More Than 900 Schools Competing to Win an Organic Garden or Organic Vending Machine: 2 Weeks Remain to Vote

Organic Trade Association's "Organic. It's Worth it in Schools." raising awareness of healthy, organic food in schools across America

GREENFIELD, Mass., April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Through May 1, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is helping schools access and offer students more organic food with a national contest to award a winning school with an organically grown garden or an organic vending machine. More than 900 schools across America are currently competing for the prize.

With its "Organic. Its Worth it in Schools." initiative, OTA -- which represents more than 1,400 organic food and product companies -- is calling on teachers, parents, students, educators and others over the next two weeks to vote for their favorite school to win an organic garden complete with seeds, soil and expert gardening support; or a fully stocked vending machine, which can feature organic items like milk, fruit, cheese, yogurt and snacks.

"We have nearly 1,000 schools participating in our contest, including those from rural towns and urban cities across America," said Christine Bushway, executive director of OTA. "These schools and hundreds of others work hard to promote healthy food and support the environment. We're hoping 'Organic. It's Worth it in Schools.' provides them with one more tool to help them along."

To participate, individuals must visit www.OrganicItsWorthIt.org/school-newsletter by 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 1, and enter their school name and address and "vote" by signing up for an electronic newsletter featuring organic tips, recipes, news and more. A school must receive a minimum 1,000 votes to win. (Full details on rules and regulations are at www.organicitsworthit.org/join/current-campaigns.) The winning school selects the garden or vending machine for installation in the 2010-11 school year.

The site also features tools and information for schools, parents and students to advocate for more organic food in schools, as well as information about the personal and environmental health benefits of organic food and gardening.

The Organic Trade Association is conducting the initiative as an extension of its first-ever national consumer education and awareness campaign, which launched in March 2009. "Organic. It's worth it." is an online outreach effort highlighting the benefits of organic food, farming and home products.

About the Organic Trade Association

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. www.ota.com

SOURCE Organic Trade Association

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