After a year of speeches and outreach, the First Lady’s signature issue of providing children with healthy food in schools was advanced today with passage of the “The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.”

First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Harlem, NYC to check out an innovative partnership between a local elementary school and the Police Athletic League (PAL). I knew we were close to our destination when I saw throngs of people outside on the streets waving at our cars. Entering the Police Athletic League’s Harlem Center, we saw 75 kids in matching t-shirts waiting for us. The First Lady's visit was a surprise and we heard screams of delight as she entered the gym.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining First Lady Michelle Obama as she launched the newest effort within the Let’s Move! initiative, Let’s Move Faith and Communities. Let’s Move! is the First Lady’s initiative to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation. We launched this special effort in a conference call with over 4,500 people, including faith-based and community leaders representing more than 50 organizations that have already committed to Let’s Move Faith and Communities.

In late October, Mayor Corey Booker announced Let’s Move Newark! a city-wide effort to bring together business, non-profits, schools, and health care groups to develop a plan to combat childhood obesity by 2030. The Mayor recommended that the First Lady visit a local school that is using innovating programs to get students eating healthier and getting more exercise.

There’s just something about him—six feet tall, big bright eyes, covered in brown fur. Everywhere he goes, Buddy Bison is surrounded by a swarm of kids, wanting to play with him and learn more about the Great Outdoors. In national and state parks across the country, our mascot Buddy Bison is getting kids excited about moving outside – and teaching them important lessons about what outdoor activity means for their health.

In the ongoing fight against childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama started the Let’s Move! campaign to help children be more physically fit and conscious of the food they eat. To help promote this initiative, employees from USDA and other federal agencies recently teamed up with the local non-profit Horton’s Kids, an organization recognized for its programs aiming to improve the lives of Washington, D.C. kids.

In an interview with Grist last week, I talked about livable communities. And one of the central features of livability is that you can get where you need or want to go without having to get into your car. For many reasons--the hassle of congested roadways, the need to reduce carbon emissions, the desire for better health--that's what Americans have said they want.