Lent is upon us, this coming Wednesday, 06 March.  In our Eco-Aware Age, and with the Call of Pope Francis, in Laudato Si, for us to grow in our Ecological Conversion, what can I do to make a difference?  One way is to eat less meat, or go without it for a selected number of days.  Global Catholic Climate Movement - https://catholicclimatemovement.global/lent-2019/   tells us that according to Yale University and other experts, cattle ranching accounts for approximately 80% of deforestation in Brazil. Cattle ranchers cut down the forest–often illegally, and often by taking it from indigenous people–in order to graze cattle.

Sources of deforestation in Brazil:

Australian beef sausages and bacon
Roasted berbere vegetables and chickpeas by Yotam Ottolenghi
Potato gnocchi in sage butter by Anna Jones
Scientists evaluated scores of studies from around the world to estimate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per serving of food. The average serving of meat represents greenhouse gas emissions more than 60 times bigger than the average serving of fruits, vegetables, and cereals. ​

Our commitment to add plant-based meals to our diet during Lent honors our Catholic heritage. As Catholics, we fast from meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. We're invited to deepen our practice by adding one more day each week, or striving to eat plant-based meals throughout the season.

Make the commitment      This practice deepens our spirits during the season of Lent, when we find simplicity and humility with Christ. It also helps us sustainably inhabit our common home, protecting creation and standing in solidarity our brothers and sisters around the world, especially our poorer ones, many of whom only rarely have the opportunity to eat meat.

We can find many non-meat nourishing recipies to help us:  eg:   https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/dec/21/vegetarian-vegan-recipes-roasted-vegetables-potato-gnocchi

For further reading:  Why eating less meat is the best thing you can do for the planet in 2019     https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/21/lifestyle-change-eat-less-meat-climate-change?CMP=share_btn_link