The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Senior Seminar, “Feminist Pedagogy in Action,” in collaboration with Greenhouse Food Committee and Vegan Club, is pushing an initiative for campus-wide participation in a Meatless Monday campaign. We are advocating the Meatless Monday as part of a national initiative aimed to reduce meat consumption in efforts to curb environmental degradation, improve individual health, decrease dependency on unsustainable livestock production and lower overall food costs. Decreasing meat consumption is one of the fastest and most direct ways for individuals to improve their environmental footprint. Colleges and universities around the country participate in Meatless Monday and we believe Wooster should join the movement.
A campus-wide survey was sent out via email to the entire student body, eliciting reactions to the Meatless Monday initiative. More than two-thirds of participants supported a meatless menu at least once a month and nearly one half of participants supported the weekly initiative. While we are thrilled to see widespread initial support of the campaign, we want to dispel some of the myths articulated in the survey results. Below we address some of your concerns.
Myth one: “I’m an athlete. I need to eat meat.” It is a common myth, promoted largely by the meat industry, that there are limited viable meatless alternatives that provide necessary levels of protein for athletes engaged in rigorous physical activity. Eggs, lentils, beans, quinoa, tofu, yogurt, nuts, soy, spinach and broccoli are all examples of protein-rich meatless alternatives that can easily subsidize a person’s meat consumption, especially if it’s only once a week. The American Food and Drug Administration suggests that Americans, on average, consume protein well beyond recommended levels of daily intake. In addition, there are many professional athletes who promote plant-based diets including Venus Williams, Mike Tyson, Carl Lewis and others. If these athletes can perform professionally as vegetarians and vegans, Wooster athletes will not suffer from protein deficiency from eliminating meat consumption once a week.
Myth two: “I’ll make my own decisions, thank you.” No one is promoting taking away your personal autonomy to make your own dietary choices. However, high levels of meat consumption affect all of us. Did you know that for each burger you skip, you save enough energy to charge an iPhone for four and a half years? It is time that individuals hold themselves accountable for their environmental impact. We are not demanding that students convert to vegetarianism or veganism. Rather, we are looking to reduce our campus wide meat consumption by about 15 percent which could be accomplished through a Meatless Monday initiative. Your small sacrifice could go a long way in terms of promoting progressive environmental change on our campus.
Myth three: “I don’t like salad or tofu so I don’t know what I would eat.” Organizations involved with the Meatless Monday initiative are actively working with campus dining to propose new meatless options and expand the existing menu. Obviously tofu and salads are not the only alternatives to meat; in fact most students consume meatless meals regularly without even knowing it. Every section in Lowry offers meatless menu items and with the implementation of a Meatless Monday initiative, students would receive additional meatless options.
The purpose of our campus-wide survey is to garner the interest of the student body. Therefore, we encourage you to voice your opinions via this avenue. We hope you consider supporting the Meatless Monday initiative in efforts to curb climate change, improve personal health, decrease reliance on unsustainable livestock production and decrease food costs.
Caren Holmes and the WGSS Senior Seminar, Contributing Writers for the Voice, can be reached for comment at CHolmes17@wooster.edu.