The Day of the Veggie

Belgium - 15 May 09

Belgian city encourages its citizens to consume a vegetarian diet one day a week to support sustainable eating.

Citizens of Ghent came out in mass on Thursday the 14th to show their support for the city’s Veggie Day. It kicked off a new program in Ghent where Thursdays will become meatless.

Every Thursdays the citizens of Ghent will be offered a myriad of vegetarian options, schools have pledged to make the vegetarian option the basic while, restaurants will make sure to have at least one vegetarian option on the menu.

Meat eaters do not have to fret, these programs are not mandatory and meat will remain options for all.

Ghent officials instituted this program in order to support sustianable. They quoted UN studies that show 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from cattle as an important reason to take meat out of diets, further by choosing to eat vegetarian one day a week for a year they say it is equivalent, in CO2 savings, to taking half a million cars off the road.

Source: The Guardian

Jonathan Salibra
j.salibra@slowfood.it