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In Peru they call it Lunes Sin Carne and in Turkey it’s known as Etsiz Pazartesi – no matter the language, the global movement of Meatless Monday is steadily becoming a fixture throughout the world. But why?
Meat consumption has doubled in the past 40 years and the high demand for meat has significant effects on the environment. Livestock production is a major contributor to global greenhouse emissions and uses another key resource – water. For example, up to 2500 gallons of water go into producing a single pound of beef!
Besides impacting the environment, eating meat affects personal health, with many studies citing a connection between heavy meat consumption and diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Depending on where you live, meat is also costlier. So by taking one day out of the week to eat only non-meat products, folks can incorporate more healthy veggies and fruits into their diet and also save some dough!
Meatless Monday started in the United States during WWI in an effort to conserve resources, and was revived in 2003. It even caught the attention of Sir Paul McCartney – who spearheads Meat-Free Monday in the UK – and other famous faces like Oprah Winfrey, Mario Batali and Al Gore. Schools, restaurants, and hospitals in over 29 countries have jumped on board, transforming Mondays into a dynamic platform to live a healthier life and offset our carbon footprint.
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