Meatless Mondays for JCPS

By Mia Mercer, Emma Huang, & Pranav Kanmadikar

Our environment’s quality is currently spiralling downhill. Pollution from greenhouse gasses is trapping solar heat in the atmosphere, resulting in drastic climate change. The pollution is due to combusting fossil fuels for energy use and transportation, and agriculture. The agriculture is a huge contributor to global climate change, as well as diminishing resources. In order to help save our planet, conserve resources, and improve the health of JCPS students,  I propose that Jefferson County Public Schools implement a “Meatless Monday” policy for school-provided lunches.

“Meatless Monday” would immensely benefit the environment. Since roughly 64,000 students participate in the school provided lunch system at JCPS, “Meatless Monday” would be equivalent to taking nearly two thousand cars off the road; or preventing twelve thousand tons (twenty four million pounds) of carbon dioxide and methane from entering the earth’s atmosphere every year. Keep in mind all of this is from JCPS alone!

Excluding meat from school lunches would benefit the environment because there would be a lower demand for the meat; the lower the demand the less production of product. Livestock, such as cows, emit  harmful methane into the Earth’s atmosphere. Since methane is twenty five times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it would be much more effective to decrease the amount meat we eat than other solutions. The United Nations even made a statement saying that a global shift towards a plant based diet would be the most effective way to combat global climate change.

    Another reason that “Meatless Monday" would be very beneficial to the world is that it would conserve resources. Raising livestock accounts for many dwindling resources like land, water and food. Land used for livestock accounts for around ⅓ of the Earth’s land, which is more surface area than the moon has! Also, an immense amount of food is needed to feed livestock. Approximately sixteen pounds of grain per one pound of meat is needed to do so. All of this food could go to starving children and families, who need help all around the world. Another resource being used by livestock is water. The animals that humans eat, or use for dairy, use up so much water that you would save more water by not eating one pound of meat than not showering for six months! If we reduce the amount of meat and dairy we eat, then there will be more resources available for more diar subjects- like world hunger.

    Having a weekly “Meatless Monday" would also do good for students that eat school provided lunches at JCPS. Dr. Amy Garlove, a pediatrician in Louisville, states, “Foods that are higher in saturated fats, simple sugars, and simple carbohydrates have been shown to increase obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Also, removing processed foods, like a lot of the meat in school lunches, is highly beneficial to a healthy lifestyle.” Another statement made by Dr.Garlove that is congruent with her previous quote, explains how a “Meatless Monday” would increase the health and decrease obesity and diabetes among the JCPS student population.

    Options that could replace meat include healthier options like quinoa (six grams of protein per serving), black beans (twenty one grams of protein per serving and very inexpensive), tofu (ten grams of protein per serving), and much more. Meals that could be made include quinoa salads, tofu kebabs, or bean tacos. The possibilities are endless!

    Together, we can make a difference in the environment, and our health with “Meatless Monday”. We can, single handedly, positively affect all of our lives. Through this act, we can also inspire others to do the same. Join us on our journey to a brighter, healthier future.