When Henry David Thoreau wrote "I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals," in "Walden," it seems unlikely that he could have anticipated the situation in which his native country presently finds itself. Far from being a land in which carnivorous eating is taboo, America has become defined by its citizens' meat consumption at almost every meal. Most importantly, there is little doubt that the its overwhelming demand for meat has adversely impacted the environment, ethics and health. Historically, colleges have played a crucial role in helping the United States overcome similar destructive tendencies by encouraging its young citizens to adopt new perspectives and behaviors. It should not come as a surprise, therefore, that the University has already initiated a dining program known as "Meat Free Monday" that seeks to encourage students to go vegetarian one day a week. Unfortunately, Meat Free Monday amounts to little more than a glorified advertising campaign, and it certainly does not represent the full force of the University's power. To provide a response commensurate to the problems caused by the overconsumption of meat, University Dining Services should make Meat Free Monday a mandatory exercise by serving only vegetarian dishes at its dining facilities one day a week.
One significant downside to America's carnivorous culture is that most of its meat comes from animals almost exclusively raised on corn feed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 55 percent of the nation's 13 billion bushel corn harvest in 2007 was used to feed livestock and poultry. Moreover, the copious quantity of pesticides, land, water and oil that go into the production and transport of that corn is entirely unsustainable if the nation continues to consume meat so ravenously. The University is no exception to this reality: Eighty-three percent of its meat comes from corn-fed animals, said Kendall Singleton, University of Virginia Dining sustainability coordinator. Major agricultural corporations have now resorted to treating their animals as mere commodities rather than as living organisms. This raises serious questions of morality among a people who supposedly value natural life as highly as Americans do. Moreover, that meat is now mass-produced and sold for extraordinarily low prices means Americans are increasing their intake of a food source high in cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat. This has contributed to a growing number of Americans diagnosed with heart disease, obesity and cancer - conditions whose expensive treatments place a tremendous burden upon the nation's health care system.
The University is correct to promote vegetarianism - or at least a reduction in meat consumption - on the grounds of environmentalism, ethics and health. Currently, however, Meat Free Monday consists of nothing more than various advocacy signs around the dining halls or an additional vegetarian entr
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