Program Overview: Let’s Meat Less, an organization committed to meat reduction and plant-based eating, collaborated with Meatless Monday to successfully petition the city of Columbia, S.C., to declare every Monday a Meatless Monday. The organization’s founder, Sue Doran, promoted local restaurants, chefs, colleges, and businesses specializing in vegetarian and plant-based cooking.
Objective: To raise awareness in Columbia, S.C., about the environmental and health benefits of plant-based foods, and to grow the Meatless Monday movement statewide.
Process: Contact key legislative stakeholders and motivate them to sign an official proclamation that could be replicated by counties and municipalities across the state. Educate the community about the benefits of plant-based eating and promote local restaurants and businesses offering vegetarian and vegan meal options.
Outcome: Columbia inspired Richland County, S.C., to also issue a Meatless Monday proclamation. Let’s Meat Less went on to collaborate with the University of South Carolina, which started a campaign; Benedict College, which launched its Meatless Monday efforts with a tailgate-style cookout and celebration; and Conservation Voters of South Carolina, a statewide environmental advocacy nonprofit. There are also plans to bring Meatless Monday to Columbia K-12 schools.
Meatless Monday is expanding across the country, with municipalities all over the United States pledging to promote plant-based eating to meet sustainability goals and improve public health. But change doesn’t only start with government intervention; it can sprout from the ground up.
In Columbia, every Monday is officially Meatless Monday, thanks to a city proclamation fueled by a partnership with Let’s Meat Less, an organization promoting plant-based eating. Sue Doran, the organization’s founder, advocated for Meatless Monday because of its easy implementation and simple message. “We meet people where they are,” Doran told the newspaper Free Times. “The idea is to make it no effort, expense, or change in menu.”
Doran also promotes local restaurants, chefs, and businesses on their website and social media feed (@letsmeatless) to help residents find vegan and vegetarian-friendly meals. As a bonus, Doran provided any participating restaurant with professional food photography of plant-based dishes. She developed a partnership with Impossible Foods, the maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger, which donated 5,000 patties to Harvest Hope Food Bank. Impossible shared a rebate to encourage Columbia restaurants to experiment with the product.
