This week, the third-largest Belgian town of Ghent is urging its citizens to go vegetarian on Thursdays.
The initiative is non-compulsory, but local restaurants are already happily complying with the environmental push.
Ghent is taking a stand in the fight against global warming. The aim is to reduce meat production, which accounts for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. The average Belgian eats 1,800 animals in his or her lifetime.
“It’s good to eat vegetarian, at least once a week, and if you want to do it on more days, you’re free to do so,” said City Councilor Tom Balthazar, a non-vegetarian who helped launch the campaign. “But we want to show that it’s healthy and that if it’s well cooked, it’s very tasty.”
Balthazar reassured residents that there won’t be a “plate police” forcing anyone to give up meat, but added that going vegetarian would also help water resources since large amounts are needed to cook just one kilo of meat.
The Veggie-Thursday initiative will be extended to schools in September in order to influence children to acquire healthy eating habits at an early age. A city hospital has also expressed interest in taking part and Balthazar hopes Ghent University will soon follow their lead.
The campaign includes sharing vegetarian recipes in the city’s free magazine, cooking workshops for professionals and a map of Ghent indicating restaurants offering vegetarian options.
Ethical Vegetarian Awareness, who first promoted the idea with local government, says that if every Ghent resident goes meatless for just one day a week for a yearis equal to taking 20,000 cars off the road.
