Just another meat-free Monday

Ghent might have one of the largest car-free zones in Europe but there is now a new reason for the environmentally concerned to give it some attention; as of last year Ghent has made every Thursday a lentil-lovers haven of meat-free bliss. Restaurants, canteens, schools and even the odd hospital have signed up to ditch meat one day a week in the hope that they can make a real, and lasting difference to climate change. This isn’t the first example of large-scale vegetarianism; the Pythagoreans are one of several groups who choose to abstain, granted they were concerned more about their souls than the environment. Still there has been an increasing trend towards “meat-free Mondays”.

Jesus College, Oxford became the first member of an educational establishment in the UK to vote for the move to instate a moratorium on meat, at least for Mondays. The movement, which began with the JCR last year, had a steady support from those who wanted to make a change and reduce the carbon footprint of their lifestyle. The JCR President accepted that the impact wasn’t earth-shattering but that one of the main benefits is getting people to start making small sacrifices,  “there isn't going to be a day when suddenly everyone drops what they’re doing and starts trying to save the planet, it's got to be a slow change in the way we live, so making little changes like this is ideal.” With both undergraduate and graduate support, the motion is only waiting for the staff stamp of approval to make meat on Mondays a thing of the past for Jesus.

And its not just our future leaders-in-training that are extolling the benefits of a modified diet, the current, ever-active, cultural leaders from across entertainment and business are putting their names to the cause. Led by Paul McCartney the likes of Sheryl Crow, Chris Martin, and Sir Richard Branson are advocating what Dr. Rajendra Pachwari, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has called “the most attractive opportunity” we have in terms of “bringing about reductions in a short period of time”.  The figures released by the UN bring the swelling popularity of this simple idea into sharp focus. The livestock contribution to climate change, as a percentage of CO₂, is roughly 18%, notably more than the 15% produced by transportation and far easier to reduce. Not only that, but the same report documents the fact that livestock levels are aiding food shortages, now consuming more human edible protein than they produce, a difference of roughly 21million tonnes.

As far as McCartney is concerned "having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once." Check out www.meatfreemondays.co.uk if you are interested in giving it a go, without having to sacrifice taste.

 

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