Global sustainability is the need of the hour. And to lead a sustainable lifestyle, you not only need to focus on reducing unnecessary waste of natural resources, going energy-efficient, or using recyclable goods. But sustainable living is also about being more responsible when it comes to your food choices.

Moreover, with increased awareness about the environment and animal cruelty, more and more people are turning to vegetarianism. Several initiatives are being taken at large to curb meat consumption and are inspiring people to adopt a sustainable lifestyle that involves eating plant-based foods.

The port city of Ghent in Belgium has set an example for the whole world by officially becoming ‘Europe’s vegetarian capital.’ It observes a special day dedicated to vegetarianism ‘Thursday Veggie Day,’ also known as ‘Donderdag Veggiedag’ by locals,’ once a week. Though it is a flexitarianism movement, it has proved to be a success over the years as it has witnessed a surge in popularity worldwide.

When Did the ‘Thursday Veggie Day’ Campaign Begin?

On 13 May 2009, the Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Social Affairs of Ghent, Tom Bathalzar, officially declared ‘Veggie Day’ every Thursday. And, Ethical Vegetarian Alternative (EVA- Belgium’s biggest vegetarian organization) invented the campaign, and several government departments, businesses, educational institutions, and local authorities back the initiative.

Ever since then, the Flemish city of Ghent challenges Belgium’s long-held reputation for meat consumption and renounces the celebration of national dishes like moules-frites (mussels and fries), coiled boudin (blood sausage), and Carbonade Flamande (beef stewed in beer) on Thursdays.

As this day is a flexitarianism movement, regular meat-eaters stay away from all meats (including fish) once a week, i.e., every Thursday, to be healthier and contribute towards the battle against climate change.

How are Local Restaurateurs & Hotels Attracting People to Go the Vegetarian Way?

According to an EVA official Nena Baeyens, about 50% of Ghent people become vegetarian every Thursday. Adding to that, she said that almost 120 city restaurants embrace vegetarianism every week on this day by offering at least one exciting vegetarian dish on their Thursday menu.

Also, the city encourages restaurateurs and hotels to give discounts to customers who eat vegetarian on Thursdays or offer a free cup of coffee.

The Ghent-Pioneered Campaign’s Fame Went Local to Global

About the people of Ghent’s familiarity with the campaign, Baeyens stated-

“Thursday Veggies is well known amongst the inhabitants of Ghent. Four out of five is familiar with the campaign, one out of three participates.”

With nearly 15 completely vegetarian restaurants in Ghent, the city was crowned the ‘European veggie capital’ - having more vegetarian restaurants per capita than any other city in the world. And not only Ghent, other cities of Belgium like Hasselt, Mechelen, Eupen, and Brussels also follow Thursday Veggie Day.

Since the start of the campaign back in May 2009, the City of Ghent is world-famous for the initiative. Since the start of the campaign back in May 2009, the City of Ghent is world-famous for the initiative. The campaign and the City of Ghent made headlines in the international media, from Canada to Japan and Australia to Sweden.

Globally speaking, several cities and organizations from around the world like Sao Paulo (Brazil), Bremen (Germany), Washington, San-Francisco (USA), and Cape-Town (South-Africa) went on to initiate similar campaigns.

The Positive Impact of the Campaign on People’s Eating Habits

On the impact of eating habits of participants, Baeyens said-

“Thursday Veggies has had a positive impact on the eating habits of its participants since it began.”

Also, she said- 

“Research shows that 43 percent of Belgians now eat fewer meat thanks to Thursday Veggies. Around 40 percent also eat vegetarian on other days of the week. 28 percent of people became a vegetarian by starting with Thursday Veggies.”

She added-

“Around 60 percent of people [in Belgium] believe in the necessity to reduce meat consumption in the future and almost half of the population is willing to eat more vegetarian. We are optimistic towards the future.”

Further, citing a stat, Stad Ghent (The City of Ghent) said in its official memo about the campaign-

“If all 243,000 inhabitants of Ghent participate in Thursday Veggie Day, they reach the same effect as when 19,000 cars are taken off the road.”

Instead of forcing people to go meat-free, Baeyens said that the government wants to inspire people to opt for a vegetarian diet. She said-

“Thursday Veggie wants to encourage people to eat vegetarian on Thursdays. Rather than forcing people to eat meat-free, we want to inspire them in a positive way.”

Final Words

By raising further awareness about “Thursday Veggie Day” and encouraging more and more people to become vegetarian on Thursdays, the city emphasizes how being vegetarian is good for the environment, animals, and your health and taste buds.

Furthermore, the ultimate goal of Ghent city is to become a climate-neutral city by 2050, and reduced local meat consumption can certainly help achieve this.