”
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner of California
“The Center for Ecoliteracy's California Food for California Kids Network demonstrates what’s possible when schools commit to purchasing more fresh and local foods from area small farmers for their cafeterias and classrooms.”
Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture
MISSION
We are dedicated to cultivating education for the sustainability of people and the planet.
VISION
We envision a world where all students experience and understand how nature sustains life and are inspired to live in ways that benefit people and the environment.
All schools can do this by committing to cultivating ecological literacy through transformational experiences in the classroom, cafeteria, and garden that educate students about the food system and its connection to the environment.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE
We pursue change in TK–12 education and school food systems to provide a more just, sustainable, and equitable experience for students and the people who nourish them.
We recognize the harm that systemic racism, gender bias, and structural inequalities create in our public education, food, and labor systems, and strive to mitigate the health and educational inequities affecting low-income households and children of color. We amplify the voices of people who are marginalized and shape our work according to their messages. By listening and taking action to identify and include missing voices, we seek to shift power in both policy and decision-making. We are privileged to learn from our partners and will continue to grow and evolve our work to embody this commitment.
Background
The Center for Ecoliteracy was founded in 1995 by Zenobia Barlow, a pioneer in creating models of schooling for sustainability; Peter Buckley, business leader, farmer, and philanthropist; and Fritjof Capra, author and systems thinker.
Together, our founders asked, “What do children need to know to be good citizens of planet Earth?” They believed in the power of authentic connections to others and to the natural world. They understood that it is a community responsibility to teach children the foundational principles of nature. Thirty years into this work, the Center for Ecoliteracy continues pursuing this vision as we reimagine school food as a pathway for learning and change.
We have authored or co-authored nine books, including Transforming School Food Politics Around the World; Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World; Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability; and Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence. Our Rethinking School Lunch Guide has provided a planning framework for school districts nationwide.
