The Cut meat, Not Trees campaign was set up by the AWCP and aims to inspire Gibraltar and beyond to cut out meat at least one or two days a week, to help save forests, habitats and species.
The Conscious Eating initiative encompasses this and other issues surrounding what we put in our bodies and the overall impact our food has on our health and the environment.
Encouraging people to be aware and 'conscious' of the wider implications of the food they eat and to take action to reduce these, one bit at a time.
Meat: The facts:
An estimated 70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon basin can be attributed to cattle ranching.
Meat production consumes many times more water than growing vegetables.
The UN has recently called for a global effort to reduce meat and dairy consumption.
Meat eaters in developed countries will have to eat a lot less meat,
(cut consumption by 50%) to avoid the worst consequences of future climate
change.
The natural human diet would usually contain some animal protein but currently
the average person in the Western world eats 5 x more meat than they should.
Many non-human primates opportunistically catch small animals for meat to
supplement their diets but the current trend is for most humans to consume meat
every day and with almost every meal.
Studies have shown that eating lots of meat is linked to diseases that can kill us, like heart disease, diabetes, and some kinds of cancer. Protein overload is bad for our health. Too much protein has been found to promote ageing and increases the risk of certain types of cancer.
Since 1982, meat consumption has risen 5 fold, despite only a 30% population increase.
You don't have to be a vegetarian to make a difference — One meat-free day a week could be all it takes to make a huge difference. That's the equivalent positive impact of 1 in 7 people becoming vegan
To meet our crazy demand for meat products, factory farms have become the norm, squeezing out traditional farms and polluting farmland, the air, and our rivers.
Factory farming is brutal to livestock.
The treatment of factory-farm animals is just unbelievably cruel.
Meat-free Monday is an idea that's spreading throughout the world. Cities, towns, and even some school systems are joining in. Cutting meat once a week gives three positive outcomes:
-
Better health
-
Better environment
-
Better treatment of animals
In Oslo, Norway, all restaurants now have meat-free days once a week. The population of Oslo is around 650,000. Gibraltar has only 30,000 residents to inspire to change for the better!
Meat-free Mondays or Veggie Vednesdays, whatever you want it to be…
We are challenging local restaurants to have meat-free days once or twice a week
and asking schools to encourage children to abstain from meaty snacks and lunches at least once a week.
Inspiring people to change just a little. A little effort from everyone makes a lot of difference!
For those establishments who are not yet ready for a full change or who are reluctant we will encourage and help them to provide a more extensive vegan offering to their menus and at the very least to advertise the campaign and help to build awareness.
Meat our Challenge: Eat like a monkey. Cut meat down, help our forests grow and be healthier too!
There are so many aspects to this issue; climate, conservation, health, animal welfare etc. For this reason we are teaming up with many different entities to promote this campaign:
This campaign is supported by Thinking Green,
The Department of the Environment and Climate Change,
and the Gibraltar Health Authority
