The Meat Free Monday campaign has been gaining more and more support, and this week there was a very interesting development when John Leech, Liberal Democrat MP for Manchester Withington, submitted a parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for all catering authorities at the Houses of Parliament to go meat free every Monday.
On hearing about the EDM Paul said: “This may seem like an unusual idea for Parliament to adopt but it would be good to see them giving a positive lead by at least trying it. Many schools, restaurants and businesses across both the US and UK have implemented a Meat Free Monday successfully, as well as tens of thousands of individuals.”
Instead of why would they do it, Paul asked, why, when so many people are making such an effort to do their bit for the environment, wouldn’t Parliament do it? MP John Leech, along with campaign supporters, believes that Parliament should set an example by supporting a Meat Free Monday. He has called for MPs to acknowledge that current UN figures suggest that meat production is responsible for approximately 18 per cent of global carbon emissions and something needs to be done in order to fight against climate change. A less meat-orientated diet would help promote this.
The McCartney family publicly launched their Meat Free Monday campaign in June 2009 after Paul had read the UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow. It outlined the serious impact that the livestock industry has on the environment. Supporting Meat Free Monday is an easy way of helping with environmental problems as well as tackling diet-related problems.
To date the campaign has attracted a long list of impressive supporters including former US vice-president Al Gore, Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sir Richard Branson, Joanna Lumley, Leona Lewis, Ricky Gervais, Bryan Adams, David Walliams, Kevin Spacey and Sheryl Crow to name just a few.
This year has also seen the Meat Free Monday campaign supported by the Hard Rock Café, which has a special meat-free menu it promotes every Monday.
Speaking about the campaign Paul said: “I think many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges, and it can be hard to know how to sort through the advice about what we can do to make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable, healthier world. Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can easily make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once.”
For more on the Early Day Motion, click here
Image courtesy of TravelLondon.com