Meat Free Mondays Worldwide/What Are the Benefits For the Environment?

That a vegetarian diet is good for theoffices on Thursdays. A vegetarian city map is
environment and the climate is being discussed inavailable and 1500 restaurants have received free
scientific publications more and more often.pamphlets on vegetarian cooking. Vegetarian
According to the Food and Agriculturecooking courses are offered to private persons
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), livestockas well as to chefs. The restaurants operated by
production is responsible for 18% of all globalthe city of Ghent have already expanded the
greenhouse emissions. And happily, there arenumber of vegetarian dishes they offer.
more and more people who are reacting to thisOther Belgian cities have said they are interested
fact.in following Ghent’s example.
For example, more and more people in Austria, Paul McCartney has now suggested a meat free
especially young people, eat no meat. This wasday worldwide. In London, on June 15, 2009, the
observed by the nutrition advisor to the Salzburgenvironment protector and former Beatles singer
regional health insurance companies. Europe-wide,called for a meatless Monday to protect the
Austria is presently in fourth place with itsenvironment. The abstention from meat on
percentage of vegetarians. Five percent avoidMondays should be very easy, because too much
meat.is eaten on weekends anyway. And instead of
On May 13, 2009 the Belgian city of Ghent, oneworking this off in the fitness studio, one could
of 370 European climate cities, was the first cityjust as well have a meat free Monday.
worldwide to announce a meatless weekday. As aMcCartney stated: “If the consumption of
contribution in the fight against climate change,meat were to be reduced just one day in the
vegetarian menus are offered in schools and cityweek, the earth would seriously profit form this.