Sid Lerner, the founder of Meatless Monday, was a leader, philanthropist, and marketing savant who used the art and science of advertising to promote healthy behaviors worldwide. After a successful career as an advertising executive on the famed Madison Avenue, where he worked on iconic campaigns like “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin,” Sid applied his skills for crafting memorable slogans and messaging to the field of public health.
Inspired by the meat reduction campaigns of World War I and II, Sid conceived of and launched Meatless Monday with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2003. The simple concept of “cutting out meat one day per week” was clear, memorable, and easy to understand and encouraged participants to take small steps towards lifestyle changes. Meatless Monday materials, resources, and programming were made free to the public and could be easily customized for any organization, community or individual.
Today, organizations and communities worldwide have adopted Meatless Monday to promote healthy, sustainable eating habits and better food choices among their employees, students, staff, and constituents. The movement which can be found in over 40 countries and translated into 20 languages, continues to grow year after year.
Soon after the launch of Meatless Monday, Sid started The Monday Campaigns, which addresses other public health challenges, including physical activity, stress management and tobacco cessation. In Sid’s words, he wanted to make Monday “the Day All Health Breaks Loose.” To amplify this message, Sid established Lerner Centers for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins Universities. In 2019, Johns Hopkins recognized Sid’s contribution to public health, awarding him the Doctor of Humane Letters degree, their highest honor recognizing humanitarian impact.
Sid Lener was a true public health advocate who challenged conventional thinking and inspired many to address urgent public health problems through novel health communications strategies and evidence-based science. Sid passed away on January 12, 2021, at his home in New York City at the age of 90, but his sense of humor, creative genius, and unwavering dedication to making the world a healthier place lives on.
“Sid became a vital part of the Center early on, joining the advisory board for our ‘Factory Farm Project,’ and drawing our attention to the importance of the demand side in the high-meat American diet,” said Robert S. Lawrence, MD, the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future founder and director emeritus. “When Sid came up with the health promotion idea for the Meatless Monday campaign, his energetic advocacy persuaded me and former Bloomberg School Dean Al Sommer to collaborate.”
Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD ’79, ScM ’75, the current dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Every time I connected with Sid, I came away inspired and moved by his passion for “doing good” and making the world a better place—with a hefty dose of humor and love of life.”
