duPont Manual’s Environmental Club hosted their local food fair in the senior cafeteria to educate people about more sustainable options of eating this week on Monday. 

“Being high schoolers, a lot of times we won’t consider our options, because we just think ‘oh this is cheap this is what we can get,’ but a lot of times bad food and food that isn’t sustainable and is produced by big companies, isn’t good for the environment at all,” Marilyn Buente (10, VA) said. “[This kind of food] can cause a lot of waste if we aren’t conscious of what we’re eating, so Environmental Club is doing this [local food fair] as a way to promote sustainable eating.”

Amogh Bhalerao (12, MST) led the fair with a presentation about eating locally.

“If we eat local, there aren’t as many inputs, there aren’t as many fertilizers […] that would harm the environment, it’s a lot more natural of a process,” Bhalerao said. “And transportation isn’t across the world, so there’s less fuel being used to transport [food].”

Bhalerao also explained to his audience how they can eat local, offering options such as local farmers’ markets.

The students also played a Kahoot! game about ways that they can help the environment, including questions based on Bhalerao’s presentation.

Throughout the fair, attendees had access to a small buffet of fresh snacks brought in by members of the club, including fresh fruits, vegetables and homemade brownies.

During the event, the club had a poster on a table so that attendees could write their own tips on how to be eco-friendly on slips of paper and tape them onto the board.

Students at the fair wrote tips encouraging the use of public transport and the reuse of plastic bottles.

The Environmental Club meets Mondays after school, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in room 213.