Green Beetz Educates Students On Food Issues

Saturday, July 28, marked the fourth annual Green Beetz Day in East Hampton. Green Beetz is a foundation with a mission to empower NYC public and charter school students to understand how food impacts the environment, their bodies, and the world around them. The event was held at the home of Ronald Perelman and Green Beetz co-founder Anna Chapman.

The afternoon included field games, a healthy gourmet lunch, cooking activities, and eco-friendly arts and craft activities for families. The gathering of 250 guests was designed to promote Green Beetz’s classroom programs. CNN’s Don Lemon was the emcee.

“We are in a time of widespread crisis, in terms of public health and the environment. The next generation needs to think differently than we have in the past, and food is a great lens through which to inspire children to do so,” said Chapman.

Green Beetz aims to help students navigate the complex issues surrounding food in today’s world. From 2017 to 2018, the foundation participated in 59 classrooms and four YMCA summer camps, reaching more than 2000 students. The curriculum is broken down into four core areas: Food and the Environment, Food and the Body, The Big Business of Food, and Cooking Basics and Culture of Food.

“Green Beetz is poised to double in size in the 2018-2019 school year; support from friends, family, and partners at Green Beetz Day and throughout the year is invaluable in allowing us to achieve this goal,” continued Chapman.

Green Beetz also has a new partnership with Alex and Ani, a jewelry brand known for its unique charms and other adornments. Alex and Ani designed an avocado charm and avocado necklace to benefit Green Beetz. The purchase of one avocado charm provides a full program to a student for an academic year and the purchase of one necklace will provide for two students. An event was held to celebrate the collaboration at Blue Parrot in East Hampton in late June.

The host committee for Green Beetz Day included Michelle and Chris Babu, Andrew Chapman, Anna Chapman and Ronald Perelman, Desiree Gruber and Kyle MacLachlan, Andrea and Tim Haddock, Tracey Brown James and Kendall James, Tracey Kemble, Danielle Levine, Paige Nelson, Dana Reed, Rashaan and Donville Reid, Marisa and Robin van Bokhorst, Alison Strong, Eden Williams, and Roxy and Adrian Zajac.

To find out more about Green Beetz, visit www.greenbeetz.org.