Let’s Celebrate World Meat Free Day

By David Alexander, Toronto Vegetarian Association Executive Director Monday is World Meat Free Day. It couldn’t come at a better time. 2016 is shaping up to be a milestone year for environmental advocacy and education. And front-and-centre is the question of what we eat and where it comes from. In January, the United Nations declared 2016 to be International Year of Pulses in honour of lentils, chickpeas, beans, and other legumes. The UN promotes pulses because they pack a nutritious protein punch. They can be grown with less land, water, and energy than what’s needed to raise livestock. And unlike cows, pulses don’t emit massive amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 25-times as potent as CO2. In March, Oxford researchers studied the potential of a global shift towards plant-based eating. They estimated this could save millions of lives and reduce food-related emissions by 30-70%. The study, reported by Reuters, detailed health benefits from eating less red meat, more fruits & vegetables, and fewer calories overall. They estimated the economic benefits of such a shift would save more than $1 trillion worldwide. Canadian environmental champion David Suzuki is also on board. In April, he penned an article imploring Canadians to eat less meat. His article cites the negative effects of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from animal agriculture. “The environment… Read More
Filed under: News Sustainability