Green Monday (organization)

Green Monday cites references from the United Nations that the livestock industry and factory farms are the largest contributors to the world's carbon footprint. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO), the livestock sector is estimated to emit 7.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO²-eq) per annum, representing 14.5 percent of all human-induced emissions.[5] Beef and cattle milk production account for the majority of emissions, followed by production of pig meat, poultry meat and eggs.

In September 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a landmark report led by world's leading climate scientists.[6] The report warned that any further increase of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels will lead to an irreversible impact on the increasing risks of drought, floods, and extreme weather conditions.[7][8] The report highlighted the livestock industry and meat-centric diets as the major contributors to GHG emissions. Effective mitigation measures "include plant-based proteins and cultured meat with the potential to substitute for livestock products at much lower GHG footprints."[9] The warning was later backed by one of the most comprehensive research studies ever conducted by Oxford, which was published in NATURE: "Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits."[10] The research suggests that the process of meat production requires a disproportionate amount of water and land resources beyond the planetary boundary, which directly jeopardizes food security and environmental sustainability. This Oxford analysis suggests that shifting to a more plant-based (flexitarian) diet could reduce 56% of GHG emissions and 6-22% of other environmental impacts.[10][11]

Hong Kong has the highest per capita consumption of meat in the world. According to Euromonitor, Hong Kong people consume an average of nearly 144 kg of meat (including seafood) per year — almost a double of the case for mainland China (78 kg).[12]

Another research study conducted by The University of Hong Kong's Earth Science Department in May 2018 revealed that Hong Kong's excessive appetite for meat is the main culprit to its high greenhouse gas emission per capita.[13] Hong Kong's high rate of meat consumption per capita stands at 664g per day per capita (equivalent to two pieces of 10oz steak). Pork and beef consumption are the highest, with average daily consumption four times higher than that of the UK's. National Geographic's "What the World Eats" series illustrates the global change in meat consumption. In 2011, Hong Kong's rate of consumption was 695g per day, while America's was 381g per day.[14]

A 2014 survey by market research agency Ipsos shows that 1.6 million Hong Kong people or 23 percent of the city's total population embraced the concept of "Green Monday" that year, an increase of 18 percentage points from two years ago.[15] The same survey was conducted by Ipsos in both 2016 and 2018. The findings in 2018 revealed that approximately 24% (which accounts for nearly a quarter) of the Hong Kong population was practising a flexitarian diet. The number of female vegetarians increased from less than 2% to nearly 5%, while the percentage of self-claimed "hardcore meat lovers" almost halved compared with the result in 2014.[16] The percentage of the population saying that they were aware of the term ‘Green Monday' also increased from 17% in 2014 to 32% in 2018.

"Green Monday Jockey Club Green It Yourself Programme" was the Foundation's community project. In April 2016 (Green Monday's 4th anniversary), they launched "Green-It-Yourself" (in short, GIY). GIY is a comprehensive campaign to promote vegetarianism and green living. The general public could submit their vegetarian recipes to the activity website,[17] and it created a platform for the exchange of green culinary knowledge both online and offline. From 2016 to 2018, this campaign brought food bloggers and the community together to promote green home cooking through recipe databases, cookbooks, YouTube tutorials, cooking competitions, and blogger meet-ups.

In February 2014, the "Green Luck Food Rescue Programme" launched. It joined hands with food rescue organizations, caterers and shark protection organizations to provide support in redistributing excessive food items at banquets and promote a sustainable banqueting culture. The programme received overwhelming positive feedback and support from the society.[18] The first Greenluck award was held in May 2017, and it acknowledged restaurant partners that were devoted to working against food wastage. Greenluck ceased to operate in 2018.

The Restaurant Programme was launched in line with Green Monday in 2012 to promote green living by inviting restaurant partners to add vegetarian or vegan menus to their original menus to make plant-based dishes more accessible. In return, Green Monday promotes these restaurant partners through magazine columns and organic media feature stories. By 2019, over 2,900 restaurant outlets have joined the programme in Hong Kong,[19] Singapore,[20] Taiwan,[21] Thailand, Macau,[22] Philippines[23] and mainland China. Iconic restaurant partners include Ming Court of Cordis Hotel, The Butcher's Club Burger, Gyu Kaku, and Pizza Express.[24] Many of the world's most recognized restaurants launched plant-based menus by incorporating plant-based products distributed by Green Common. Examples of these include restaurants at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.[25]

In Oct 2012, twenty leading food service providers jointly launched the Green Monday School Programme.[26] As of 2014, More than 800 schools with about 600,000 students from kindergartens to universities in Hong Kong have pledged to practice "Green Monday". From November 2012 to June 2013, the average vegetarian meal order rate increased from 4% to 42%.[26] Super Green Monday – 319 schools participated and offered plant-based catering to students during the 2019 Super Green Monday event on 8 April 2019. 75% of participated schools has a 90% rate of ordering vegetarian meal box, a 50% jump compared to 2018.[26] Major universities in Hong Kong, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong University have also joined the Green Monday School Program. The University of Hong Kong was the first to join, and 11 restaurants in HKU campus offered plant-based menu every Monday[27] . In 2018, the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Lee Woo Shing College partnered with Green Monday to launch the first credit-bearing General Education course in Hong Kong dedicated to plant-based living.[28][29][30]

Green Monday seeks to influence the eating habits of many stakeholders, be they restaurants, schools or big corporations. In Oct 2013, the Hong Kong International Airport teamed up with Green Monday to promote low-carbon dining with over 30 catering outlets participating and offering vegetarian choices for travelers.[31] Many other international corporations launched Green Monday in their staff canteens or have invited Green Monday to speak to their staff as a component of HR training and CSR initiatives. These include HSBC Go Green in Aug 2015, UBS, Google Hong Kong office, and WeWork. MGM MACAU officially launched Green Monday in the employee dining room on March 20, 2017, and have continued every Monday since then.[32] A special menu has been created by MGM's chefs for this green initiative.[33]

In 2018, Sands Macau launched a plant-based menu in their staff canteen that serves 28,000-plus employees. Subsequently, they started offering green menus in ten of their hotel restaurants under a campaign called "Green Cuisine".[34][35] In a TV interview, Mark McWhinnie, Sands China's senior vice president of resort operations and development, said: "We estimate that by simply having Green Monday in our team dining room on an annual basis, we save 13,000 tons of carbon emissions which would otherwise go into the atmosphere through one single action."[36] In July 2018, Hysan collaborated with Green Monday to launch the "Go Green Causeway Bay" campaign. As a result of this initiative, over 20 restaurant outlets in Lee Garden Theater, Lee Gardens, and Hysan Place created special vegetarian or vegan menus.[37][38] Green Monday also shared its plant-based initiative with the staff at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) on 22 Nov 2018, under their “Better World” speaker series.[39]

Green Monday started to grow beyond Hong Kong in 2014. Outside of Hong Kong, Green Monday has launched in New York, Missouri, Los Angeles and Beijing.[40] The University of Columbia was the first university in the US to launch Green Monday on their campus, and Washington University in St. Louis became the second university to join the program in January 2015. UCLA and Tsinghua University later joined the program as well. Green Monday has been adopted by more than 2,000 schools and 600 universities in over 30 countries, directly influencing over 1.5 million students outside Hong Kong.[41] Green Monday officially launched their restaurant programme in Singapore on 16 Nov 2018.[42] Mezza9 at Grand Hyatt Singapore was the first F&B outlet to launch the plant-based Beyond Burger in August 2018, and over 3,000 vegan burgers were sold in three days.[43] At the time of launch, about 20 groups with over 80 outlets had already enrolled in the programme. This included hospitality groups such as Grand Hyatt Singapore, Mercure Singapore on Stevens, Novotel Singapore on Stevens, Plaza Premium Lounge and The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, restaurant chains such as Cedele, PizzaExpress, Prive and SaladStop!, and the Michelin-recommended restaurant, Whole Earth.[44] Celebrity Michelle Saram also spoke as Green Monday ambassador to advocate the need and benefit of a plant-based diet.[45]

Green Monday was officially launched in Taiwan on March 28, 2019 — accompanied by the restaurant programme. Taiwan F&B outlets adding three or more plant-based menus were encouraged to enroll. Over 1,000 restaurant outlets have joined — including Bafang Yunji, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Wildwood Live Fire Cuisine, and Darcis Café.[46] Based on a report released in 2017, Taiwan is ranked third among countries with the highest rate of vegetarianism. With a population of 2.5 million people, around 13% of Taiwan's population has adopted a vegetarian or vegan diet. Karena Lam, who received the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress, joined the launch event as a Green Monday Greater China Ambassador with the mission to promote a plant-based diet for the environment.[47]

Green Monday made their launch in Thailand in September 2019, bringing sustainable living and more healthy plant-based options to the country. Vuthithorn "Woody" Milintachinda and Ramita Mahapreukpong “Gypso” joined as Green Monday ambassadors in Thailand. Since the launch, Green Monday has partnered up with over 50 restaurant chains and eateries to offer more plant-based meal choices, including You & Mee restaurant at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, BBCO at JW Marriott Bangkok, Sizzler, Baan and Veganerie.[48]    

The 1st Green Common opened in Hong Kong in April 2015 in Wan Chai, where the launch of a couple of alternative protein brands took place. This Wan Chai store was moved to QRE Plaza and reopened in Dec 2017.[49]

The 2nd Green Common opened in Sheung Wan Nan Fung Place in Oct 2015 and became the flagship store of Green Common. It was renovated and relaunched in May 2018.[50]

The 3rd and 4th Green Common store, located in Landmark Alexandra House and Harbour City respectively, were opened in Nov 2016. The 5th Green Common was opened in The Forest Mongkok in Sep 2017 and carries a specific “Hong Kong street food theme”. The 6th Green Common was opened in Park central of Tseung Kwan O.[51] The 7th Green Common was opened in Tuen Mun in Dec 2018.[52] Green Common also opened a pop-up in The Pulse of Repulse Bay during Feb to April 2018,[53] and opened a temporary store in the Hong Kong International Airport departure hall during April to June 2018.[54]

In 2018 Green Common was opened inside TASTE of The Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong [55] and the CityGate in Tung Chung [56] in Nov 2018 and Dec 2018 respectively. In 2019 July, Green Common opened inside the GREAT Food Hall in the Pacific Place, Admiralty. Green Common Future Bar opened in K11 Musea in the same year.[57] Green Common also launched their e-shop service in Nov 2018.

Green Monday has been advocated by international media and influencers of different fields. The most noticeable are Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles and Mary McCartney. Together with Stella McCartney, they co-founded the UK's "Meat Free Monday" in 2009. Mary McCartney was invited to speak at a Hong Kong Green Monday event on 20 March 2019,[58] where she acknowledged the importance of forming an alliance to accelerate the plant-based movement across the world. Green Monday shared photos of Paul McCartney and Mary McCartney holding a Green Monday pledge card as a sign of appreciation on June 19, 2019, two days after the official 10th anniversary of Meat Free Monday.[59][60] In January 2020, Green Monday founder David Yeung met with Sir Paul McCartney in person in the United Kingdom, establishing their firm alliance in making the world a more sustainable place to live in.   

Different influencers and celebrities have also been advocating for Green Monday at their events. Singer Leo Ku and Vivian Chow spoke at the 2013 Hong Kong International Airport Go Green event.[31] Actress Annie Liu and Actor Moses Chan spoke and presented at Green Monday's Green-It-Yourself cooking competition[61][62] in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Vincent Wong joined as Captain Green[63] who also appeared at Green Common's JUST Egg launch event in Jan 2018.[64] Hong Kong singer Kay Tse joined Green Monday as the Chief Kindness Officer and spoke for Green Monday during the launch event of Right Treat on 23 April 2018.[65][66] Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress Karena Lam joined the launch event as a Green Monday Greater China Ambassador and attended the launch event in Taiwan on 28 March 2019.[47] Mary McCartney joined Green Monday as an impact investor and Green Monday ambassador in March 2019.[67][68] Susan Rockefeller published an interview with David Yeung on her media channel, MUSINGS, stating that "Green Common tackles global issues like climate change, food security, obesity, and animal welfare through smart entrepreneurship that benefits individuals, communities, and corporations. Combined with their "Green Monday" awareness campaign, founder David Yeung and his team are spearheading change in a world where hazardous meat consumption remains prevalent—and problematic."[69] Environmentalist Jane Goodall openly acknowledged the contribution of Green Monday in her sharing on MASTERCLASS.[70]