Spearheaded by Sara Anderson PO ‘23 and Tiffany Ho PO ‘22 in Fall 2021, Mindful Mondays are a new step forward towards a more sustainable diet among 鶹ý’s students.
Each Monday, mindful meals will be labelled with our Mindful Meal Logo featured above. For a meal to be mindful, the ingredients used in the meals should have a sustainable environmental impact, whether it be low carbon emissions and/or water usage, distance travelled, methods of farming, and other important factors.
By using more sustainable ingredients and eliminating the consumption of meat for just one meal in Frank and Frary, the impact of our food decreases dramatically. According to the center for sustainable systems at the University of Michigan, beef emits 6.61 pounds of carbon dioxide for every 4 ounces that are produced, while a plant-based substitute such as beans and rice emits only 0.71 pounds for every 4 ounce serving.
Mindful Mondays are not only meant to decrease meat consumption, but also to acknowledge the intersectionality of food sustainability. Many cultures have eaten sustainably for thousands of years, and we aim to highlight the deliciousness of plant-based world cuisine while celebrating the historic roots of plant-based diets.
We want students to be excited about plant-based food not only because it is sustainable, but also because it can be delicious. If you have any feedback about the meals that you have tried so far, please send them to dining@pomona.edu.