Montgomery county council has issued a proclamation urging people to celebrate one day without meat a week, for the benefits to health and the planet it brings.
“We have to model the behaviour that we want to promote, especially when we are dealing with issues related to healthy lifestyles, animal welfare and environmental stewardship,” said council member Valerie Ervin, explaining why the council had taken the step.
“Meatless Monday is a terrific way to highlight not only the health benefits of a plant-based diet but the fact that such a diet has been shown to use fewer resources and cause less pollution.”
Montgomery County has a population of about a million, and is following in the footsteps of its neighbour to the south, Washington DC, which joined the campaign in 2010.
Other big-name cities in the US are also on board, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.
According to a 2011 report by the American Meat Institute, 18 per cent of American households now participate in Meatless Mondays.
That figure will undoubtedly rise as more people become aware of the health and environmental benefits of eating less meat.
Read Montgomery County’s “Meatless Monday Proclamation” here