Oxford University has always prided itself on being an educational leader in the UK, but its students have felt that the school “has shown a lack of leadership” when it comes to “addressing climate change.”
Taking matters into their own hands, Oxford’s student union just passed a motion to ban lamb and beef from being served at campus dining halls. Under the ban, all campus diners and university-catered events will be barred from serving lamb and beef, with the one exception to the rule being the school’s late-night cafes that follow their own policies.
The reason the students decided to single out lamb and beef is that these have a greater environmental impact when compared to other animal products. According to Business Insider, lamb emits 39.2 kilograms of CO2 to produce one kilo (2.2 lbs) whereas beef has 27 kilograms CO2 per kilo.
Oxford isn’t the only UK school to make such a ban. Last year, we shared news of London-based university Goldsmiths banning the sale of beef while Cambridge also enacted a similar measure, replacing red meat with plant-based products.
No universities in America have made such bans, so we hope the vegetarian-trend makes its way to schools in the US.
