Support Veggie Day
Belgian Twin City Announces Weekly ‘Veggie Day,’
Nottingham City Council to Follow?
So impressed are Nottingham Climate Campaigners with Ghent’s efforts at tackling its carbon footprint, they call on the City of Nottingham – twin city to Ghent – to follow their twin’s lead by introducing a weekly ‘Veggie Day’.
Such an initiative would encourage council employees, schools, hospitals, businesses and Nottingham residents to opt for vegetarian meals one day per week.
Not only would it help combat increasing environmental problems, but expanding waistlines also. A recent Department of Health report stated that health problems related to the obesity of city residents currently cost the NHS more than £85m a year, and this figure is expected to rise if the problem isn’t tackled.
Vegetarians are less prone to heart disease, certain types of cancer, strokes and obesity than meat-eaters are, so what are they waiting for? [ref.1]
And what are you waiting for … ?
Copy the following letter into your word processor or email, adapt it to cover our concerns and wing it on its way to Councillor Jeannie Packer, the Mayor of Nottingham [Email: jeannie.packer@nottinghamcity.gov.uk].
and/or Councillor Katrina Bull Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change [Email: katrina.bull@nottinghamcity.gov.uk]
and/or Councillor Jon Collins Leader of Nottingham City Council [Email: jon.collins@nottinghamcity.gov.uk]
Please send a copy to your councillor, seeking their endorsement of this initiative – find details at http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=397.
To: Councillor Jeannie Packer,
Lord Mayor of Nottingham,
Nottingham City Council,
The Guildhall, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BT
Dear Councillor Packer
I hope that you are as inspired I am by Nottingham’s Twin City Ghent’s recent decision, encouraging all civil servants and elected officials to choose vegetarian options exclusively one day per week, in order to combat the environmental impact of livestock farming. I urge you to honour your commitment to combat climate change by introducing a weekly “Veggie Day” in Nottingham.
As you may know, a recent United Nations report concluded that livestock production generates about 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the world’s cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships combined. Veggie food is delicious and healthy and can be produced using less than a tenth of the fossil fuel needed to produce meat.
Nottingham’s Veggie Day would have many other lasting effects in addition to combating climate change.
As vegetarians are less prone to heart disease, cancer, and strokes than meateaters, you may also be helping civil servants live longer, healthier lives (and possibly reduce sick leave and NHS costs too).
“Greening” our plates by eating delicious, nutritious, and cruelty-free veggie food is an effective and inexpensive way to shrink our carbon footprint. We hope that you and all of Nottingham City’s employees will lead by example and consider choosing veggie food one day a week.
Thank you for your consideration.
Signed …
