When students at the University of California at Berkeley first met with the university’s dining hall service to discuss “veganizing” their cafeteria, they received a lukewarm response. So the students set up a table with petitions right outside the dining hall. Within two weeks, they had collected 1,200 signatures—more than one-fifth of Berkeley’s dorm population! The students’ quest also attracted the attention of local reporters. “The media attention really helped us press our case,” says Leor Jacobi, one of the students who spearheaded the project.
Just four weeks and many meetings later, the university’s administration agreed to provide a fully vegan entrée at every meal. The dining service kicked off day one with an all-vegan lunch, where students sampled vegetarian chili, stir-fry, tofu kabobs, hummus, rigatoni and beans, stew, and raspberry sorbet. “There was an overwhelmingly positive student response, even from those who hadn’t tried this way of eating before,” says Jacobi.
Please click here to learn how to veganize your cafeteria.
