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Ghent, Belgium, for becoming the first city in the world to officially go vegetarian one day a week. Launched this past May, every Thursday in the Flemish town is Veggie Day: cafeterias in public buildings and schools serve vegetarian-only meals, and all restaurants offer at least one option that's free of seafood or meat. (One eatery has banned meat entirely that day.) To help the city's 230,000 residents kick the bratwurst, street maps are available to guide them to the best meat-free fare in town.
Veggie Day is the brainchild of the Ghent-based Ethical Vegetarian Alternative (vegetarian.be). EVA Director and Cofounder Tobias Leenaert made it happen after garnering the support of city councilman Tom Balthazar. "It was really the first time that a government—even on the city level—is behind such a campaign," says Leenaert. In announcing Veggie Day, Balthazar noted not only its boost to animal welfare but also its potential to combat obesity and lessen Ghent's environmental footprint. The EVA estimates that if everyone in town observes Veggie Day for a single year, the CO2 savings will be equivalent to taking 18,000 cars off the road.
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The European Parliament for rejecting European Commission proposals to reform animal testing in the European Union. Among the proposals: requiring prior authorization to determine whether an alternative is available before conducting animal testing. The top rationale cited by parliament members (aka MEPs) in killing the proposal? Too much red tape. The MEPs did deem to require pre-approval for cases where animals would suffer "moderate" to "severe" pain and for experiments involving primates. Still, that "leaves an estimated 4.3 million experiments on animals [nearly half the experiments in the EU] that will not require scrutiny before being authorized," notes the U.K.-based nonprofit Animal Defenders International. Rejecting the commission's proposal to limit the use of nonhuman primates to experiments involving "life-threatening or debilitating" conditions, the MEPs argued that it "could penalize European research to the advantage of its American or Asian competitors." Capitulating further to corporate interests, the MEPs also delayed indefinitely a recommendation to ban the capture of wild monkeys by breeding centers that supply European labs with primates.
--Rachel Dowd
October 2009 p. 15
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MY CHILDREN (ON THEIR OWN), BECAME VEGETERIANS, I WELCOMED THEIR NEW PASSION, BECAUSE I RAISED THEM TO BELEIVE IN THEMSELVES AND TO ENCOURAGE STRENGTH AND WISDOM, AND I AM PROUD OF THEIR STRENTGH AND DEVOTION !! I LOVE THEM ! FROM A (MEAT-EATING) MOTHER,BUT A MOTHER WHO IS LISTENING TO HER CHILDREN'S WISHES AND ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR THOUGHTS AND MENUS!!!
As a vegan daughter of a supportive meat eating mother, I thank you! I know it makes meal time more difficult if you're cooking for them, but congrats for raising children that listen to what is right for them.
Brigitte, You're such a cool mom for encouraging your children. I was a vegetarian all through my school years while I lived at home. My mother did not agree, or understand it. Now, finally, after 20 years, she has become much more open minded. However, I wish it could have been a lot sooner. Kudos to you!! Maia