We wanted this week’s tip to point out something that has a very big impact on sustainability, but something that not everyone may be aware of. Have you heard of the Meatless Monday movement? Even though its been in existence since 2003, I had never heard of it until my wife brought it up to me several days ago. The Meatless Monday movement is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays in order to not only improve one’s personal health, but also the health of the planet. One startling fact that highlights the effect that the consumption of meat has on the environment: it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef! Another interesting fact: it takes the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of grain-fed beef in the United States. With increased energy consumption, often comes the environmental damage we have seen take place in the United States over the last few decades.
We’re not suggesting everyone stop eating meat; that’s a personal choice. As a fairly regular meat-eater, I’m always hesitant when I hear the word “meatless” or “vegetarian,” but the goal of the Meatless Monday campaign seems very reasonable for those of us who are not willing to make that jump to vegetarian or vegan, but are interested in ways to not only cut back on our meat consumption, but also help the environment. The overall goal of the campaign is more to reduce your meat consumption as opposed to giving up meat altogether. I strongly encourage you to go to the Meatless Monday website to read more about the campaign as well as browse through some great articles on healthy living, tasty meatless recipes, information about seasonable vegetables, and how certain businesses and schools are also adopting the idea of Meatless Mondays. This is something that you could consider doing not only in the home but also at the workplace. You may also find that by cutting out from consuming meat on Mondays (or any one day of the week for that matter), you’ll be saving money as meat prices have been on the rise over the past few months.
If you have any suggestions for things we can all do differently each day to create more sustainable environments, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the idea to be featured in a future Tip of the Week. The PCS Action Group members for the “Office Sustainability Tip of the Week” are Kevin Caffrey, Elizabeth Sanders, Robert Louzek, and Dre Anthes.
Last Week’s Tip: Litter on Campus.
