THE Dulwich Despatch Summer 2023
Meat-free Monday
Is it a good idea? ponders Mark Gill (Y7). We have all thought about whether we should have a meat- free Monday, but the response is usually “meat tastes too good” or “vegetarian alternatives are less nutritious.” These arguments are wrong. This is why: The first reason to have a meat - free Monday is because it is healthier. Vegetables help fight against cardiovascular disease, which causes heart disease and stroke. Red meat also increases the risk of colorectal cancer, making vegetables healthier. Along with that, a diet with more vegetables and less meat can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. A second reason to have a meat - free Monday is because you will be buying plant - based meats, which are better than conventional meats. This is not only because they contain less fat, but also because plant - based meat emits 30 – 90% less greenhouse gas than conventional meat, uses 72 – 99% less water than conventional meat and causes 51 – 91% less aquatic nutrient pollution than conventional meat. This is proof that meat - free Monday is an excellent idea. A third reason to have meat - free Mondays is to reduce your carbon footprint. Over one - third of all habitable land on Earth is used to support animals, which is a massive waste of space. If everyone shifted to a vegan diet, we would reduce global land use for agriculture by 75%. A big part of that is that beef has an energy efficiency of about 2%. This means that for every 100 kilocalories you feed a cow, you only get 2 kilocalories of meat, meaning you would need lots more land for farming. This large reduction of wasted land use would be possible because of reduction in land used for grazing and a smaller need for land to grow crops. Animal agriculture is also responsible for the vast majority of food greenhouse gas emissions. Untreated manure and excess fertiliser are major sources of environmental damage and human illness. All of these points should be sufficient evidence that a meat - free Monday is an incredible idea that should be practised worldwide.
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