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Practically Green is the best way to start living a healthier lifestyle. People like you are taking action every day. It’s easy and free to join!

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Join meat free Mondays and eat vegetarian once a week

Why This is Green

Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Chris Martin, and even Oprah have committed to "meat free" or "meatless" Mondays. Join them. Selecting one day a week (it doesn’t have to be Monday) when you eliminate meat from your diet altogether helps reduce your carbon footprint and save resources like fresh water and fossil fuels. The more people having meatless Mondays, the greater the eco-impact.

Websites devoted to encouraging people to take a day off meat say not enough of us realize meat production creates more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector, including airplanes. There are many statistics floating around on the topic, like these from Grist.org: “18 percent of human-caused greenhouse gases comes from the livestock industry.” And: “If every American had one meat-free day per week, it would reduce emissions as much as taking 8 million cars off the roads.”

Adopting meatless Mondays is also heart healthy and saves money. Spend what you save on better meat—i.e. grass-fed and/or organic—for the rest of the week!

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How To

It’s inspiring to take part in such an easy-to-do and growing movement. Pick—and stick to—a day when you’ll avoid meat. It’s easier to plan if it’s the same day every week.

Ideas on what to make abound in cookbooks and on websites.

Don’t forget that breakfast and lunch count. If your children eat school lunch, you might want to pack one for them on Mondays. It’s hard for schools to remember a dietary preference that is only once a week rather than daily.