Take a stroll through campus and broach the topic of the DUC's "Meatless Mondays" to fellow peers. In all likelihood, you will come across some conflicting opinions on the topic. You may hear complaints pertaining to how it is not Emory's place to force unwanted diets onto its students, or you may hear concerns about being unable to acquire adequate amounts of protein without a standard grilled chicken breast alongside your veggies. While these are valid concerns, the introduction of Meatless Mondays offers no infringement on student's rights or diets but rather is a great attempt to stimulate awareness and action surrounding food consumption.
Firstly, Monday is only one day out of the week. Students can use their Dooley Dollars for other options on campus if they truly want meat.
Secondly, we have never witnessed a truly "meatless" Monday at the DUC. On previous "Meatless Mondays," we have seen filleted fish, burgers or Korean BBQ for dinner. Lastly and most importantly, we, as a community, need to acknowledge the underlying costs of eating meat in this age of centralized, industrial food systems through actions, such as Meatless Mondays.
Only in the past century has eating meat become such a quotidian act, requiring little effort or consideration by the consumer. For the majority of our modern existence, meat consumption was a luxury usually reserved for special occasions and holidays. This shift in consumption was largely due to a mid-20th century movement that implemented new farm policies, synthesized novel petrochemicals and pioneered large-scale farming methods all in an effort to combat the mounting worldwide hunger.
The movement, known as the "Green Revolution," was a roaring success in terms of generating vast amounts of grain and meat to stymie world hunger. However, the consequences of the movement, both to our health and to our environment, were slowly exposed in the generations that followed.
Due to the large supply of meat and its high accessibility, the average American consumes nearly 200 pounds of meat per year, according to Physicians for Social Responsibility, over 70 pounds more than what is recommended by United Stated Department of Agriculture.
This overconsumption of meat not only leads to higher rates of obesity but has also been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and many cancers. Another drawback of our conventional food industry is that 40 calories of fossil fuel energy is required to produce just a single calorie of beef. If that number doesn't concern you, consider the a 2006 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization that estimated 18 percent of global emissions originating from livestock – more than the combined emissions of all transportation methods.
Perhaps changing your diet may have more of an impact on climate change than switching to a Prius.
Neither of us claims to be a strict vegetarian by any means. As with anything, we believe that consuming meat in moderation is not only healthier for our bodies but also more sustainable for the environment around us.
Meatless Mondays spurs dialogue over important issues surrounding food sustainability by increasing our awareness of the true cost of our actions. So, when you are in the DUC on Monday, eyeing those succulent pesto burgers, I challenge you to honor Meatless Mondays by choosing the veggie option.
You may just find your Tuesday chicken breast that much tastier for it.
Will Goodwin is a College junior from Decatur, Ga., and Edmund Xu is a College junior from Los Altos, Calif.
Illustration by Mariana Hernandez
