Recently, our planet has been showing signs of imbalance and urging all of society to think about new ways of living, guided by greater awareness, harmony and responsibility.

To answer such an urgent and pivotal calling, making the school a more sustainable environment where everyone can help build a prosperous and feasible future, last year be.Living decided to join the global movement known as Meatless Monday.

The initiative was born in 2003 in the United States and expanded across the globe, based on the goal of reducing collective demand for animal products and generate benefits for the health of people, animals and the environment.

To set this idea into motion in a knowledgeable and democratic manner, we relied on the expertise of our advisor, Livia Ribeiro – engineer and environmental educator, and also CEO of Reconectta –, to help us with matters related to sustainability. She brought the debate closer to children, families and employees, presenting the statistics and the potential impacts a collective initiative like this can have on the environment.

According to Livia, “meat consumption is one of the main causes of environmental impact in terms of climate change, water consumption and deforestation.” She explains that mitigating this socioenvironmental impact through dietary habits in a country like Brazil – which has a deeply rooted meat-eating culture – can be challenging, but is definitely possible. “There was a natural adaptation period at be.Living, with plenty of dialog and sharing of studies and information, engaging as many people as possible. We hosted specific activities for students and conversation rounds with families and school employees, knowing that the implementation process would naturally be slower, in order to gradually raise everyone’s awareness regarding the end goal and the actual impacts of this initiative.”

During this process of introducing a new food culture among children, through a pleasurable and meaningful approach, the school also relied on the help of Cristiane Cedra, be.Living’s nutritionist.

She explains that the entire project was carefully thought out and planned, moving through several stages before effectively implementing Meatless Monday. A very important stage was guiding teachers and answering their questions, aligning concepts and approaches to make sure everyone was on the same page before going live. Another crucial moment was the careful work with the children in Elementary School, allowing them to discover new flavors through tasting sessions. “Once a week, we introduced new dishes that could be served on Meatless Monday. After tasting the dishes, the children voted on whether they liked the food and whether it could be added to the menu. The children were very active participants in the process; they loved the voting sessions; we realized they were very excited about the whole thing.”

According to Cris, the process of introducing new eating habits may take a while, and that the children are still in a transition phase. “They understand the reason behind the project. We had a new ballot to confirm whether they were in favor or against Meatless Monday, and they decided in favor. But the new dishes will be introduced gradually, actively engaging the children to get their feedback on what they like or dislike. I’m closely monitoring how they react to each meal and finding new ways to introduce vegetable proteins besides the beans that are already in the menu. That is our job:tactfully understanding what they like and using that information to create beautiful, tasty and appetizing dishes.”

In order to keep expanding new learning opportunities, the kitchen staff attended a training course with eco-chef Gilberto Bassetto, specialist in dietary reeducation, health and food chemistry.

By constantly seeking out help, seasoned with a lot of patience, perseverance and care, it is possible to slowly change old habits and open up to new outlooks and goals. When it comes to eating habits, a dash of affection, flavor and creativity make all the difference in the process. That is what we need to keep our bodies and our planet healthy!