Norway's Military Goes Vegetarian to Combat Global Warming

The Norwegian military is fighting global warming the only way it knows how: going vegetarian. The Norweigian military will now forgo eating meat on Mondays, thus reducing the amount of food they eat that is ecologically harmful to the Earth.

Eystein Kvarving, a military spokesman for the country, told The Independent that the move is "a step to protect our climate...The idea is to serve food that's respectful of the environment."

While some may point out that this may be nothing more than a cost cutting move by the military, Kvarving states that the intention behind the move is "being more concerned for our climate, more ecologically friendly and also healthier."

The move has already been tried out at a few bases, and now the country is prepared to unleash the policy to each and every member of the military. No word what the military will be eating instead of meat, but considering the wide variety of meat substitutes and protein alternatives, the military will have plenty of options for feeding the troops.

This move to a meatless day for the Norwegian military is the first of its kind, and the move will reduce the amount of animal products eaten by the military by about 150 tons. What sort of environmental effects the move will have on global warming is yet to be determined.

Considering Norway stretches close to the North Pole, it is no wonder that the country is so keen on saving the environment. If global temperatures continue to rise, the arctic and Nordic animals and environments that are the hallmarks of the country will be in danger.

The Norwegian ecology group The Future in Our Hands praises the move as they estimate every citizen of the country will eat 1,200 animals in his or her lifetime. The group's director Arild Hermstad championed the government's decision. 

"The defense ministry deserves a lot of praise because it's taking climate and environmental issues seriously," said Hermstad. 

Perhaps this will open the door for other nations to reduce their environmental impact on a national level.