UCLA Releases Plan to Go 50 Percent Plant-Based by 2030

The University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) is going 50 percent plant-based by 2030! Published in a new sustainability plan, the commitment is part of the school’s goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from food.

Mercy For Animals volunteer Christina Sargsyan was instrumental in making this commitment a reality. Along with a small team of students and two staffers—a nutritionist and a member of the sustainability office—Sargsyan initially met with the head chef of UCLA Dining Services to discuss adding plant-based options. This led to fantastic incremental improvements, such as swapping standard brownies for vegan ones. But Sargsyan and her team wanted greater, more institutional commitments.

The team shifted focus to UCLA’s sustainability department, where good relationships, consistent pressure, and grassroots support from the public led to the school’s commitment to a more plant-forward approach to dining. In its new sustainability plan, the school states:

UCLA strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with foodservice by advancing plant-forward menus reflecting diverse global cuisines. The campus and health system also endeavor to provide both consumers and foodservice staff with education and training materials to empower healthy, environmentally conscious decision-making.

This move is a wonderful step in the right direction. Raising animals for food accounts for 8 percent of all human water use and takes up 33 percent of the world’s cropland. Meat production also pollutes our land and water. Worse still, forests around the world are being cut down to make room for farmed animals to graze.

Plant-based foods are much kinder to the planet than animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs, since they pollute less and require fewer resources, like energy, water, and land. In fact, swapping animal products for tasty plant-based foods can cut your greenhouse gas emissions from food in half. 

Inspired to make a change in your community? Join Mercy For Animals’ global movement of changemakers who organize local events, take online actions, and support our mission in other ways with their skills and passion. Sign up to volunteer today!