Montgomery County Meatless Mondays Resolution Passes

For immediate release: July 22, 2013
Contact: info@cok.net or 301-891-2458

WASHINGTON, DC —  On July 18, the Montgomery County Council issued a “Meatless Monday” Proclamation officially endorsing a nationwide effort to encourage kinder, climate-friendlier, and healthier foods.

Compassion Over Killing, a national animal protection charity based in Montgomery County,  worked with the Council on this initiative and applauds the County for taking this important step in promoting the many benefits of choosing more plant-based foods.

“We have to model the behavior that we want to promote, especially when we are dealing with issues related to healthy lifestyles, animal welfare and environmental stewardship,” states Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin. “Meatless Monday is a terrific way to highlight not only the health benefits of a plant-based diet but the fact that such a diet has been shown to use fewer resources and cause less pollution.”

Raising animals for food is a leading cause of global change, with the United Nations estimated that nearly a fifth of greenhouse gases stem from the animal agriculture sector. In fact, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains … the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off the road.”

Montgomery County joins a growing list of governmental jurisdictions officially recognizing Meatless Monday, including Washington DC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

School districts nationwide are also embracing Meatless Mondays in their cafeterias, as well. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest public school system, started dishing out exclusively meat-free meals on Mondays for all students, and San Diego elementary schools just announced that this fall, they’ll be kicking off each week with exclusively meat-free meals for K-8 students.

“Meatless Monday gets your week going with energy and purpose,” adds Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin (Silver Spring and Takoma Park). “Hat’s off to Compassion over Killing and the Montgomery County Council for a bold and visionary statement.”

“Every time we choose a vegetarian meal, we’re choosing to help protect our health, the health of our planet, and animals,” says COK’s Executive Director Erica Meier. “I’m proud to live and work in Montgomery County, which is sending a powerful message about the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, and of course, eating fewer animals.”

For more information and to read the Proclamation, please visit our blog.

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Compassion Over Killing (COK) is a national nonprofit animal advocacy organization. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture and promote vegetarian eating through public education, restaurant outreach, corporate campaigns, undercover investigations and litigation. On the web at COK.net.