History

Founded in 2003 in the USA by Sid Lerner in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, today the Meatless Monday initiative is a global movement active in 36 countries around the world.

The idea behind Meatless Mondays is simple: encourage and help people to reduce their meat consumption by introducing one meatless day during the week. The links between excessive meat consumption and the unsustainable use of natural resources such as water, fossil fuels, and arable land as well as increased risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity have been reliably established by countless studies in recent years.
 

Meatless Mondays in the EYC Budapest

At the European Youth Centre Budapest, we try to incorporate into our operations not only the principles of democracy and human rights, but also increasingly adopt practices that promote environmental sustainability.

As an educational institution, our role is to raise awareness of issues and disseminate practices we believe are important and essential for creating more democratic, more tolerant, and more sustainable societies.
We also believe that what we practice is no less important than what we teach. Hence our decision to recycle most of our waste, to use bio-degradable cups in our wending machines, and to have Meatless Mondays in our restaurant.

Starting from September 2016, there are no meat products served with any of our meals on Mondays. At the same time, we have ensured that the Monday selections for all three meals served include additional dietary options for our guests. Instead of cold cuts, we will serve a wider selection of cheeses during breakfast and there will be two vegetarian options to choose from both at lunch and at dinner, with ample plant-based protein to ensure high nutritional value despite the absence of meat.