While we were gone for winter break, the percentage of Gators who support UF's smart, ethical and sustainable transition to a Meatless Monday in its two dining halls grew to 10 percent.
About 5,000 people, more than the entire population of the city of Newberry to our north, now support the growing trend to leave flesh off our plates on Mondays.
And it's not surprising.
The Philadelphia Inquirer released a report in October that found 12 percent of college students now identify as vegetarian or vegan.
Even in Gainesville, a city that birthed Sonny's BBQ and where the scents of pig manure mingle across the highway, our university was named the second most vegan-friendly university in the nation.
It's time for UF to realize that Gators, like the rest of the world, know that a reduced-meat diet lowers one's carbon footprint enormously, helps end the suffering of billions of animals every year and decreases one's risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, many forms of cancer and heart disease.
While there will always be a select few Gators who ardently oppose a transition to a Meatless Monday - even if a switch to offering vegan jambalaya rather than baked chicken in two dining halls on campus will never affect them - 10 percent is a difficult number with which to argue.
It's time for UF and Gator Dining Services to realize that this is something a growing majority of students actually want, rather than a simple, disorganized fringe movement. It is something that's been endorsed by the UF Office of Sustainability, GatorWell Health Promotion Services, the Humane Society of the United States and the Earth Day Network.
And it's time for UF and Gator Dining Services to realize a transition to Meatless Mondays could even save money. Student leaders will be meeting with dining officials in the coming weeks to discuss the university's growing desire to support a Meatless Monday. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to join the Facebook group by searching for Meat-Free Monday at the University of Florida. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and become part of the 10 percent.
Jared Misner
Campaign director of the Meatless Mondays campaign at UF
