October is the Vegetarian Awareness Month. It starts with the world Vegetarian Day on 1^st October and finishes on 1^st November on the World Vegan Day[i]. The celebration of the Vegetarian Day was established in 1977[ii]. The whole month is the time of initiatives which support the reduction of meat consumption. The week between 1-7 October is International Vegetarian Week. For example, 4^th October is Hug a Non-Meat Eater Day :) [iii]

During the month of October many organizations hold events which are aimed to promote vegetarian lifestyle. In some schools, lectures about vegetarianism are organised. In school canteens, meat-less days take place, where only vegetarian or vegan meals are served. There are thousands of possibilities you can celebrate this month or just a day.  I think it is a great time to just give it a go, and find out that a meal without meat can be really tasty and filling. This report will be focused on this topic related to the ecological aspect of meat consumption.

Who are vegetarians? Who are vegans?

Vegetarians do not include meat and fish in their diet. They eat vegetables, fruit, dairy, etc.

On the other hand, vegans do not include any animal-based products in their diet. As a result, they do not consume milk products, eggs, honey etc.[iv]

People become vegetarians or vegans for different reasons, but in my report, I will discuss the environmental reasons.

In this modern age, the trend of being a vegetarian is gradually increasing. This kind of lifestyle has become more appealing and accessible, thanks to the year-round availability of fresh product, more vegetarian dining options, and the growing culinary influence of cultures with largely plant-based diets. In my opinion, due to the profound impact of plant-based nutrition on many aspect of our lives, vegetarianism is a type of lifestyle, which might help our planet to thrive.

The first aspect I would like to mention is the water consumption increased by the animal husbandry.

To compare the amount of water used for the production of animal products, a term called „water footprint? can be used. By using it we can see how much litters of water were used per kilocalorie, gram of protein gram of fat or unit mass of a given product.

According to the data on the Water Footprint network, it turns out that in order to produce one kilogram of beef, 15400 litters of water are required[v], while one kilogram of vegetables requires only around 320 litters of water[vi]. That means beef has a larger water footprint that vegetables. If we select appropriate plant products, their water food print per gram of fat of protein will be also less than other animal products. For instance, 16 litters of water are necessary to produce one gram of protein from oil crops[vii]. In comparison, 34 litters are required when it comes to chicken meat – the type of meat with the smallest water footprint[viii] From the perspective of sustainable water use, plants turn out to be a more ecological source of fat, proteins and calories. Moreover, taking into account a volume of water which is necessary in the course of meat production, changing meat for a plant-based option, will result in 162,486 gallons of water savings per year.[ix]

It turns out that the majority (98%) of eater used in the animal production is used for the provision of food for the animals[x]. The rest is used as drinking water, water used in production process and add to the feed. The larger water footprint of meat in comparison with plants is due to the fact that all farming animals are fed with plants. It turns out that only 17-30 % of calories supplied to animals in the form of plant fed are then transferred to people in the form of meat[xi]. Animal use the energy they get form plants for respiration, movements and other life functions.

It has been shown that resigning from eating meet per year can save 150,000 gallons of water. In addition, becoming vegan will reduce your water usage from 4000 to 300 gallons of water daily, in comparison with a regular diet, which contains meat[xii]. It turns out that if we manage to cut down the meat and animal based products my half on the world scale, 2 billion more people will get sufficient amount of food, in comparison with current state[xiii]. It would be possible to feed the expected population of 9.5 billion people in 2050.

Conclusion

It is important to point out that it is our freewill how and what we want to eat. But I think it is great to sometimes try something new and open yourself to new fragrances and tastes. It doesn?t matter whether you decide to resign from meat only at one meal a day or two meals per day, it will reduce your water footprint in a significant way. Reducing your meat consumption can decrease your water foot print by even 35%, as study shows[xiv].

You love pizza, hotdogs and burgers? Don?t worry! Being a vegetarian, even just for one week doesn?t mean resigning from these. It doesn?t mean as well that you eat salad every day. Nowadays, there are many meatless alternative for conventional meat-based products. You can have a soy sausage in your hotdog, cauliflower burger and even a milk-less chees on your pizza, if you want to be vegan. It also gives a great field for experiments in your kitchen! Maybe you have your favourite recipe, which contains meat and you want to eat it while celebrating the Vegetarian Awareness Month? You will surely create something amazing!