Who was your favorite Beatle? Mine was the cutest, Paul McCartney. Now, more than five decades later, I’ve rekindled my Paul Love. Recently I learned that McCartney and his daughters, Mary and Stella, were co-founders of Meat Free Mondays, a campaign to encourage people to adopt a climate-friendly approach to eating — cutting back on dairy and meat.

The Cutest Beatle is going back on tour. And he’s upping his commitment to the Meat Free Monday Foundation by making the following offer: Free VIP tickets to the final show of his Got Back Tour, in Rio de Janeiro.

Read on to:

  • Enter Paul’s sweepstakes (it’s a fundraiser, but you can enter for free).
  • Use Meat-Free Monday’s Impact Calculator, to see the world of difference you can make by going meat-free for a single day.
  • Watch a short video of The Cutest Beatle making his case for Meatless Monday.
  • Learn how to cut back on meat and dairy easily and slowly.

What Happens When You Go Meat Free?

Not convinced little ‘ole you can make a difference? Input your meat consumption into the Impact Calculator to see how a tiny change can make a big impact on the planet. You’ve already cut back? Mazel Tov! Play around with the Calculator to see what will happen when you encourage your partner, family members, and friends to join you. Or go meat free two or three days a week.

 

Act quickly! The deadline to enter Paul McCartney’s Meatless Monday VIP Trip is Dec. 3, 2023.

 

 

4 Shocking Facts about Food and the Environment

Decades ago, I stopped eating meat because I loved my dog. (It’s okay, you can laugh). I did not see a huge chasm between my dog and a cow. As I’ve aged, my reasons for remaining vegetarian, and taking that extra step to veganism (eliminating dairy) got more complex. I still love my dog. Now, I also care about eating to stay healthy. And, it wasn’t until recently, when I became concerned about “negative climate events” like floods, uncontrollable fires, atmospheric rivers, hurricanes, etc., did I learn the food on our plates is directly related to climate change. Frankly, I was shocked.

  1. Beef is the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gases, making it the most damaging food for the planet.
  2. 15% of global greenhouse emissions come from the production of meat, dairy and eggs.
  3. If everyone in New York City ate a veggie burger instead of a beef burger for Meatless Monday, it would save the equivalent of emissions that come from charging 2.6 billion smartphones.
  4. 79% of Gen Z’ers (11 to 26-year olds) go meatless at least once a week. (There’s hope!)

How to Start Your Meat Free Journey

  • List It: Make a list of your typical weekly diet. Or simply try to remember what you’ve eaten in the last few days, and jot it down. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snacks. Note when and how much animal protein you eat. You decide what’s easiest and most appealing to you to eliminate. Keep reading to learn how.
  • Swap It: Consider making meals that can be easily become meat free. Start slowly.
    • Experiment with this Pasta Bolognese: No need for ground turkey or beef — dried mushrooms and lentils do the heavy lifting in this full-of-comfort pasta dish.
    • Try a simple Veggie Curry, bursting with flavor without the chicken.
    • The cocoa powder and warming spices in this chili will leave no one asking, “where’s the beef?”
  • Join the Meat-Free Monday Challenge