What is Plant-Based Councils?
Plant-Based Councils brings together, trains and supports teams of volunteers to campaign for change in their local council.
We call on councils to lead the way with climate action on food by switching to 100% plant-based catering for internal meetings and events, prioritising seasonal British produce to support our farmers. This normalises and makes popular plant-based eating, an important step in our push towards a plant-based food system. This, along with rewilding of the freed-up land and ocean, is the most effective answer to the climate and nature emergencies. ​
We’ve seen 13 UK councils pass plant-based motions or policies so far, eight of these happening in 2024. We now have 40+ active teams across the UK and aim to grow to 100 in 2025.
Why target councils?
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Councils are powerful institutions that directly influence people's lives. They are the most accessible form of democracy for the regular person because they are duty bound to work with residents.
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Councils have climate targets and ambitions that can be met by taking up plant-based catering.
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By changing what councillors eat, we influence the internal culture of the council, which in turn spills out into the community.
Why 100% plant-based?
We can win 100% by asking for 100%! By pushing for 100% plant-based, we reframe the conversation from the popular 'meat reduction' narrative to one that includes a vision for a brighter future involving transformation of our food system and restoration of nature, which is what is needed to prevent further climate breakdown and harm to animals.