26 May 2009

Donderdag – Veggie Dag


Well I have to say, Europe rocks! The lovely city of Ghent, Belgium, has made every Thursday a vegetarian day for city officials, schools and other organizations. What a wonderful idea! Over a million people in Taiwan also pledged to start a meat-free diet last year. 

Please read more about this special initiative here, but in the meantime, here are some snippets from the article...

"The Belgian city of Ghent is 30 miles west of Brussels, with a population of around 200,000. Just over a week ago, this small city committed to taking a major step forward in environmental responsibility, setting an example for the rest of the world to follow... City officials have declared that meat intake is a major contributor to pollution, and say that making one day a week meat-free 'is good for the climate, your health and your taste buds.' Tom Balthazar, a Ghent city councilor who is backing the initiative, quotes the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), when he says that meat production is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gases. Ghent's officials are teaming up with Belgium's national vegetarian organization, EVA (Ethical Vegetarian Alternative), and adopting Thursday as a vegetarian day for officials. From September, the city's schools will be making a meat-free meal the "default" option every Thursday. At least one hospital wants to join in....'If everyone in Flanders does not eat meat one day a week, we will save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road, said the EVA..."

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