Outdoor Learning Gardens: Non-profit helps teach kids how to eat healthy

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Childhood obesity is a major problem in the US as well as other parts of the world. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 18 percent of Americans between the ages of 2 and 19 are currently obese. One entrepreneur, whose brother has grabbed most of the family headlines so far, is trying to help children eat healthier. CGTN's Hendrik Sybrandy reports.

In Denver, Colorado, a man who donated $10 to a fundraising platform for charities wins a shiny prize for contributing.

ANTHONY MONACO PRIZEWINNER "I obviously was pretty intrigued by the Tesla Model 3 being given away by Kimbal."

Kimbal Musk, it was a small price to pay for the two million dollars raised in a recent online contest which will help pay for these outdoor Learning Gardens.

KIMBAL MUSK BIG GREEN, CO-FOUNDER "It is our duty as a society to give our kids an understanding of what their options really are, understand what real food is."

Musk runs Big Green, a non-profit that builds gardens at low-income schools across America. It's installed 500 of them in six U.S. cities over the past six years.

HENDRIK SYBRANDY DENVER "They're modular creations, made of recyclable polyethylene, in which an assortment of fruits and vegetables can be grown. Musk says it's a way of introducing students to a healthier way of eating."

KIMBAL MUSK BIG GREEN, CO-FOUNDER "We come up with ways to tie it into the curriculum so that they're using the garden all the time as an outdoor classroom."

Class was in session when we recently dropped by Welby Community School.

BRYNN OLINGER BIG GREEN COLORADO GARDEN EDUCATOR "So we have been harvesting salad greens all morning, washing them, prepping them to go inside, to either be used in their cafeteria or in the classroom. Now we're actually just about to start planting in the summer garden which will include over 25 varieties of plants, all in themed beds."

Entrepreneurship runs in the Musk family. Kimbal's worked in Silicon Valley. His brother Elon founded SpaceX and Tesla.

KIMBAL MUSK BIG GREEN, CO-FOUNDER "My brother loves what we do. He and I have cooked together forever and it's just been one of the joys of how we've connected. And so for me now to bring this to kids across the country, it warms my heart."

These learning gardens can be an acquired taste for some.

BRYNN OLINGER BIG GREEN COLORADO GARDEN EDUCATOR "You usually have a couple of kids who might spit it out at first and they're just trying to be class clowns. But you have a couple that'll say, hmmm, this is really really good."

Musk says food from Learning Gardens, sold to restaurants, teaches students business skills too. He knows the gardens won't magically change diets overnight.

ERIC ROWE PREP ACADEMY PRINCIPAL "Yes, I would like to change their food habits but I also want them to have the sense that you can make a difference through this work in the garden."

Big Green hopes to have 1,000 Learning Gardens in place in the U.S. by 2020. Musk has global aspirations too. He says it's all about improving the food culture for those who don't always eat as healthy as they should.

KIMBAL MUSK BIG GREEN, CO-FOUNDER "Eating's a joy. It's a gift we give each other three times a day."

You might say it's what propels him.

KIMBAL MUSK BIG GREEN, CO-FOUNDER "It is so special to know that a Big Green supporter is now driving that in America today."

Hendrik Sybrandy, CGTN, Denver.