WeWork, an office-space start-up with a mission to “create a world where people work to make a living, not just a living,” has just made some sustainability changes by announcing the whole company has gone vegetarian.

This startup company which includes over 6,000 employees will no longer be serving any meat products, including pork, poultry, and red meat, at work-related events, or reimburse employees for purchasing these products.

Co-founder of WeWork, Miguel McKelvey, explained in a recent email in which he announced their new vegetarian policy, that avoiding meat is the biggest and easiest way an individual can lower their environmental impact. Even more so then driving a hybrid car, or walking to work.

McKelvey elaborated even further by explaining that by not serving meat at WeWork, the company as a whole could save 16.7 billion gallons of water, 445.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, and over 15 million animals by the year 2023. Those are pretty incredible statistics!

It seems that this new policy is going over well as the meat will willingly no longer be served at their annual Summer Camp music and food festival for company employees.

By taking steps towards a sustainable working environment, WeWork estimates that they can save over 10,000 animals over the course of just three days. They are also making moves towards reducing their use of plastic to zero.

WeWork is a prime example that a company can make sustainability changes while still growing their company. Hopefully, this will prove to business owners that this way of life can make some dramatic environmental changes without affecting the livelihood of a business.

Going vegan is now easier than ever with so many documentaries, how-to’s, movies, books and more. As the options expand at restaurants and businesses, so do the number of people choosing a plant-based life. Why Go Vegan? Check out this article. And if you need some help, look to this Step by Step Guide: How to Transition to a Vegan Diet. And Here’s How Going Vegan For One Week Saves Enough CO2 to Fly to the Moon and Back. If you need some meal ideas, look to our Meal Planning tips! And this Guide to Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plans: By Diet Type.

Want to live a more sustainable lifestyle? 

If you wish to make some serious environmental changes and reduce your carbon footprint, the best way to do that is by leaving meat off of your plate. Here are some delicious meat-free recipes from our Food Monster App to help you out!

Cauliflower Buffalo Bites

Cauliflower is a cheap and tasty alternative to poultry. These Cauliflower Buffalo Bites are definitely a crowd pleaser and are best served with a vegan bleu cheese or ranch and some celery sticks.

UnTuna Wraps

Lower your environmental impact by opting for chickpeas instead of tuna. These UnTuna Wraps taste like the real thing and are extremely easy to put together!

Walnut Taco Meat

Reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding beef altogether and choosing a plant-based alternative like walnuts. Walnuts surprisingly develop an amazing meat-like texture when blended with a delicious array of spices! This walnut taco meat will not let you down.

For more articles like Why Plant-Based Foods Will Win the Sustainability Food Race,  we recommend downloading this Food Monster App, which is available for both Android and iPhone and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 10,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

Lead Image Source: Ted Eytan/Flickr