LONG BEACH, CALIF. – It’s official! Farm Sanctuary, a national organization dedicated to changing the way society views and treats farm animals and promoting compassionate vegan living, has convinced Long Beach to join the ranks of #MeatlessMonday cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis. Yesterday, the Long Beach City Council voted 7-2 in favor of a Meatless Monday proclamation that will urge residents of California’s fifth largest city to take a break from meat at least one day a week as a way to improve their health and environmental sustainability.
“This is a campaign designed to do nothing more than provide information concerning the impact of our food choices on our health and environment and encourage us to make healthy decisions,” said Long Beach resident and Farm Sanctuary General Counsel Drew Alexis, who spearheaded the proclamation.
Also in attendance to lend her young but persuasive voice was Farm Sanctuary supporter, eight-year-old Signal Hill resident and PETA’s Cutest Vegan Kid 2015 Genesis Butler, who spoke on the positive environmental impact of going meat-free for even just one day a week. Farm Sanctuary gathered other Long Beach residents who spoke in support of the proclamation included a restaurant manager, who saw Meatless Monday as an opportunity for local restaurants to increase business on what is typically a sluggish day of the week, and a registered dietitian, who spoke on the health benefits.
Mr. Alexis advised the City Council that according to a study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 40.7 percent of children in Long Beach are obese. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes that reduced meat consumption decreases the risk of various preventable health problems. And the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health concluded that by replacing meat with equal standard servings of legumes, whole grains, or nuts one day a week, we can reduce the risk of early mortality by as much as 11 percent. He encouraged passage of the resolution as a tool to help combat obesity and other health crises.
These facts – along with facts presented by speakers including Genesis regarding the significant water use to produce meat – were compelling to members of the City Council, some of whom thanked the speakers for presenting the information and talked about participating in Meatless Mondays in their homes as a result of learning about these issues.
Farm Sanctuary will now reach out to community institutions, including the Long Beach Unified School District, St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and other large employers, as well as area restaurants to encourage their participation in a community-based Meatless Monday campaign.
To learn more about Farm Sanctuary, visit farmsanctuary.org.
