Beyond Meat Creates Digital Middle School Course on Sustainability

In October, Beyond Meat will launch a free online course titled “Sustainability Foundations: Plants, Animals, and Our World” in partnership with education platform EVERFI—which has reached 41 million learners globally since it launched in 2008. The science-based course focuses on teaching children about how their everyday choices have an impact on themselves, their communities, and the planet. “Health and sustainability are core to our mission at Beyond Meat, so we’re thrilled to partner with EVERFI to bring this digital course to students across the US,” Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown said. “We see food as a vehicle for change; this course being an important part of that commitment, helping students to learn more about the role of diet in health and sustainability.”

Brown partnered with EVERFI Founder and CEO Tom Davidson—a childhood friend of his—to create the interactive course which is designed for fifth to eighth grade students and covers topics such as global resource constraints, the importance of biodiversity, climate change, and how to make sustainable lifestyle and dietary choices. A survey of EVERFI instructors found that 98 percent were either “very” or “extremely” interested in a course focused on sustainability. “Helping children understand the importance of sustainability is critically important,” Davidson said. “Beyond Meat is both a leader and innovator so it makes perfect sense that they would make a similar commitment to children by helping them understand the key factors related to sustainability. With this education, children will gain more clarity around the impact of their choices and may be inspired to make changes to some of their daily routines.”

The course will be available to students, teachers, and parents throughout the 2020-2021 school year and is optimized for at-home learning. During the school year, Beyond Meat will engage students in a variety of activities and initiatives to enhance the course curriculum. 

Earlier this month, Beyond Meat launched its first television commercial—voiced by actress Octavia Spencer—as part of its “Go Beyond” campaign that aims to build a better food system through ongoing initiatives.