Schools

Humane Society of the United States Praises Pleasanton for 'Meatless Mondays'

Pleasanton Unified School District Bringing Meat-Free Options to Students.

Submitted by: The Humane Society of the United States

The Humane Society of the United States is praising in Alameda County for becoming the latest school district to join the international Meatless Monday movement.

Pleasanton Unified School District will participate in Meatless Monday by offering exclusively meat-free meals in its elementary cafeterias each Monday, promoting meat-free dishes at its upper grades on Mondays, and educating students about the health benefits of eating more meat-free meals.

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“At Pleasanton Unified School District, we believe that healthy eating helps create healthy minds,” said Frank Castro, director of child nutrition services. “We’re participating in Meatless Monday to introduce our students to the wide variety of healthy, delicious plant-based foods available and encourage healthier eating decisions.”

“Choosing meat-free options just one day a week helps spare animals from factory farms, helps our environment, and improves our health,” said Kristie Middleton, food policy manager at The Humane Society of the United States. “We’re pleased that Pleasanton Unified School District is the latest district to show that being healthy can also be delicious.”

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The Meatless Monday campaign, now a popular international movement, began in 2003 at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to promote cutting out meat one day a week for our health and the health of the planet.

Facts:

  • The Meatless Monday movement raises awareness about the animal welfare, environmental and public health impacts of industrial meat production.
  • According to Environmental Defense, “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 of U.S. roads.”
  • Polls show that 50 percent of people in America are aware of Meatless Monday and that roughly one in five are participating in it.
  • Public figures, celebrities and athletes—including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Rev. Al Sharpton, Russell Brand, Ozzy Ozbourne, Carl Lewis, Mike Tyson and Tony Gonzalez—have recently touted the advantages of eating less meat.  


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