During World War I, Americans willingly rationed food in order to conserve for the war effort in Europe. A hallmark of this was “Meatless Mondays,” wherein consumption of meat was reduced to support the war. Americans in this era understood changing their habits for the greater good.
Today, people complain about Meatless Mondays on campus. Nobody understand why it is here or why it actually makes a lot of sense.
This criticism is misguided and ignores the realities of ecology in terms of water use and the land used to raise meat, among other things. Further, it is fundamentally foolish, because meat is always available if one looks beyond the “fishbowl” of DU and the residence halls.
The facts speak for themselves: Americans and those in developed countries around the world consume more meat per capita than those in developing countries. Many developing countries’ diets are primarily plant-based; this more sustainable form of eating is better for the planet and for our bodies. But some still cling to the notion of eating meat to get necessary proteins required to live.
Think critically about meat and it’s clear that this form of nourishment is an unnecessary luxury of the modern world.
The meat some of us eat, such as beef and pork, comes from animals who were fed plant matter.
This plant matter gets its energy from the sun via the process of photosynthesis.
Considering the Laws of Thermodynamics and the loss of energy through trophic levels, this means that humans are eating food that ate something else in order for us to get energy. Some scientific estimates put the number at 10 percent, meaning that at each trophic level of the “food chain,” only 10 percent of the energy is passed on. The further we get away from the base, the less efficient the energy transfer is.
Our nutrition, as I see it, is an unbroken chain from the sun to our plates.
Instead of eating meat, we could eat the food that the animals ate and eliminate the ecological “middleman” from our diet. It makes sense if one is willing to question the systems in place.
Meatless Mondays were instituted in recognition of this scientific reality and also because of the relentless prodding of the meat-free community on campus, of which I am a proud member.
Those who oppose Meatless Monday also fail to see that meat is available from countless other establishments besides the dining halls.
If you want a sandwich with ham, call Jimmy John’s. If you want a pepperoni pizza, get one delivered. The capitalist system we live in allows for tremendous choice off-campus.
Abolishing this tradition at DU would only further marginalize the vegetarians and vegans and be a shallow victory for the rampant, bacon-adoring freaks and voracious carnivores.
