Transformative Education for a Sustainable Future – Vegan Schools of the World, Part 1 of 2

Wondrous viewers, today, it is with love in our hearts that we present to you an exciting new development in the field of education. That is, the emergence of “vegan schools” around the world in the last decade. A vegan school does not just impart academic knowledge, but also places great emphasis on the concept of right and wrong. In other words, moral values. There are more than ten vegan schools currently in existence in the world (as of 2021).

We begin with Solid Rock Community School in Tampa Springs, Florida, USA, a kindergarten-to-12th-grade school serving 240 students. It was founded in 2004 by health coach, entrepreneur, and social activist Michelle Fasnacht, for her daughter. In 2015, Michelle experienced a healing miracle by avoiding all animal products. Wishing to share the healing power of the plant-based diet, she converted the entire school meal program to a strictly vegan one in 2019.

We begin the second half of today’s show with India’s very first vegan school. The school with that distinction is the German International School Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. The school has been fully vegan since 2017, serving 50 students from kindergarten to 12th grade purely plant-based breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Thomas Pallushek, advisor for International Schools, Asia Pacific, considers the plant-based diet the healthiest diet. He is also quoted as saying that he wants “to reduce human impact on the environment,” and that “eating less meat is the simplest way.” In 2017, the German International School Chennai was awarded the "Compassionate School Award" by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Our final stop today is the Bodhi Tree Nursery in the UK, which opened as a vegan Montessori school in 2010. At the Bodhi Tree Nursery, general manager Avital Mediony prepares fresh vegan meals and snacks for the children ranging from 18 months to five years old. She also teaches them how to connect with nature by growing, picking, and preparing their own food.