The student union of the University of Stirling will switch to «100% plant-based catering» within three years.
A Scottish university union has decided to go fully vegan by 2025 – the first British student union to do so.
Climate crisis as motivation
By the start of the 2023-24 academic year, half of the menu in the student union's three cafés will be vegan.
The bold plan, which was passed in a vote earlier this month, is an attempt to address the climate crisis.
The motion was brought forward by the Plant Based Universities campaign, a student movement supported by the activist collective Animal Rebellion.
"The worst effects of the climate change are already being felt across the world, and industries such as meat, fishing and dairy are undeniably part of that," warns Plant Based Universities.
"Universities are where we receive much of the climate science, and as such they have a responsibility to act on it.
Plant-based catering on campus is the only future-proof option."
Majority of students voted in favour
The majority of students voted to remove meat and dairy products from the menu.
In theory, the veganism rule could be overturned by a further motion – 127 of the 17’000 students attended the first meeting.
However, Aaron Caulfield, who submitted the motion, defended the union's mandate.
"It is by no means an unusual level of participation for a student union meeting," he told the student newspaper The Brig.
"If the student union does not feel it should push the project forward, then it should make that known at the next meeting.
It is fantastic to see the next generation taking their future into their own hands and people, non-human animals and puts the planet first," he said in a statement.
"The activists of the plant-based universities at the University of Stirling are leading the way in addressing the climate crisis and creating a sustainable food system."
Animal farming as a climate driver
Animal farming is a massive source of carbon emissions.
Food production contributes to more than a third (approximately 37 percent) of global greenhouse gas emissions, with meat in particular causing roughly twice as many emissions as other foods.
Emissions from livestock farming account for 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Industrial meat is the primary cause of deforestation, as vast forest areas are cleared for grazing land.
If the world adopted a vegan diet, emissions from the food industry would decrease by approximately 70 percent, according to a study by the University of Minnesota.
| You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose compassion on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan. |
