PETA Asks President Obama To Join Meat-Free Mondays

11
by Michael dEstries July 31, 2009
Categories: Animals, Eats
Tags: , .

MEATFREE mondays

Putting the whole Fly-Gate thing behind them, PETA is now asking President Obama to join the “Meat-Free” Mondays campaign and give the White House a greener vibe.

In a letter to Obama, PETA Prez Ingrid Newkirk says that this wouldn’t be the first time an American President has urged the nation to reduce its intake of meat. “As you no doubt know, on October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe,” she writes. “Today, the number of starving people in the world is on a par with the number of obese people in the U.S., and a restriction on meat and dairy-product intake could help tip those scales for the better.”

To read the full letter, hit the jump below.

Dear Mr. President,

Sir Paul McCartney is in town this weekend and has launched an initiative called “Meat-Free Mondays” to help stave off climate change, lessen the suffering of animals, and promote a diet healthier than the artery-clogging, obesity-inducing one that is a major cause of the soaring health-care costs and worker absenteeism in this country.

As you no doubt know, on October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe. Today, the number of starving people in the world is on a par with the number of obese people in the U.S., and a restriction on meat and dairy-product intake could help tip those scales for the better.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the city of Ghent in Belgium, parts of Israel, and, this fall, many schools in the U.K. are among those embracing the concept of “Meat-Free Monday.” It’s one-seventh of where we should be, but it’s a great start. If you institute this program in the White House, it will be a giant step forward in transforming it to a green house, and it will set a wonderful example for people nationwide?or worldwide?who look to you for leadership when it comes to a kinder, environmentally friendlier, and more health-conscious approach to life.

Respectfully yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President, PETA

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →
  • Eva

    That’s so cool! I really hope he decides to do this. :)

  • joanna

    This is the way to change the world. Slowly, politely and suggesting. Good on those involved. Nobody like a lot of information forced down their throats.

  • Paul

    Is one day a week enough? even WWF have said that people should limit their meat consumption to 3-4 times a week. I have a feeling that MFM doesn’t go far enough and may lead people to belive that going just meat free – (no mention of dairy, eggs or sea life – it saddens me to see how many people don’t consider sea life to be ‘meat’) on one day a week is enough to get them off the ‘environmental’ hook. While change does take time, time is something that we maybe running out of!

  • http://www.SAAWinternational.org Taowaz

    A meat free Monday campaign has also been launched in Taiwan by Society for the Advancement of Animal Wellbeing ( SAAW International ). They’ve created an on-line petition that will be handed to the President of Taiwan and the EPA.

    Here’s the link
    http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/meat-free-monday-taiwan.html

  • http://www.veganjapan.net herwin

    thanks for the link, Taowaz ! i will also spread this link !
    Go PETA Go ! First Winfrey vegan for a monthw, now maybe Obama one time a week veggie, who’s next eh..
    Yes paul, you are right, how dare they not mention eggs and dairy and seafood ! if they stop eating meat for only one day a week we absolutely wont let these bastard semi veggies of the hook! (disclaimer : the last sentence is a form of parodie,here is a link with an explanation : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody)

  • http://www.veganjapan.net herwin

    thanks for the link Taowaz!!i will also spread this link.

  • paul

    Herwin – Parody? No I think you ment sarcasm (apparently its the lowest form of wit!). Seeing as the worlds major fisheries around the globe are between 5-10 years away from colapse and that dairy is just as environmentally damaging as meat production – not my words the UN. MFM makes little sence if you are replacing meat for a day with the same amount of fish or dairy products. Thats that point I was trying to make. When groups and organisiations such as the UN and WWF call for a major rethink of western goverment policy on livestock production and consumption changing that habits for a minority (sadly it will be a minority) for a day a week will not be enough.

  • Jeff

    RE: Paul’s comment about one day a week being enough.

    About three months ago, my wife and I decided to go meat-free one day a week after a vegetarian friend of mine suggested it (without preaching). We’re both long-time meat-eaters, and weren’t sure how we’d take to it. We went meat-free, one day a week for three weeks. By the third week, we realized that it was a lot easier than we originally thought. Today, we’re meat-free every other day. So about 3 to 4 times per week. And honestly, I still don’t find it all that difficult. In fact, this past week, I only had meat one day. Point is, had someone asked me three months ago to go meat-free 3 or 4 times a week, I would’ve said “no way.” But one day a week didn’t seem so scary. That one-day per week got the ball rolling. And to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if we cut out the meat altogether by the end of the year. I rarely crave it, and I’m really enjoying trying new foods and recipes.

  • http://www.veganjapan.net herwin

    dear Paul, yes, meatfree mondays make little sense if it is fully replaced by milk,eggs and seafood. Still MFM can be an excellent and sympathetic non-threatening way for many people to make their first baby steps on the vegetarian highway.

  • s

    i agree! asking the average omnivore to go completely meat-free all at once seems unrealistic. but by gradually eating less and less meat (including fish, because fish is meat!) anyone can go vegetarian if they really want to. MFM sounds like a great idea!

  • Pingback: Oproep: “Obama, eet geen vlees op maandag” | Koken

« PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST »