Paul McCartney has proposed a sensible plan for helping people reduce their meat consumption and do their part for the environment. He says that people in the UK and presumably around the world can eat vegetarian dishes on Mondays.
Sir Paul McCartney has urged the UK to hold “meat-free Mondays” to reduce carbon emissions.
McCartney told The Grocer that the scheme would alert consumers to the environmental impact of meat production.
He said: “A lot of people go to the gym on a Monday. With meat-free Mondays, it’s a bit like going to the gym but with the added advantage of protecting the planet.”
McCartney noted that a similar policy had proven successful in Australia.
He added: “One of the most significant conclusions of the recent report on climate change was that we should eat less meat. This is not the Vegetarian Society that said that. It’s the UN.”
[From Digital Spy via Gossip Rocks]
A meat-based diet requires more resources and produces more waste than a plant and grain based diet and many vegetarians say that conservation is their main concern. Here’s a link to a description of the UN study on climate change that McCartney mentioned.
It’s a little too late for our family today as we’ve already had turkey for dinner, but this is something I’ve mentioned to my husband before. Food is getting so expensive that along with probably having less calories it would have the added benefit of saving us some money if we stopped centering every meal around a meat dish. We’re mostly white meat eaters here, but my father is a vegetarian, and I’ve considered giving up some types of meat. It’s really up to me as the person who prepares most of the meals for the family and I’ll just have to get more creative. Here are vegetarian recipes from AllRecipes.com that you can make from variations of just 20 main ingredients.
McCartney had another reason to speak to the industry magazine The Grocer and to advocate for vegetarian meals – he’s promoting the Linda McCartney frozen food line, which was started by his departed first wife in 1991. They’re launching a new line that will be offered at British grocery chain Sainsbury’s starting in August. If you’re buying pre-made frozen food it’s probably not much cheaper to go vegetarian.
This is a heated topic so please be respectful of both sides in the comments.
He can go meat free on Mondays, and I will continue to eat what I want, when I want.
I will give up meat every Monday if sir Paul comes and spends the night with me every
Monday. Well I guess I wouldn’t be giving up all meat then.
I say have a big ole ham or a t-bone steak on Mondays…and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Love Paul and loved Linda but give up meat??? No can do….
Well, devilgirl, while I appreciate that you don’t want to just blindly follow others and make your own decisions…I would encourage you to make choices about your meals not just about what you want, when you want, but about sustainability and social responsibility. We are all in this together, after all.
My ancestors didn’t climb down from the trees, get torn to shreds by predators for thousands of years, before finally overcoming the lack of claws by creating stone tools and taking down fucking mammoths just so I could eat salad.
I really don’t need any lectures about sustainability or social responsibility from a guy who’s carbon footprint takes up more space than my entire extended family’s does. Tell you what Paul – you move into a SINGLE modest house, give up the chartered jet flights all around the globe, ride nothing but public transport like they advocate for everyone else, and THEN I’ll give up my Monday Steak.
Thank you Scott. I need to add nothing more….other than his ex had half the footprints of most.
I don’t eat meat and I’m glad. I spend a lot less money on food than most other people do. Instead of wasting money at steakhouses and sushi bars, I have that extra money for other things I really want and/or need.
@Wif, if I eat meat twice a week it is a big deal. I simply do not need another celebrity to tell me what he thinks I should do to help out our environment. I don’t just blindly go around like Henry the 8th with a leg of mutton hanging from my mouth with a wine chaser. I do my own things to help out, without the aide of any celebrity telling me what is p.c and what isn’t. To each his own, and for heaven’s sake, live and let live.
I rarely eat meat on Fridays, but that’s because I am Catholic, not because I think my skipping a burger is going to make a difference to the environment. Maybe Sir Paul should move into a small house now that he’s single.
P.S- Scott F. I LOVE YOU!
“My ancestors didn’t climb down from the trees, get torn to shreds by predators for thousands of years, before finally overcoming the lack of claws by creating stone tools and taking down fucking mammoths just so I could eat salad.”
This truly sums up my feelings….
Thanks for clarifying devilgirl. Sounds like you’ve got a good perspective on moderation. I thought your first post sounded more like my dad’s “do what I want” mentality that has him eating meat for 14 of his meals a week because what the hell does he care. For that kind of person I think giving up meat one day a week is a good way to step towards giving it up 2 days, then maybe even three. So I’m not going to crap on Macka’s message. I really think moderation is always the key. If you’ve got it, then good for you. For those who don’t, it is worth thinking about.
I truly think Americans eat too much meat, as does half the civilized world. You really only need 3 to 4 ounces of meat a day (or its non-meat substitute, such as beans and rice) and yet we get 12 ounce sirloins when we go out to dinner. We eat such large portions. My daughter was astonished when, put on a diabetic diet, she learned that a serving of orange juice is 4 ounces, not a 16 ounce glass full. I’ve noticed the huge portions as I’ve gotten older. I used to wonder why the senior menus in restaurants were about half the food that was in a regular meal, and now I realize that the amount of food in a senior meal is plenty, even for young people. One of my biggest gripes about the restaurant in my office building is the huge portions they serve, big heaping plates of food, which I’m not hungry enough to eat, and if I did eat them I’d fall asleep at my desk in the afternoon, so I find myself picking at it, eating half, or less.
I can live happily without meat for days at a time. And do. But then I’ll want a hamburger, and I eat it. It almost nauseates me to eat something that still looks like it did when living, such as fish that are not nice neat filets, or chicken pieces. I think I could be a vegetarian if I were not too lazy to put together the things you need for complete proteins.
All that aside, I’m not going to be trying to follow an aging Beatle who uses up more natural resources in a day than I do in a week.
In the words of Jessica Simpson’s shirt, “real women eat meat” 😈
Hmm… I used to be vegetarian for three years before it made me terribly sick (for what reason, I don’t know. I ate the right things — got my protein, vitamins, yada yada). I could definitely do this. In fact, if I’m going to go meat-free on Mondays, I might as well go veg the the whole week. Just start over again. I’ve got Celiac and it’ll just work out great. No meat, no grains, no lactose… I’ll just eat lettuce and carrots all the time.
I love pissing my doctor off.
Before “Going Green” became so fashionable,I was taught as a young girl and have taught my own family never to waste. To turn off the lights when leaving a room,not to let the water run and to shut the freaking door when the A.C was on and since there are hungry children in this world never,ever waste food!
To be honest,I have selfish reasons for doing these things not so much to save the “Earth” but to save some dollars!
As a mother who makes a “meatless” dish once a week, I do it because after paying for gas, all we have left to eat are eggs!
When these celebrities starT riding their bikes or car pooling to their Award Ceremonies, then maybe I will listen to what they have to say.
You guys are great!
It was sounding reasonable until you correctly pointed out the size of his own carbon footprint. Yes, it is late at night and I am impaired.
Go veggie! Eat my wife’s frozen dinners! You’re so altruistic and giving, Sir Paul 🙄
Right on. I’ve been a vegetarian for nine years now, and I’ve never had a problem with anyone else’s diet – so long as they don’t harp on mine. (My boyfriend and I are always the comically mis-matched couple at the restaurants – I with my frou-frou tofu and organic mixed greens, and the He with a big fucking steak, rare as they can legally make, hold the vegteables.) While I think Paul meant well with his suggestion, it does come off as slightly “holier than thou” (esp. given the size of the man’s carbon footprints), and I could see how people would take offense to it.
And while I do think Western meat proportions are a little out of control, I respect that people have a right to put into their body whatever the hell they want. It’s your life and your body, go for it! But if anybody wants some quick and easy veggie recipes, lemme know. I loves to cook, and I loves to share!
I eat meat but, as a Catholic, like another poster earlier, grew up on meat-free Fridays (long after people stopped bothering with it for religious reasons) so us Catholics have been doing the meat-free day forever. McCartney means well but as thinking, intelligent people with all the facts at our own fingertips, we’re more than capable of making our own decisions on how we can take personal responsibility on ‘green’ issues. This is one area where celebrity endorsement rarely enhances the issue because of the gap between what the celeb says and what they do.
I think Mc Cartney didn’t meant to be too sermony. he used his status to inform people. I think some of them might not be as much aware as others who replied here. I know meat process is producing a lot of CO2 gaz but didn’t made the link with changing my food habits. Analyzing it, I have realized that I don’t eat 14 times a week meat but that we have about 2 times a week a soup in winter and tomato salad with feta in summer.
Note : Trading eggs for meat is not a good idea considering how polluting is a chiken farm. Plus it brings too much cholesterol (no more than 2 eggs a week is recommended)
Meat use to be a luxury. Now it is taken for granted. I think it would be quite wise to cut back, even just one day. Some of the responses here seem like one day is outrageous. A vegetarian meal is so easily done that provides all the necessary nutrition, but that doesn’t need to be outrageous and a super-tofu-thing. Heck, make Monday Mexican monday and have burritos, tostadas, and what have you. Grill some bell peppers, get some avocado and make some guacamole. Make some rice. Have black beans (very good for protein and fiber.) Easy as pie. One day a week.
What different would meat make to it? Not a huge hell of a difference.
But if such a little thing is so unfathomable to some, well then… that is their thing. But, good grief, people.
Yes, typically if a celebrity gets on a soap box, no one wants to hear it.
But it isn’t an outrageous idea, by any stretch.
No, it’s not an outrageous idea at all. During WWII (so I am told) they had meatless days to help the troops. Most people were able to live easily with that. I often have meatless meals. I probably only eat meat 6-7 meals a week, out of 21 possible.
It’s just Mr. Rich Guy telling us to do it that’s annoying.
I think there’s room between “meat every day, three times a day” and “no meat ever.” I believe the term for it is “flexitarian” – not willing, able, desiring, etc. to give up meat completely, but still recognizing the benefits of relying less heavily on meat as a dietary staple. I was raised as a meat eater, and probably always will be (grilled a fabulous rib eye over the weekend!), but I have also been cutting back on my overall consumption of meat, for a variety of reasons. It’s not hard and can be quite tasty!
My Dad’s family are big meat eaters but growing up, we had a farm and killed our own – even then we never ate meat 7 days a week, and my lifestyle is very different now to what it was then and we eat meat 3 maybe 4 times a week, me less so than my husband
i agree that Sir Paul is coming off a little hawty as others have pointed out but despite his hypocrisy he has a point if peoplle are eating meat 7 days a week, one day off wouldn’t kill them… but thats just my judgement based on my own experiences and prejudice
@ Devilgirl..”I don’t just blindly go around like Henry the 8th with a leg of mutton hanging from my mouth with a wine chaser. ”
Made me laugh. Thanks! I am reading a bunch of books on Henry VIII now and that’s perfect.
I think this idea makes sense. It’s stupid to make it a specific day though.. maybe just say ‘do it at least once a week if possible’ much less alienating. I do this mostly for heealth reasons (and lost a lot of weight doing mostly veg stuff) but also the food prices are insane. Then again, grains cost a lot more now. We’re doomed!
I love the allrecipes link, bookmarked it. I’m gonna try the falafel recipe soon:)
So who’s yesterday was meat-free?
Mine accidentally was. I was sitting in the couch at 11:15 pm, eating a couple crackers (whoopsies…) and realized I hadn’t touched a single piece of meat all day. So I figured, hey! I did it!
And by the way, I didn’t mean to sound sarcastic or mean in my previous post. If it’s any consolation, the gluten in that cracker kicked my butt last night.
For every animal Paul doesn’t eat on Monday, I’ll eat three.
our ancestors weren’t hurting the environment when they killed and used all the parts of an animal for food and clothes and tools. It wasn’t being shipped cross country to them. Now a days the reality is that eating meat is very wasteful. He isn’t saying don’t eat meat … he’s saying maybe we should realize how much we consume and what impact that has. God frikkin forbid we make even the smallest sacrifice. Are you really THAT inconvenienced by going one day without meat? I will never be a vegitarian but i eat SO much less meat than i used to. We don’t need as much as we eat. Its this sense of entitlement that i feel like most americans have (Im american) that makes me angry. Unplug your phone charger and put the plastic bottle in the blue trash bin…and turn off the lights. its not that hard.
Linda McCartney made a very poignant statement when she said, “Never eat anything w/a heart or a face.” Now do not get me started on the Catholicism. I am a woman & for me to embrace that religion (protestant Dad, catholic Mom)would be like me bending over & saying, “Kick me up the ass even harder, you closet queers.”
Wonderful responses!
One little fact seems to escape everyone’s notice: animals “used” for meat production spend horrible miserable lives of painful desperation.
Would any of you want your pets — cats dogs, etc — treated the way animals used for meat are treated? Or are you all just too cool to care?
Final point: in all this caveman comparison, how does that make any sense? Cavepeople didn’t have supermarkets full of thousands of choices other than meat!!
EVOLVE people! There are tons of other things to eat. You all sound like total addicts!
Yeah Bubbles, our diets are incredibly destructive to animals. One question, do you think it’s more horrible to be slaughtered in a matter of seconds by a trained professional, or to be ripped limb from limb/decapitated by a grain harvester?
Honey, unless you’re scraping moss off a rock for dinner, your diet has contributed to the deaths of countless fuzzy little creatures. The only difference between us is that it doesn’t bother me.
Um…. ok. Yes, it does bother me that, though there are many other choices of things to eat and in MANY ways we don’t live in any way like cavemen, animals are still enslaved their entire life inside a tiny, often filthy area so that they can be food for someone.
Don’t their lives matter? Are you so unfeeling in your own independence that you have no thought for something born on this earth, that has been entrapped by humans, unable to make any decisions of their own, never allowed to live a normal life? Do you think that it’s fair that billions of animals a year have no importance or activity in their life whatsoever apart from sitting around a slaughterhouse waiting to die?
I’m not religious but I think anything that has been given a life spirit deserves to live its life as freely as possible. And when there are TONS of choices of other things to eat, why not?
PS i have no idea how vegetables or grains hurt animals. Enlighten me!
Well, if you don’t know how grain kills animals, perhaps I’m not the one that needs to research how much damage my foods do to animals.
Ever heard of a combine? They’re massive tractors with a spool of spinning blades at the front. Those blades look an awful lot like really old fashioned manual push mowers, but you might as well call ’em meat grinders.
Here’s this little gopher family just trying to live their lives when harvest time comes around, and you and all your greedy veggie friends just HAVE to have your precious grain. So along comes Mr. Combine just spinning away, a giant steel juggernaut of death. He climbs up out of his little hole, his mate and little children running as fast as their little feet can carry them. But it’s no use.
A few seconds after the terrifying roar approaches, the blades are on them, ripping their little bodies limb from limb, their entire lives reduced to a smear on those unforgiving blades.
But there you sit, just ignorantly munching on your bread from your vegetarian high-horse. Every field cultivated kills HUNDREDS of these little animals, just so you can have your precious grain. This isn’t even counting the native species that died out when they cut down the forest to make way for a farm. Hell, at least I eat the animals that die for my food.
See? It’s not a very pleasant experience for ANYONE to think about the consequences for their continued survival.
Yeah, you can go to bat with the classic vegetarian comeback, “but you eat meat, and meat eats grain, so you’re killing twice as many animals!” Which is like saying it’s better to murder 10 people than 20.
Don’t get up on some soapbox with meat eaters, because you kill animals to survive just like I do, you just don’t eat them. Like I said, unless you scrape moss from a rock for every meal, don’t lecture us about killing animals.
Ok… well didn’t know about the combine… sounds gruesome! Depressing… I guess human consequences of living on this planet are numerous and destructive!
Good point. I guess we all do what we think is right. Peace!
Well said, Scott, points that need to be made, thanks for that.
Small irritant here. Why is it assumed by many non-meat eaters that us meat eaters (regular or occasional) are unconcerned with the quality of both the life and death of the animals we consume? As if the act of meat-eating in itself negates all compassion and concern for animals’ welfare? So blinkered and illogical.
As a moderate meat eater, I care greatly for how the animals I eat are cared for and make a point of buying local and from specific sources for that reason. This lumping together of all meat-eater as uncaring, selfish and cruel is so tired and old.
Thats a good point geronimo, personally I don’t even care if the chicken/animals and upside down for all their lives or have a milimetre to move int heir cages. It does not mean I would treat them thusly. If it stops, well and good, if it doesn’t, too bad they are going to die anyway. Hanging is hanging doesn’t matter if silk is used.
Still wondering what caves have to do with meat or salad…. 😐
Know what, lola? I think I’d like to see you hanging upside down in a cramped cage. Not for eating or anything. Just to look at and poke occasionally with an electric prod.
Sorry, but fish is meat.
I can’t understand the stupidity of people who eat fish and claim to be vegetarian!!
Hey Paul, shut up and sing.
😆 😆 @ Geronimo!! I’ve been reading through this whole comment section, just read Geronimo’s last post and busted out laughing, first good laugh of this looooong day. I’d be delighted to help you with the poking thru the bars with electric sticks part.
I rarely eat meat. Whenever I do, I’d like to know that the animal I’m eating’s been “raised right,” and without cruelty – right to the very end anyway, when it gets killed, hopefully quickly, so I can eat it. Now, meat like this is not cheap, you can buy it at Whole Foods here in L.A. or find it at healthy-food kinds of stores, I guess, but it costs a fortune.
HowEVer… In & Out burgers are insanely good, and only $2.11 for a cheeseburger. Oh my god I want one right now so badly, come to think of it…
Bubbles was sweet, a true sport how s/he took that classic Scott F comeback! Loved the comeback, too…
And Nan, I really love that Linda McCartney line, “Never eat anything with a heart or a face.”
Ever since I got out of school I haven’t eaten more than 5 meat meals a week, so I couldn’t care less about this whole “Don’t eat meat, it’s bad for the enviroment, and while I’m preaching I’m going to fly in my private jet” nonsense. Paul, when you livein a decent sized house and give up the jet, then we’ll talk.
Strange tendency – Many of you write something like: First Paul, you have to stop bla bla bla, then I will bla bla bla…
Any thoughts about your behaviour?
Scott F. once again is the voice of reason. The man had an electric Lexus FLOWN from Japan.
” I simply do not need another celebrity to tell me what he thinks I should do to help out our environment.”
If this is what you people think then why would you go to a website called “celebitchy.com”?
Obviously you dont care about paul mccarteny’s opinion, but some celebrety you adore surely brought you here.
Personally I dont think meatless monday’s are gonna kill anyone. Might save a cow or two off the local livestock. I was a vegetarian for 8 years before this previous pregnancy (then pregnancy cravings got to me I needed a hotdog…) And now that i’ve started eating meat regularly it seems like my hair’s falling out a lot. at 20. and i’ve defenitly put on a couple pounds (since after i gave birth). Ima do a meatless month and see if my hair stops falling out….
Going meatless on Mondays is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make a difference in the health of the environment. I work for a national non-profit public health campaign called Meatless Monday. Our campaign supports this idea of helping yourself and the environment by choosing healthier food options. If you are interested in finding great meatless recipes or learning more about the campaign, we urge you to check out http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ and http://nphw.blogspot.com/2008/04/friendly-foods-happy-planet.html. Also, feel free to email info@meatlessmonday.com with any questions. Small changes on an individual scale can make big changes globally.
I think what Paul is suggesting here is a great idea, and I don’t think it’s meant to be “holier-than-thou” and I don’t think it’s hypocritical because he’s a millionaire. Whether or not his lifestyle is extravagant doesn’t negate the fact that what he’s saying is right and if it helps people make responsible choices I am all for it.
I was inspired by this idea to make a campaign where 150 people commit to do this together:
https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/meatless-mc-cartney-mondays
I’m a vegetarian already but with the spirit of the campaign I’m choosing to go vegan on Mondays if other people join in reducing our carbon emissions. Anyone who’s interested should check it out.
I think it’s a great idea, and people shouldn’t be cynical just because Paul is a (very rich) public figure.
You are a very smart person!
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.
Interesting article. Were did you got all the information from… 🙂
Is it time to go vegan?