This resource provides information and guidance for students to start a Meatless Mondays program at their school with a focus on Minnesota schools.
Students will learn about the impacts of meat production, find out about the benefits of including more plants in their diet, and engage with their peers to take actionable steps to reduce their carbon and water footprints.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This resource provides easy-to-follow instructions and links to additional information with recipes and ideas for the program.
It provides students an opportunity to do something that will have an immediate effect on carbon emissions.
This activity can be completed by individual students, as a class, or in groups.
Cross-curricular connections to art, language arts, and math could be included with posters, presentations, or announcements about the project and/or to calculate the reduction in carbon emissions achieved.
This project may be limited to encouraging students to choose vegetarian options on Mondays vs. having only meatless choices available in the cafeteria, depending on the school.
Scientist Notes
Meat consumption accounts for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The resource is suitable to guide students to take action by reducing meat consumption. Hence, it is recommended.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 3: Developing Claims and Using Evidence
D3.3.6-8 Identify evidence that draws information from multiple sources to support claims, noting evidentiary limitations.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
