Photo by Vegan Liftz

Green Monday is a part of an international campaign that is running in over 30 countries worldwide.

Animals Friends introduced Croatia to this global campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy diet and also how food production affects the environment by encouraging citizens to consume food that is of plant-based origin at least one day a week.

Eating plant-based foods at least one day per week is a positive step toward improving one’s health, preserving the environment, and protecting animals.

There are five reasons for introducing Green Monday into your life: it is healthy, good for our planet, helps reduce hunger in the world, it is good for animals and it is very tasty!

According to alarming data from the World Health Organization, 90% of the Croatian population consumes less fruit and vegetables than recommended, whilst the Institute of Public Health Andrija Stampar says that every second citizen dies from heart and artery diseases. These illnesses can be prevented by making a change in your diet, considering the fact that meat increases cholesterol levels, as well as risks from certain cancers, diabetes and obesity.

Plant-based nutrition reduces the risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Introducing more fibre and antioxidants from fruit and vegetables into your body will improve your health and immunity. Vegetal nutrition will also reduce your carbon imprint and slow down global warming, saving precious resources such as drinking water.

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

By signing the Green Monday Declaration, the City of Zagreb was the first to offer support to this campaign. Green Monday has also been supported by the City Office for Health, City Office for Education, Culture and Sports, City Office for Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and the City of Samobor, as well as SPAR Croatia, Vegehop restaurant, Green Point restaurant, Green Action organization, and Zdrava krava.

Reducing global warming: The UN has estimated that the meat industry generates almost one fifth of all greenhouse gasses, which accelerate climatic change and exceeds the entire amount generated by transportation. It may thus be concluded that our environment is affected by our eating habits more than by anything else.

Minimizing the use of water: The amount of water needed for animal breeding is huge, far exceeding the amount of water needed to cultivate vegetables or cereals. It has been estimated that more than 15 thousand litres of water are needed to produce a single kilogram of meat, unlike cereals and vegetables, which require only a few hundreds of litres per kilogram.