The campaign 'Thursday Veggie Day' of the npo EVA has been supported by the City of Ghent since 2009. Through this campaign, we stimulate Ghent citizens to eat vegetarian at least one day a week, preferably on Thursday. Less meat is good for the climate, our health and our taste buds. The campaign was officially launched on May 13th, 2009 with a real Veggie hap-pening at the Groentenmarkt. Ghent became the first city on earth with an official veggie day – a news item which could be seen and read from Canada to Japan, from Australia to Sweden.

Through the decrease of the meat consumption, the City of Ghent takes a big step in its engagement to became a climate-neutral city by 2050. Moreover, a lower meat consumption perfectly fits in the health policy of the City of Ghent.

As far as the implementation of ‘Thursday Veggie Day’ on a municipal level is concerned, there is an intensive cooperation with npo EVA. In Flanders, npo EVA (Ethic Vegetarian Alternative) is the unique information point for all questions with respect to vegetarian food and its impact on the environment, health, north-south, animal welfare,…

The Environmental Service and the Health Service co-operate with npo EVA on several domains around Thursday Veggie Day:

• the Ghent citizens are encouraged to skip meat or fish at least one day a week.
• All horeca-businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars) received from the Economy Department a parcel containing a ‘Veggie for chefs guide’ in which elaborate information is given on how to prepare a fully fledged vegetarian meal. The chefs are stimulated to participate in Thursday Veggie Day and to put veggie on the menu, especially on Thursday. Chefs who are willing to do so, can get free advise and a free vegetarian cooking workshop. Several (bigger) restaurants adopted the campaign.
• businesses and companies that introduce the Thursday Veggiedag campaign themselves can get free advise and a free vegetarian cooking workshop.
• The own municipal services are informed and stimulated to participate. The Veggie plan of Ghent was distributed to all employees, lunch meetings were organised about Thursday Veggie Day. The two staff restaurants joined the campaign. 
• On October 1st, 2009 Thursday Veggie Day also started in the Municipal Schools and Day-care-centres in Ghent.  Every Thursday, the warm meal is vegetarian for all children from the age of 18 months to the age of 12 years. The parents have been largely informed, teachers receive educational material to discuss Thursday Veggie Day in class, parents were invited to taste.

More english information on the campaign is available on this page below "Aanverwante Info" or at http://www.vegetarisme.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=767

Informatie:

Milieudienst
Braemkasteelstraat 41
9050 Gentbrugge ( Gent)
Tel.: 09 268 23 00
Tel.: 09 268 23 26 Milieutoezicht
Fax: 09 268 23 68
E-mail: milieudienst@gent.be
Openingsuren:

Open van maandag tot vrijdag van 8 tot 13 uur, ook op woensdag van 14 tot 18 uur. En na afspraak.

Katleen Straetman, directeur-manager.

Gezondheidsdienst
Baudelohof 2
9000 Gent
Tel.: 09 235 22 50
E-mail: gezondheidsdienst@gent.be
Openingsuren:

maandag tot vrijdag van 8 tot 12 uur en van 14 tot 16 uur.