The city’s mayor, Philip K Stoddard, explained: “I am not a vegetarian, but when I started working on this I began thinking more about what I ate. I began paying attention to when I eat meat and the choices I have.”
The resolution states that it is “in support of comprehensive efforts to protect the environment, our health, and animals, and encouraging residents to participate by choosing meat-free, plant-based meals at least one day a week.”
There’s no compulsion – it’s just a gentle reminder to the residents of South Miami that eating less meat has benefits for their own health as well as for the environment. The report references the health benefits of vegetarianism and animal welfare concerns. It also contains interesting facts about the environmental impact of meat eating. “Recent studies and reports have demonstrated that we can lower our carbon footprint simply by reducing the amount of animal-based foods we eat. Each day you leave meat off your plate, you reduce your carbon footprint by over eight pounds.”
Mayor Stoddard hopes that residents will start thinking beyond the cost of food at the checkout. “It’s something many people don’t think about at all”, he said. “The land costs, the carbon costs, the animal experience costs. Those are all costs.”
Read the full resolution here.