Dear Paola Chousal and el ciento-siete team:

Sizzling meat on a grill, with a side of guacamole, and a couple of tortillas is the tradition of all Regios. We understand where you are coming from, Meatless Mondays sounds like a nightmare for those who are used to eating greasy deshebrada on Monday mornings.

However, we are not here to bore you with the health benefits of eating less meat, we are here to introduce the environmental benefits of sacrificing one out of the twenty-one meals you eat every week. If over the course of the year, each Monday you ate one less serving of morning/lunch tacos, it would be equivalent to taking your car off the road for 515 km’s.

Now if that doesn’t make sense to you then let’s step outside our ASFM bubble and look at this through a global lense. Over the past 10 years, meat consumption has increased by 20 percent, coming at an extreme cost to our resources and planet.

Yes, it’s easy to romanticize about solar panels, wind turbines and Tesla cars, but how many people are actually able to implement these first world technologies?

Going meatless on Monday is your chance to actually do something that will have more impact then the car you drive or the solar panel you install, and for free!

The Green Team is always open to suggestions and comments, and we appreciate all constructive opinions. Two weeks ago we met with a concerned parent who shared his sustainable ranching practices. We are trying our best to implement the most appetizing meals and we will soon be meeting with a vegan restaurant for suggestions. So, if you still disagree with Meatless Monday, please share your reasons backed up with facts or better yet, share ideas on how we can tackle environmental issues here in our community.

Our initiative is not even close to perfection, but at least we have begun to tackle world pressing issues while others simply criticize. Complaining about the bad air quality in Monterrey is not enough. Changes in our current lifestyle must be made. Step out of your comfort zone to leave the greasy barbacoa once a week, save the animals and improve the air quality.

‘Cause in the end, are your taste buds more important than your children’s future?

Mariana Lozano & Adrian Barreda, Green Team staff