Coming soon to a cafeteria near you: Meatless Mondays.
Inspired by a final project in Conceptual Chemistry, sophomore Megan Manion has crafted a plan for the school to start a program next year to expose OVS students to the positive impacts of vegetarianism.
Dubbed “Meatless Monday,” the plan entails turning the entire school vegetarian for one day each week so students can understand what vegetarianism is all about and to show them it is not as hard as they think to adopt that lifestyle.
“The whole year in class we have been talking about how to make the world a better place and improve the population’s health, and I feel like veganism and vegetarianism is a big factor in the world,” Megan said. “I think that people should be more aware of what they are eating and putting into their bodies.”
The idea evolved after chemistry teacher Nancy Sackett asked her students to create a final project inspired by concepts discussed during the year, such as how to live a healthy life and how to positively impact the environment. The project, which takes the place of the final exam, also gives students an opportunity to use their creativity to pursue a project that they are passionate about.
“I am hoping that the kids really dig deep into a topic and do some significant research, and I was hoping for a practical component as well, like maybe a lab component,” Mrs. Sackett said. “I am just hoping that they get excited about something, and actually achieve the depth that I’m hoping for. That’s the key.”
Megan centered her project around veganism and the major impact it has had on her life.
After much deliberation and discussion with heads of the multiple departments at school, she created her “Meatless Monday” plan to show the positive impacts of vegetarianism.
She had to talk to multiple people to carry out her project, including Upper Head of School Craig Floyd and Director of Food Services Gina Fontana. Megan eventually convinced both to give Meatless Mondays a try, at least on a trial basis.
“It is something worth giving a shot,” Mr. Floyd said. “There is more exploration that is needing to go into it before final determination is made but, food services is willing to give it a shot, and I’m willing to give it a shot.”
Megan has been a vegan since she was four and a half years old and it has played a major role in her life, from causing her to be careful about what she eats to being more knowledgeable about the effects some methods of food sourcing can have on the planet.
“Some people think it is harder than it actually is,” Megan explained. “At school, the kitchen staff is nice enough to make me special meals and sometimes I can eat everything that is at lunch, but most people don’t even know what is and isn’t vegan.”
Though the focal point of the project is only one day, the project has required massive amounts of planning and time.
Before talking to Mr. Floyd, Megan talked to Mrs. Sackett and devised a plan for how to approach him. She needed his approval and help to move along the project, as well as his help talking to the kitchen staff.
“I thought it was a good idea to go in with kind of a rationale and maybe write a few points down, for example, ‘what are the reasons that it is good for people’s health and for the planet,’ ” Mrs. Sackett said. “That was my main point. She needed to go in and be very specific about what the benefits are.”
Many students on the campus have also been vegan, vegetarian, or on a strict diet most of their lives, and they are eager to see Megan’s project come to fruition.
Sophomore Stephany Nostrant has been a vegetarian for five years and it has also played a large role in her life. She is excited to see the role Megan’s project will play in the lives of students and for the opportunity it will provide to educate them about the positive environmental effects that come with the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle.
“It feeds more people because it takes less space and time to grow vegetables and rice than it does to raise cattle,” Stephany said. “Also, cattle and pastoral animals take up so much space and resources that could be used to feed humans instead. ”
Overall, Megan is hoping to impact the lives of the students and influence them to choose a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for their health and the health of the planet.
“I hope to create more awareness of what people are putting into their bodies and just show how big of an impact they can make by changing one simple thing,” Megan said. “You can simply eat a vegetarian meal once a day and it’ll make such a big impact on the world.”