Hi all, When I was a student in university, I took a course on Mahatma Gandhi. I was awestruck by how this great man lived by his principles, including the principle of non-violence, which he called ahimsa. It was this principle that inspired him to be a vegetarian. The project I was working on for the course required me to be a vegetarian for one month, which I did. Moved as I was by all of this, I decided at the end of the month to continue to be a vegetarian. I continued this for about a year until I discovered that my iron and B12 levels were dangerously low. I started to eat some meat again (less than before) and my health returned to normal. I probably could have continued to be a vegetarian had I paid more attention to my nutrient levels, but I didn’t want to take the chance. I recount this story to impress upon you the importance of small, incremental changes. I went from eating meat to being a 24/7 vegetarian, which was too big of a leap for me. This might also be the case when you encourage people to adopt plant-based diets. Rather than asking too much of your target audience, consider asking them to skip eating meat only one day of the week. Enter Meatless Monday. This is a dynamic campaign that encourages people to shift towards a plant-based diet by eating a meatless meal every Monday. The campaign began in 2003 and has since spread to 40 countries around the world, existing in 22 different languages. The behavior here—“skip eating meat once a week”—is clear, memorable, and easy to do. The campaign website features case studies, success stories, research and reports, a quick guide to cooking with plant-based proteins, and promotional materials. There are also ideas on how to involve friends and family in order to stay committed and suggestions to set reminders for yourself on Sundays so you have an extra day to prepare.
One success story featured on the website is that of Bedford, New York, a small town north of New York City. Over 300 households in the city took the Meatless Monday challenge as part of a larger community climate action plan. Meatless Monday, together with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future provided the community with science-based and promotional materials to support a 12-week campaign to encourage local restaurants, businesses, faith-based organizations, and school cafeterias to offer more plant-based menu options on Mondays. Results? By the end of the campaign, the Bedford community had reduced its carbon footprint by 25 tons (the equivalent of driving 56000 fewer miles). This behavior change campaign coincided with significant increases in residents’ beliefs that they could successfully prepare and order plant-based options.
A key contributor to success in this case was that the behavior change being sought wasn’t too much for the target audience. Keep in mind that we don’t all have to be Mahatma Gandhi. Going meatless once a week is already a step in the right direction when it comes to human health and planetary well-being. To learn how to get started with a Meatless Monday campaign, click here.
One success story featured on the website is that of Bedford, New York, a small town north of New York City. Over 300 households in the city took the Meatless Monday challenge as part of a larger community climate action plan. Meatless Monday, together with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future provided the community with science-based and promotional materials to support a 12-week campaign to encourage local restaurants, businesses, faith-based organizations, and school cafeterias to offer more plant-based menu options on Mondays. Results? By the end of the campaign, the Bedford community had reduced its carbon footprint by 25 tons (the equivalent of driving 56000 fewer miles). This behavior change campaign coincided with significant increases in residents’ beliefs that they could successfully prepare and order plant-based options.
A key contributor to success in this case was that the behavior change being sought wasn’t too much for the target audience. Keep in mind that we don’t all have to be Mahatma Gandhi. Going meatless once a week is already a step in the right direction when it comes to human health and planetary well-being. To learn how to get started with a Meatless Monday campaign, click here.
I recognize that I put my foot-in-the-door slowly over the course of my whole life, so the behavior change was not difficult for me. It is far more difficult for others who don't have that same background as I do! Not to mention others who may have health or access barriers that make a transition difficult.
I'm genuinely interested in encouraging more plant-based diets from both a health and conservation standing point as I work on my Master's degree. It's not just a morality issue. Thank you for sharing the success story!