We are a statewide movement of young people based in Minnesota working on two issues: eating healthy food and being active. We use hands on activism and advocacy to spread our message and change our world.

WHAT ISCATALYST?

In the past 30 years, obesity in America more than doubled. More than 60% of American adults are overweight or obese. � is leads to a myriad of health problems including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and more. If the way we eat and exercise doesn’t change soon, the current youth generation may be the fi rst ever to have shorter, sicker lives than their parents. Catalyst is determined not to let this happen. We seek to involve teens in healthy eating habits and physically active lifestyles, and ultimately reduce the skyrocketing obesity rates threatening our futures.

WHAT WE WORK ON

WHAT ISCATALYST?CATALYST?

CONTENTS

Daniel Klein - Perennial PlateAuthor of the video blog Perrennial Plate, Daniel Klein, explores what it means to eat local, sustainable food. He travels MN and the country to learn more.

Lunch Room RevolutionariesMeet four people changing the face of school lunch in Minnesota and around the country.

Sibley East School GardenA high school in Arlington, MN takes its school garden to a whole new level.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Do cool stuff , get cool stuff We made a list of tons of diff erent things you can do to get involved in your community. Get healthy food in your school, tell your friends about Catalyst, come to awesome events, spread the word. � en hop on our website, tell us about it, and you’ll rack up points and status. � en you can get cool free stuff ! T-shirts, backpacks, iTunes gift cards; we’ve got it all.

Check it out at our site, www.bethecatalyst.org/activateu

Come to our eventsEvery year we have lots of events to check out. Check out the summit, our yearly gathering where we train teens to be activists through presentations, games, and more fun stuff . If you get really pumped about Catalyst, you can even apply to be on our youth board, a group of 10-12 teens from Minnesota who plan our cool activities throughout the year. Visit bethe-catalyst.org for more info on all the cool ways you can be a part of our movement!

Kimberly White - Biking to change the world � e story of one student in New York and the impact biking has on her life and community.

Meet Dayna - A real, cool, organic farmer Learn what made Dayna want to make the leap full-time into farming and where she plans to take it.

Sweet DemiseGet the real facts about sugar sweetened bever-ages -- the leading cause of obesity in the U.S.

� ere are tons of ways to get involved with Catalyst.Check out our website - bethecatalyst.orgOur website is packed with tools you can use to better understand how you can get involved. Check our blog, watch our videos, learn about the issues, and like us on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest events and news.

Scan this with your mobile phone to check our site

Q: Why are you passionate about sustainable food? A: I think our food system is broken. We are unhealthy, so are our animals, economics, planet, etc. So I want to change myself and learn how to make this whole thing function a little better. And I want to have fun doing it. Filming and cooking are a very easy way for me to engage in this dialogue of making our world a better place.

Q: What is the Perennial Plate? A: � e Perennial Plate is a weekly documentary series about REAL food. Real is general. It’s about connecting to our food. Perennial comes from two things: Perennials are plants that come back year after year; they tend to be better for the soil and many of my favorite plants are Perennials - especially in the herb garden. � e “perennial philosophy” is a philosophy that crosses all boundaries and ties together ideas and fi nds the common ground. I think food does that too, it links people and shows how we are both similar and so diff erent. So the Perennial Plate is tying together food stories from across many people’s lives.

Q: What is the craziest sustainable eating adventure you’ve had?A: Eating road kill is pretty crazy. I have dinners at my house and at farms where we serve 100% local food; we’ve served the road kill at those events. I think that is pushing people’s boundaries in a good way.

Q: What do you hope people will learn from the Perennial Plate? A: I hope they will be challenged to think about their food. I also hope they will make a connection with the people who grow their food, or the animal that died to bring meat to their plate. And I hope that connection makes them think.

Q: How do you feel school food should be approached? Have you ever worked with a school during your Perennial Plate project? A: We have it in the plans to work with a school, but we haven’t yet. I think our country is backwards. School lunch should be given priority. � e idea that there is no money for good food at schools is false. It makes me frustrated to think about it. While folks are trying to make the most of the tiny bit of money allocated for school lunches, we should be fi ghting to have those amounts increased.

Q: Why is it important for students to get involved in sustainable eating? A: It’s important because sustainable eating is the future. I don’t know how long the current system will last, so there will be changes and I think it is important that kids learn about that, and begin to think diff erently for the future.

Q: How do you recommend teenagers participate in bringing sustainable eating to their school?A: I think schools having a garden is awesome. Just having some herbs or lettuce that was grown by the students - that begins to change perspectives. “I grew that,” is one of the easiest ways to get a kid to eat something healthy.

DANIEL KLEINQ&A

WITH

Author of the video blog Perrennial Plate, Daniel Klein, explores what it means to eat local, sustainable food. He travels Minnesota and the country to learn more.

Catalyst funding provided by: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, a non-profi t, independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Come along with Mariah and Kate in our video cooking class and learn how to make the Italian snack bruschetta.

Hit this link http://c.ataly.st/fmbruschetta

Get in the Kitchen with Catalyst

Aloha Smoothie1 banana1 cup cut up pineapple5 strawberries1 container low fat yogurt

Very Berry Smoothies1 cup milk or yogurt1 cup strawberries1/2 cup raspberries1 cup of iceA good squeeze of honey

CATALYST COOKING CLASS

BLACK BEAN SALSAIngredients:1 (15 oz.) can black beans (rinsed and drained)1 cup frozen corn kernels (thawed)1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro3 tablespoons lime juice8 small green onions (chopped) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all the above well. Refrigerate over night to let fl avors blend. Salsa serves 5 cups.

A collection of super easy and healthy snacks to make after school

SMOOTHIES

Scan this with your mobile phone to watch the video

Ann Cooper

LUNCHROOM REVOLUTIONARIES

ANN COOPER Renegade Lunch Lady Writes, Preaches and Cooks for National School Lunch Reform

Ann Cooper is an unlikely school food revolutionist. She be-gan her career as a chef in prominent resorts and restaurants. In the late 90s, she began to research and discovered America’s food system was making us sick. She realized it was a problem that could not be ignored.

Cooper threw her life into reforming school food across the country through speaking, writing and of course, cooking. Cooper is currently the director of nutrition services at Boul-der School District in Colorado. Students in Boulder enjoy food that is pretty much entirely unprocessed. � ey have salad bars in all their schools, local milk and other farm to school options. � rough founding the Food Family Farming Foun-dation (F3), a nonprofi t focusing on solving the school food crisis, Cooper hopes to help schools across the country reform their menus and improve the health of American students.

BARB MECHURAHealthy Lunch Champion Makes Unprocessed, Made-From-Scratch Food the Norm in Hopkins

� anks to Barb Mechura, director of student nutrition ser-vices for Hopkins School District, the kitchen in Hopkins High is strangely devoid of processed products.

� at’s an impressive amount and makes Hopkins a leader in Minnesota’s healthy school food revolution.

On a typical day, students might be found eating fi sh tacos, strawberry lime or spinach salad, or homemade pasta sauce. Even the cookies are whole wheat. Mechura and her team try to include local ingredients in their meals and eliminate high-fructose corn syrup and dyes.

Mechura is passionate about feeding kids healthy food be-cause she understands the consequences of not. “What we eat is the underpinnings of who we become. Not enough people understand how important it is to every aspect of our being to eat well. It’s my goal to help students under-stand that!”

90 percent of food at Hopkins High School is made from scratch. “If America continues to feed kids the way

it does, the generation born in 2000 and after will be the fi rst to live sicker and die younger than their parents,” said Cooper.

Jean Ronnei Hopefully a man

JEAN RONNEIKeeping St. Paul School Food Ahead of the Game

For the past 21 years, Jean Ronnei has been working hard to make sure the St. Paul Public School district is a leader in providing students with healthy school food. “We don’t wait for other people to tell us what to do,” says Ronnei, “we always try to be ahead of the game.”

� eir latest eff orts began in May 2011, when Ronnei and team decided to make over the menu of St. Paul’s Johnson High School. � ey added more whole grains, vegetables and more fresh fruits to the menu. To accommodate these changes, they revamped the kitchen to make it more suitable for preparing fresh produce. � ey also added a hydration station equipped with lime, lemon and cherry infused water. It was a huge hit. � ey will roll the menu makeover out to other schools soon.

SETH BIXBY DAUGHERTY Local Chef Leaves High Profi le Gig to Fight for Healthy Food in American Lunch Rooms

Five years ago, Seth Bixby Daugherty was the executive chef at Cosmos, a prominent restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. One day, he visited his son and had lunch with him at his elementary school. Daugherty watched as his son took three chocolate milks from the lunch line, and not one person stopped him. It was that experience that infl uenced him to give up his coveted restaurant position and become a lunch room revolutionary -- fi ghting for the health of students.

Seth now runs Real Food Initiatives, a volunteer consulting organization that works to get real food into school lunch rooms. Seth runs the organization by himself, and accepts no outside donations to prevent unwelcome ideological infl uences. Among other places, he has volunteered his time with St. Paul Public School systems, helping create healthier menu items, at the charter high school Minnesota Internship Center, teaching cooking skills, and even consulting at the White House for Michelle Obama.

“We are letting our kids make poor food decisions,” says Daugherty, “the education of food is equally as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

“Kids don’t realize the power of their own voice,” says Ronnei. “Working together, we can provide healthier choices which in turn can lead to healthier lives.”

SCHOOL LUNCHTHROUGH THE YEARS

1900

School lunches were provided by private donors in a handful of places as a result of teachers concern over learning abilities of malnourished students.

Locally organized school lunch programs receive federal loans and agricultural surplus to help with school lunch programs. Direct result of Great Depression.

� e National School Lunch Act creates Na-tional School Lunch Program. � e program provides low-cost or free school lunch meals to qualifi ed students through subsidies to schools. � e program was established as a way to prop up food prices by absorbing farm surpluses, while providing food to school-age children.

Early 1900s

1932

1946

1943Congress amends Agriculture Act “to provide school districts directly with funds for implementation of their school lunch programs.”

2011

� e Child Nutrition Act increased funding to create programs to improve children’s health and nutritional requirements as a result of the poor nutritional statistics of the past 10 years.

Food nutritional restrictions are relaxed. Ketchup can now be considered a vegetable.

School lunch is popularized around the world.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: Raises school lunch standards to help improve health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids in the school meal programs as part of the “Let’s Move!” initiative from First Lady Michelle Obama.

� e act increases recommendations for fruits, vegetables, whole grain, fat-free milk in school lunch, based upon recommendations of the Na-tional Academies Institute of Medicine Report on School Meals. Meals also need to limit saturated fat, sodium, calories and trans fat.

A school nutrition dietary assessment found almost all schools in America exceed USDA guidelines for the quantities of saturated fat, total fat and sodium in school lunches.

1966

Vending machines were fi rst placed in schools. � e complex relationship between schools and soda companies begins.

1970

1983

Korea

1970-2011

Sweden

Japan France

2007

1978 to 1998 - Average daily soft drink consumption among adolescent females almost doubles, increasing from six to 11 ounces, and almost triples among adolescent males.

With a passion for organic farming, Dayna Burtness recently began an organic farm in Minnetonka, MN. We had a chance to hang out with her and ask her a few questions.

Catalyst: What made you interested in gardening?Dayna: An internship on a sustainable vegetable farm after my fi rst year of college opened my eyes to the world of food and farming. I highly recommend at least volunteering on a local farm! I fell in love with constantly learning new skills, problem solving, working hard and getting dirty, growing real food, and being outside.

Catalyst: Why is gardening important?Dayna: Growing food for yourself and others is important because it connects you with so many things. It connects you to where your food comes from, to nature and ecology, to farmers and farmworkers, and to your neighbors and community members. Even growing a little of your own food on a sunny windowsill or in a container on your porch can be a connecting and very empowering act. Plus, the results are delicious!

Catalyst: What do you grow at your farm, and what do you do with its harvest?Dayna: We grow all sorts of vegetables - everything from arugula to zucchini - and herbs using sustainable farming methods on a little more than an acre in Minnetonka. Our fl ock of 32 chickens lay about 20-30 brown eggs per day and four hives of honeybees help pollinate our crops. We have great restaurant partners all over the Twin Cities that support our farm!

Catalyst: What’s the hardest, and easiest vegetable to grow?Dayna: Tomatoes are the easiest because I love the way the plants smell (take a good whiff sometime!), the hundreds of varieties you

a real, cool, organic farmer

meet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet daynameet dayna

can try, and of course Caprese salads. As far as the hardest, let’s just say I’m working on my pepper skills.

Catalyst: How would you recommend kids begin gardening?Dayna: All you need to get started gardening is some good soil, sun, seeds, water, and a few minutes every day. Whether you have a spot in a school or community garden, a sunny patch in your yard, or a container on your deck, I’d recommend planting what you like to eat! � ere are really excellent guides online that make gardening simple.

Catalyst: If you weren’t a farmer, what would you be?Dayna: I honestly don’t know! I once had a job selling paper made out of elephant poop, maybe that would be my fallback career... :)

It’s far easier than you’d think to grow herbs and veggies right in your kitchen window! Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to grow your own basil!

1) Pick which type of basil you want to grow.� ere are many diff erent types, so pick a few kinds from your local co-op, do a little taste testing, and then head out to a gardening store to pick up specifi c seeds. While you’re at the store, grab some high-quality, pH-bal-anced potting soil as well. You’ll need that to help the seeds grow!

2) Pick where to grow itBasil can be grown inside in a pot or outside in a garden. If you’re looking to grow basil inside, make sure the pot enables the soil to properly drain. Lining the bottom with small rocks will help ensure proper drainage and enable the basil’s roots to grow freely.

Whether choosing to plant inside or out, make sure the spot where your basil is growing receives six to eight hours of sunlight a day, and grow the basil somewhere where the temperature won’t get below 48 degrees. Basil needs this much light and warm temps to properly grow.

3) PlantDig a hole down a few inches into the soil. Place the seed in the soil and cover it up entirely. Your pot should be almost completely full of potting soil. If you are planting more than one seed, try to keep the seeds two inches apart, if possible. As soon as the seeds are planted, add water.Water your basil plant every day while it’s growing.

4) Grow and Harvest!As soon as your plant reaches about six inches tall, you’ll want to start harvesting it! You are looking to enjoy the leaves. When the plant is fully grown, it won’t produce as many leaves. So you want to prevent it from blossoming as long as possible by pinching off leaves as they grow. When you pinch off a leaf, it’s ready to eat! Basil can be used as an ingredient in many yummy dishes. Our favorite? Caprese. It’s an awesome mixture of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. Yum.

Come learn all about the farmers market with Catalyst! Meet the farmers, hear their stories, and get some tasty food!

Hit this link http://c.ataly.st/youthfarmmarket

Visit the Farmers Market!

Scan this with your mobile phone to watch the video

KITCHEN WINDOW FARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMING

� e phrase “farm to school,” is becoming wildly popular, and many schools are taking serious steps to bring fresh fruits and veggies to the lunch table. Sibley East High School in Arlington, MN, how-ever, is not just taking the farm to school -- it’s taking its school to the farm.

� is year, approximately 300 Sibley East students got involved in planting and harvesting three gardens, which total around 3.5 acres, fi lled with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, green beans, carrots, onions and more. � e students implement the process from start to fi nish. � ey start by planning the garden during agribusiness class and fi n-ish with harvesting. While plenty of students help in the process, three garden managers oversee the tending and harvesting through the summer. When the harvest is collected, the students share their bounty with the rest of the school through cooking and serving it at lunch.

� is is the second year Sibley East braved the open fi elds to farm. “We were looking for ways to get kids more involved in their com-munity and give them more education and hands on experience with food,” said Jeff Eppen, an agriculture teacher and one of the staff leads of the project. � e results were extremely successful. Not only were students excited about gardening, but they also thorough-ly enjoyed the fruits (or should we say, vegetables) of their eff orts during lunch. “It was so cool to see what we grew in the lunch line!” exclaimed one student. “It’s a lot of work,” declared cook Lorraine Lieske, “but I enjoy it because I like to see the look on the kids’ faces when they say ‘Oh! � is is from the garden! It’s so good, so fresh, I really really like it. When are we gonna have some more?’”

Last year’s success encouraged them to try again this year on an even larger scale. In addition to planting two acres of vegetable gardens, they planted an acre of corn, which was sold to off set the cost of the garden. � e school also reserved a section of its garden for Com-munity Supported Agriculture (CSA), which provides additional funding to pay the garden managers, who spent 15 to 20 hours a week during the summer working on their green thumbs. � rough the CSA, members of the Sibley East community had the chance to purchase a share of the vegetable garden and take home its harvest. Twenty-nine Arlington community members participated in the CSA this year. “I joined the CSA this year because it’s a great way to support our students,” said Lynn O’Brien, CSA member and school employee. “Plus, it promotes healthier eating and sustainability in our community.”

� ink Sibley East High had an awesome idea? Talk to the teach-ers at your high school about setting up a school garden or getting more local food on your lunch tray. Even if you live in the middle of a city, there are lots of ways you can bring more of the farm into your school.

Sibley East Gets Down on the FarmSibley East Gets Down on the FarmSibley East Gets Down

A high school in Arlington, MN takes their school garden to a whole new level

Anna Woehler, a Sibley East freshman, helps tend to the garden over the summer.

CSA members pick up their produce boxes weekly at the high school.

Food service staff at Sibley East prepare the garden’s fresh produce for Arlington students’ lunch throughout the year.

Above: Austin Fravendierst tills the soil in the spring to prepare it for planting seeds.Opposite page (l to r): Megan Bennett, Tyler Bates and Jessica Eibes served as garden managers, tending and harvesting the garden throughout the summer.

Tim Uhlenkamp, a teacher who helps run the garden, works with students in agribusiness class on the initial planning of the garden.

Agribusiness students work together in the spring to till the soil and plant seeds.

For Kimberly White, biking is so much more than a quick, easy form of transportation. It’s a way to change the world. White, a sophomore at Baruch College in Brooklyn, New York, is a rather unlikely bike advocate. Unlikely in the sense that she couldn’t even ride a bike until a few years ago.

All that changed, however, when she got involved with Recycle-A-Bicycle, a youth training and environmental education initiative and bike shop. � e work it was doing intrigued her, and she fell in love with bikes. White couldn’t aff ord to purchase one however, so she brokered a deal to volunteer at the shop in exchange for a bike. Since then, White has not only learned to ride a bike, but has become a full-fl edged bicycle advocate, using cycling to fi ght for environmental and social justice and to empower youth across the nation.

“Cycling is such an important tool for creating social change,” said White, “because it can lead us to diff erent people and diff erent ideas.” White adds that biking contributes to social justice because it gives people an aff ordable form of transportation to access jobs or other areas with more opportunities. For youth, it liberates them from relying solely on parents to get around. Not to mention, as a form of physical activity, it helps keep both youth and adults healthy in a nation of skyrocketing obesity rates.

In January 2011, White helped implement the fi rst ever Youth Bike Summit in New York City. � e purpose of the Youth Summit was to bring diff erent generations together to explore, network, and learn

Kimberly WhiteBiking to change the world

Kimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly WhiteKimberly White

how “bicycling can be a legitimate and safe form of transportation for today’s youth.” � e summit was a huge success, with more than 200 people from throughout the U.S. and Canada attending.

While the Youth Bike Summit was a great opportunity to further bike advocacy, White makes it clear that youth can become bike advocates, or any kind of advocates, wherever they are. “If you see something you’d like changed in your school,” she said, “talk to your administrators about it. � ey are a lot more human than you think.” � e key to changing things, says White, is organizing and rallying people for your cause. Having adult or intergenerational support is a key step in effi cient organizing.

“I have met so many people who have done amazing organizing,” said White. “I think organizing is the most eff ective way to change policy. � ere is no excuse to allow something you’re opposed to continue to occur. So whether it be with bikes or some other tool, youth need to take a stand and change the world they live in.”

“If you see something you’d like changed in your school,” she said, “talk to your administrators about it. They are a lot more human than you think.”

White bikes on a SunBike, a mobile solar electric system designed to educate and empower students and communities.

StreetFilms did a short video about Kimberly. See her take on the streets of NYC at this link.http://c.ataly.st/nlhS6K

Learn more about Kimberly

Biking and walking to school is awesome. It’s a great way to be active and have fun. One town in Minnesota, La Crescent, is especially amped about biking and walking to school. La Crescent Safe Routes to School Program has developed a bunch of cool ways to spread its passion for biking to all its local schools.

Here are a few examples:

Walking and RollingStudents in La Crescent, Minnesota, get pumped about walking and biking to school

• � e program hosts “walk to school” days for elementary school students. High schoolers contribute by walking with groups of kids to make sure they stay safe and sound on their walk.

• Fridays at La Crescent’s Middle School are “Walk N Roll Fridays,” when students are encouraged to walk and bike to school. Students that participate get the chance to win cool prizes.

• A professional bike stunt performer put on a show at the middle and elementary schools, showing kids how to be safe and have fun at the same time.

• La Crescent High School has a really cool bike repair class that teaches students the basics of bike repair.

• In the summer, the program’s Bike Shoppe hosts a bike club. � e Bike Club lets students hang out, learn bike mechanics, and take group rides on La Crescent’s scenic bike trails.

Walking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and RollingWalking and Rolling

We got all of our friends together to promote biking and walking to school. Check it out!

Hit this link to see our video:http://c.ataly.st/biketoschool

Ditch the bus! Take your bike!

Scan this with your mobile phone to watch the video

A group in NE Minneapolis writes a rap about biking. It’s basically awesome.

Hit this link to see the video:http://c.ataly.st/q78RJY

POB - People on Bikes

Scan this with your mobile phone to watch the video

catalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth boardcatalyst youth board

What I think is really cool about Catalyst is this group gives teens the power to get the message out to the public and do something to improve not only our lifestyles but help those around us too.

- Carina, Madelia, MN

Catalyst is a group of teens working to promote healthy eating and being active. I’m involved with Catalyst because I like helping people, and it’s a super fun group to be a part of! - Sydney, Farmington, MN

I think Catalyst is awesome because it gives people the chance to be involved in the way that’s right for them. It’s a great way to fi nd your own voice.

- Kate, Lino Lakes, MN

I went to the spring summit and it was incredible! I found my place, and found a way I can get involved in a movement that really means something to me.

- Ryan, Farmington, MN

I want to be involved in Catalyst so I can be a part of the movement towards healthier eating. Catalyst helps show young people how easy it is to be healthy!

- Ryan, Hermantown, MN

I attended the 2011 Catalyst Summit in April and was hooked. � e people are genuine and the mission is spot on!

Taylor, Lamberton, MN

The heart and soul of Catalyst is our youth board -- 11 passionate students from across the state. They plan our events, give presentations, plan and star in our videos, and are the voice of Catalyst.

I went to the spring summit and it was incredible! I found my place, and found a way I can get involved in a movement that really means something to me.

- Ryan, Farmington, MN

I think Catalyst is awesome because it gives people the chance to be involved in the way that’s right for them. It’s a great way to fi nd your own voice.

- Kate, Lino Lakes, MN

I want to be involved in Catalyst so I can be a part of the movement towards healthier eating. Catalyst helps show young people how easy it is to be healthy!

- Ryan, Hermantown, MN

Catalyst is a group of teens working to promote healthy eating and being active. I’m involved with Catalyst because I like helping people, and it’s a super fun group to be a part of!

- Sydney, Farmington, MN

What I think is really cool about Catalyst is this group gives teens the power to get the message out to the public and do something to improve not only our lifestyles but help those around us too.

- Carina, Madelia, MN

I attended the 2011 Catalyst Summit in April and was hooked. � e people are genuine and the mission is spot on!

Taylor, Lamberton, MN

“Catalyst is a youth leadership organization that helps people learn more about exercise and healthy eating. We speak to everyone, and try to get as many people involved as possible.

- Cassie, Cambridge, MN

I am involved with Catalyst because I wanted to help people live healthier lives. You can make a change in your life that you won’t ever regret, and also it’s a great leadership opportunity!

- Sarah, Circle Pines, MN

Catalyst helps people fi nd ways to live healthier. I joined Catalyst because I like helping people, and I wanted to help people live happy, healthier lives!”

- Madi, Cambridge, MN

I’m involved in Catalyst because the obesity crisis is one of the biggest epidemics in our nation right now. I heard about Catalyst a year ago, and was just waiting for the right time to fall in place so I could be involved.

- Kaylen, East Grand Forks, MN

Catalyst’s mission is to educate people on how to eat better and live healthier lives. I am involved because I want to better the lives of people around me, and Catalyst helps me do that!

-- Alexxis, Cambridge, MN

Catalyst helps people fi nd ways to live healthier. I joined Catalyst because I like helping people, and I wanted to help people live happy, healthier lives!”

- Madi, Cambridge, MN

I am involved with Catalyst because I wanted to help people live healthier lives. You can make a change in your life that you won’t ever regret, and also it’s a great leadership opportunity!

- Sarah, Circle Pines, MN

Catalyst’s mission is to educate people on how to eat better and live healthier lives. I am involved because I want to better the lives of people around me, and Catalyst helps me do that!

-- Alexxis, Cambridge, MN

I’m involved in Catalyst because the obesity crisis is one of the biggest epidemics in our nation right now. I heard about Catalyst a year ago, and was just waiting for the right time to fall in place so I could be involved.

- Kaylen, East Grand Forks, MN

Want to be on the Catalyst Youth Board?

We have applications for open spots at the end of the school year, check our website, bethecatalyst.org, for more info!

� e youth board learning and helping out at a local, organic farm.

� e Catalyst youth board braves a ropes course during their fall retreat.

Kate Kuehl (left) and Cassie Terrizi (right), two youth board mem-bers, present at the 2011 Catalyst Summit.

Youth board members celebrate their activism idea becoming a reality at the 2011 Catalyst Summit.

SWEET DEMISEThe real facts about sugar-sweetened beverages

During the past few decades, obesity in America has skyrocketed from about 15% in 1980 to a whopping 34% today. � e consump-tion of soft drinks in America has skyrocketed as well. From 1980 to today, the rate of soft drink consumption has doubled.

We consume 200-300 calories more of sug-ar-sweetened beverages per day than we did 30 years ago. This includes soda, fruit drinks, sport drinks, sweetened teas and more.

An average American currently consumes 50 gallons of sugary beverages a year. That’s 41 pounds of sugar, and 72,000 calo-ries. It’s a bit ridiculous.

Is our nation’s skyrocketing obesity rate and soda consumption rate a correlated coincidence? We think not. In fact, research studies have demonstrated a connection between consumption of sugar-sweet-ened beverages and obesity.

A recent Berkeley study shows that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in the U.S. accounts for 43% of the per cap-ita increase in daily caloric intake from 1977-2001 and 1/5 of the pounds America added during this same time frame. In essence, the study demonstrates the huge role sugar-sweetened beverages are playing in obesity.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of biggest contributors to the nation’s obesity epidemic.

Source: Bleich, SN, Wang YC, Wang Y, Gortmaker SL: Increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among USadults: 1988-1994 to 1999-2004. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 372:381

DO COOL STUFF, GET COOL STUFFActivate: U is a campaign focusing on getting youth active and eating healthy! We want to empower you to take charge of your health and the health of your communities. We are spreading our message through videos, posters, buttons, t-shirts, hands-on activism, special events, and speakers. You can do cool stuff to promote healthy eating and physical activity, and get free stuff in return! It’s defi nitely a win-win situation. Just follow these three simple steps:

1) Do cool stuffCatalyst has a bunch of cool activities you can do to promote healthy eating and physical activity in your school. � ey include changing your facebook profi le pic to the Catalyst logo or creating a wellness committee at school. If you have an idea we don’t have listed, let us know and we can work something out. � e opportunities are almost limitless.

2) Tell us about itAfter you’ve done something cool, let us know! We’d like to see or hear about how you’re empowering people to make healthier choices.

3) Get free stuff in returnFrom Catalyst water bottles, to sunglasses and iTunes gift cards, we have a multitude of cool stuff to give away to those who have earned it.

For a complete list of actions and free gear, visit www.bethecatalyst.com/activateu.