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A six-year-old student is urging schools in his area to help the environment by reducing their meat intake.
Bruno Serrano, from Canterbury, England, was inspired to help the environment after watching David Attenborough’s A Life On Our Planet.
Serrano has written to Kent County Council, and Attenborough himself, proposing schools introduce a weekly meat-free day.
‘Wildlife is dying’
“We the children want to have a meat-free day because we want to help wildlife,” his letter reads. “Wildlife is dying. Humans are taking over the world!”
Speaking to KentOnline, Serrano’s mother Ruth Linklater says: “Bruno’s school is very positive and supportive about [his] letter.
“He started doing the maths of how many schools there might be in Kent, and how many people might get involved with this, and asked me to help spread it as far as possible.”
Linklater added that while her son eats meat – he is ‘most definitely’ up for reducing the amounts he consumes.
‘A Life On Our Planet’
Although David Attenborough is not vegan himself – he does promote a plant-based diet in his latest film A Life On Our Planet.
The film looks at the environmental changes that have happened on Earth over Sir David’s lifetime, and has resulted in several high-profile people changing their diets.
Newspaper journalist Claudia Tanner says the film has helped her break her ‘cheese addiction’ and go vegan.
Similarly, Thor star Kat Dennings says the documentary is pushing her towards a plant-based diet.
‘We must change our diet’
“We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters,” Attenborough says in the film.
“If we [adopt] a mostly plant-based diet, we could increase the yield of the land. We have an urgent need for free land… Nature is our biggest ally.”
‘Well done to Bruno’
Speaking to Plant Based News, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills Richard Long said: “I would like to say thank you and well done to Bruno for bringing this matter to our attention.
“It is always encouraging to see young people engaging with important issues, and environmental causes are particularly relevant right now.
“The responsibility for ensuring school meals are available to pupils lies with each school’s governing body and not with Kent County Council. When providing school meals, governing bodies must ensure they offer healthy and nutritious options, which meet the Government’s standards.
“Meat and non-meat options are available in schools so it is already possible for an individual to choose to not eat meat as part of their school meals… 200 schools that buy in to the county’s catering framework are already able to access ‘Meat Free Monday’ menu cycles.”
This article was updated on November 2 to include Kenty County Council’s right of reply
