Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

“I was staggered to learn that almost a third of all land on Earth is used for livestock production,” Paul McCartney writes in English newspaper The Mirror, “and that it can take 30 bathtubs of water to produce just one beef burger.”

“An area of rainforest the size of a hundred football pitches is cut down every hour to create room for grazing cattle!” the former Beatle exclaims.

McCartney then introduces his readers to the ‘Meat Free Monday’ campaign he began with his daughters in 2009.

The basic premise of the movement is that those taking part in it commit to eating plant-based food one day a week.

“Many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges,” Paul continues, “and it can be hard to sort through all the advice and find what we can do to make a more sustainable world. It can be a first step for those who want to make a difference… I support a lot of causes but this campaign in particular is personal for me and my family as it’s how we live.”

“But it wasn’t always like this for me,” McCartney then adds, reflecting on his childhood in Liverpool. “I was brought up on a traditional Western diet – it was bacon for breakfast and meat for lunch (sausages and mash or something like that) then meat for dinner, a few veg on the side maybe but mainly meat.”

“We tend to think that what we have always done is what we always will do in the future,” he continued, “I say, ‘How boring is that?’”

“The planet is under huge pressure and the choices we make have never been more important,” the 77-year-old implores. “Meat Free Monday is compassionate to animals, it’s very good for your health and moreover in this context it’s damn good for the planet. The truth is there are lot of delicious plant-based options available so it’s not a difficult thing to do.”

“Why not join us and give it a try?” McCartney urges before offering readers the recipes for several of his own vegetarian dishes.

McCartney has been a vegetarian since 1975.

You can read the full article along with McCartney’s recipes here.