Summary
13 May 2009
The Belgian city of Ghent is about to become the first in the world to go vegetarian at least once a week. Starting tomorrow, there'll be a regular weekly meatless day.
Reporter:
Chris Mason in Brussels
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Report
According to the United Nations, livestock is responsible for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, so in Ghent, one day a week from now will be known as 'veggie day'.
Public officials and politicians will be the first to give up meat for a day; schoolchildren will follow suit in September. It's hoped the move will cut Ghent's carbon footprint and help tackle obesity.
Around ninety thousand so called 'veggie street maps' are now being printed to help people find the city's vegetarian eateries.
Chris Mason, 大象传媒 News, Brussels
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Vocabulary
- livestock
- farm animals (e.g. cows or sheep) and birds (e.g. chickens)
- global greenhouse gas emissions
- the amount of harmful gases produced across the world that cause an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere, leading to climate change
- veggie
- informal for 'vegetarian'
- to give up
- here, to stop eating; generally, if you give up something, or doing something, you stop having or doing it
- follow suit
- do the same
- carbon footprint
- your carbon footprint is the amount of polluting carbon substances released into the atmosphere as a result of what you do (e.g. drive a car etc.)
- tackle obesity
- here, make more people who are overweight to try to lose weight
- vegetarian eateries
- restaurants, cafes, canteens and other food-serving outlets where only non-meat food is offered
