Meatless Monday Ottawa

“Livestock farming is the most significant contributor to today’s most serious environmental problems. URGENT ACTION is required to remedy the situation.” - FAO, United Nations

This petition calls for the citizens of Ottawa to make a leading example to the country and to the world by adopting "Meatless Mondays". It also calls for Canadian officials, media, school boards and doctors to promote the many health and environmental benefits of an organic plant-based diet to the general public.

In the last couple of decades humans have increased their meat intake drastically, and as a result there are now 60 billion farmed animals being raised to be killed worldwide each year. This is destroying our planet and our health.

WorldWatch Institute reports that the Livestock Industry is responsible for at least 51% of all greenhouse gas emissions, which is 4 times more than the emissions from all the world’s transportation combined. Animal agriculture is responsible for more than 80% of deforestation; is the single largest user of land and water; the major cause of oceanic dead zones, wide-scale land degradation and species loss; and a major polluter of all our water and land. It is also responsible for excessive use of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, and other harmful substances that ultimately end up in us, our water and our environment.

Our animal-centered diet is strongly linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, allergies, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, hypertension, Crohn’s desease, and many other major health issues. Swine flu, pig’s desease (PMWS), mad cow disease, and bird flu are all derived from consuming the flesh of animals or by being in contact with their contaminated waste. E. coli, Salmonella, blue-tongue disease, listeriosis, shellfish poisoning, and many others come from animal products as well.

A balanced plant-based is proven to be adequate in protein, amino-acids, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients and all other nutrients vital to the body, and can prevent, stop and reverse many of our degenerative diseases. The food used to feed livestock is enough to feed everyone on the planet and leave a surplus. Half of the world’s grain and 90% of world’s soy is fed to animals. 16 pounds of plant protein is required to produce just 1 pound of animal protein.

One factory farm creates more pollution than the city of Huston, Texas. In the USA alone, factory farms generate an estimated 575 billion pounds of animal manure yearly, 130 times as much excrement as the entire U.S. population. Eventually, it ends up in our water and food.

Since methane emitted by farmed animals remains in the atmosphere for less than 20 years but is 72 times as potent than carbon dioxide during this period, reducing the number of farmed animals would have a major, rapid effect in halting climate change, allowing us to gain more time to implement green technologies.

By signing this petition and staying connected with this cause, you are following the example of many well known people that have chosen to live on a plant-based diet, including: Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Socrates, Pythagoras, Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, Mohammed Ali, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, Ellen Degeneres, Natalie Portman, Carrie Underwood, and many more.

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein