Your closet isn’t just personal style, it’s a supply chain, a set of climate impacts, and a story about how we learn to consume. We sit down with Dara Gellman, Youth Education Program Leader at Fashion Takes Action, to talk about sustainable fashion in schools and why fashion literacy belongs in family studies, home economics, and beyond. If you’ve ever wanted to teach fast fashion, textile waste, and climate change without making students feel judged for what they wear, this conversation gives you a clear, student-centred path forward.

We dig into how Fashion Takes Action supports educators with ready-to-use lesson plans, unit plans, and workshops through their My Clothes, My World program, designed so teachers don’t need to be sustainability experts to get started. Dara shares how she frames the topic around empowerment instead of blame, including the reality that many young people have limited control over what they buy or wear. We also unpack what hopeful action looks like in the classroom, from caring for clothes longer and swapping to building a culture of collective change.

If you are interested in learning more consider signing up for OFSHEEA' and FTA's workshop - Fashion, Sustainability & Your Classroom on May 12, 2026 at 7pm. Registration information can be found here https://forms.gle/Hey6UpkD2LfZkZwG6

For more information about Fashion Takes Action and the work they do in classroom check out their website at https://www.fashiontakesaction.com/

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A school food program doesn’t have to start with a big budget, a greenhouse, or a perfect plan. We’re joined by Carolyn Webb from Farm to Cafeteria Canada to talk about the small, practical moves that make food literacy come alive in Canadian schools, especially in Family Studies and foods classrooms where students are ready to learn by doing.

We unpack Farm to Cafeteria Canada’s four pillars (grow, connect, fund, inform) and what they look like on the ground: windowsill growing, sprouts, hydroponics, milk-crate gardens students can take home for summer, and simple ways to build momentum when space, time, and climate feel like brick walls. Carolyn also shares what makes school garden programs and farm to school initiatives sustainable over time: shared leadership, clear roles, and community partners who actually want to be part of the learning.

We also dig into grant opportunities that can turn a “someday” idea into a real school food program, including Farm to School Canada grants, starter funding like Dig In, and Indigenous Foodways support that centres Indigenous food sovereignty, land-based learning, and reciprocity with elders and knowledge keepers. Along the way, we talk student engagement, culturally relevant menus, and how local sustainable food purchasing can ripple beyond the cafeteria.

If you’re ready to start small and build something meaningful, listen now, share this with a colleague, and subscribe, rate, and review the podcast so more educators can find these ideas. What’s one food literacy project you want to try next?

Here are some of the links and resources Carolyn shared in the episode.

• Farm to Cafeteria Canada Resource Centre – has videos, toolkits, other resources on a range of themes relevant to farm to school programs
• Local Food Literacy in Schools FAQ (Sustain Ontario)
• Farm to Cafeteria Canada grant opportunities (we have 2 open grant offerings – Farm to School Canada Grants and Indigenous Foodways in Schools Grants – due May 8.
• National School Food Forum – to be held June 2-4, 2026 in Montreal
• Inspiring stories on the F2CC website

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What if nutrition class sparked confidence instead of calorie anxiety? We sit down with Denise Hamburger, founder of the non-profit organization Be Real USA, to explore how schools can replace diet culture with body-inclusive, research-based teaching that actually helps students thrive. From early childhood influences to social media’s pressure cooker, we map out a clearer path: skills over shame, curiosity over control, and self-compassion over self-criticism.

Together we unpack two free curricula making waves internationally. Let’s Eat teaches weight-neutral nutrition by centring hunger and fullness cues, enjoyment, and energy planning. BodyKind teaches teens to catch comparison spirals and respond like a good friend would—by rejecting unrealistic appearance ideals and accepting human imperfection through compassion.

We share practical moves you can use tomorrow—drop appearance comments, teach universal care skills without BMI talk, and swap calorie counting for energy planning and mindful reflection. Denise also explains how educators and parents can access a plethora of free resources.

Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help more educators build body-inclusive classrooms that last.

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Facebook @Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators' Association
Email at ofsheea@ofsheea.ca