What if we all went vegetarian just one day a week? The answer to that question is the inspiration behind the new Veggie Days program taking place in Ghent, Belgium.
Every Thursday, city officials will opt for vegetarian meals and restaurants throughout the city will feature vegetarian meals as the main options on their menus. Children will follow suit, going meatless one day a week when school starts up again in September. Meat will still be available in restaurants and schools, but support of Veggie Days is so widespread throughout the city that it is expected that most will participate.
“They say that 18 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the meat industry,” said Deputy Mayor of Ghent Tom Balthazar. Yet shrinking the city’s carbon footprint is just one motivation behind Veggie Days.
“The fight against hunger will go better and smoother if we eat less meat,” added Balthazar. “For producing one kilogram of meat you need seven to 10 kilograms of grains and 15,000 liters of water.”
In a country raised on “meat and potatoes,” it’s hard to imagine American cities adopting a similar program. However, meatless days actually date back to World War I when Americans observed “Meatless Mondays” as well as “Wheatless Wednesdays” to conserve food in support of the troops at war and starving populations in Europe.
Then during World War II, Americans were asked to cut down on their meat consumption once again.
Now, of course, Americans eat more meat than ever before. Per capita, we consume 195 pounds of meat a year – an increase of 57 pounds per person since the 1950s. On the other hand, it’s estimated that only a little more than a quarter of us eat the daily recommended three to four servings of fruits and vegetables.
Meatless Mondays are making a resurgence in this country in response to a program supported by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as 27 other schools of public health throughout the United States. This 21st century Meatless Monday campaign aims to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
In a similar effort to protect the health of our planet, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends one meatless day per week to help reduce the world’s carbon footprint, as the livestock industry is responsible for one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In the promotion of good health – for our bodies and for our planet – take a cue from Ghent and observe your own Veggie Days every Thursday, join Meatless Mondays or pick your own day to go meatless once a week.
