Aims of the Project

"A lot of people go to the gym on a Monday. With 'Meat-Free Mondays', it's a bit like going to the gym, but with the added advantage of protecting the planet."
– Sir Paul McCartney
"Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there."
– Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Welcome to Meat-Free Monday – an exciting cross-curricular global citizenship project!

Climate change, global poverty, increasing rates of obesity and substandard animal welfare are all issues that we can address right now. Meat-Free Monday aims to encourage school communities to reduce their meat and fish consumption in order to help achieve the following goals:

Improve pupils' health: Reducing the consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, strokes, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity and other serious conditions. It's never too late – or too early – to change our habits for the better.

Protect the environment: A 2006 UN report summarised the devastation caused by the meat industry, calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global". Furthermore, commercial fishing is wiping out biodiversity as miles of nets sweep up all the fish in their path and take coral-based habitats with them.

Fight against world hunger: There is more than enough food in the world to feed the entire human population, yet some people are still starving. The WorldWatch Institute writes, "[M]eat consumption is an inefficient use of grain – the grain is used more efficiently when consumed by humans. Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world's poor".

Help animals: Intensive farming and the transporting and slaughter of animals cause animals fear, pain and stress. Also, when dragged from the ocean depths, fish undergo painful decompression. By reducing our meat and fish consumption, we can decrease the number of animals who endure traumatic experiences.

By participating in Meat-Free Monday for one year or more – and by using the PETA Foundation's free accompanying resources in lessons and assemblies – pupils will better understand how the choices that they make today will affect them (and future generations) tomorrow.

Please rest assured that a wide variety of meat- and fish-free alternatives are available and that all suggested meals will meet or exceed the government's nutrition standards and its other food-related standards for school lunches.

Taking part in the project is free. The only thing we ask of schools is to provide completely vegetarian meals each Monday. Participating schools will be provided with the following:

  • A Meat-Free Monday pack full of cross-curricular lesson plans and recipes
  • Advice on altering Monday's menus, if required
  • Full support throughout the year
  • An Environmental Impact certificate acknowledging the school's accomplishment at the end of the project

The greater the number of participants, the greater the impact that we will have!

If you'd like to get involved, please sign up here.