Going Vegetarian Videos

For National Vegetarian Week, Britain’s Vegetarian Society has created three short videos about going vegetarian, or at least trying to eat less meat and fish. The three 1-minute videos would make a great class group activity, with each group watching a video about eating less meat to help the environment, improve their health, or to support animal rights.

The language in the videos is quite colloquial, but the animated images really help comprehension, so they can be used from A2+. Each group should note reasons why eating less meat is encouraged, and ways that are suggested to cut down. The videos are fairly low-key, not pushing for full vegetarianism but suggesting that every plant-based meal helps. Then the groups can help fill in a global mindmap with their information. Scroll down this page for the videos and transcripts.

Then why not encourage pupils to try one of the “50 veggie things to do in May”, like “design a veggie school meal” or take an online quiz about plant-based protein. You can download a poster with all 50,  or click on the icons on the home page for more information about each. There are also lots of recipes, always a great language activity.

 

Transcripts

Winnie's one of those grandmas with all the great stories. She swung her way through the 50s, meditated across the east in the 60s and could still ramble her way up a peak today. But all this talk of climate change and disappearing rainforests have got Winnie worried. She started thinking that the world might not look so green and glorious when her granddaughter starts out on her own adventures. Livestock causes more pollution than the world's entire transport system, and the farming of these animals sucks up huge amounts of the Earth's fresh water. But Winnie knew there was a simple way for her to make a difference. She knew that eating less of theses and more of these and swapping one of those for a few of these could save water and land and help to protect the planet from harmful greenhouse gases. Which meant that everyone could have the chance of a great adventure. Every meal counts. Discover the difference you can make.  

It might not look like it now but Alan was quite the catch back in his heyday. But as his family and home had grown over the years, so had a few other things that Alan hadn't really noticed before. There were days when he felt under the weather, and his step didn't feel quite as springy as it had done before the big four-oh. The papers said that plant power and a veggie diet was a pretty good way to put the spring back in your step, and could help reduce the chance of some cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. So Alan skipped his celebratory Friday kebab and picked himself up some rather weird and wonderful looking fruit and veg instead. He sliced, diced and danced his way to a delicious dinner that left the whole table ready for the next one of Alan's veggie experiments. Here's to the first of many. Every meal counts. Discover the difference you can make.  

Matt is a cat man, but he's also a big and beefy “heartburn in a bun” sort of guy too. Returning home to Mog with a burger-filled belly always left Matt with a funny feeling in his gut. Cows and cats have quite a lot in common, so why do we choose to dish up Derek and dote on Mog? Then Matt had one of those eureka lightbulb moments and with Mog’s help he began to cook up a plan. He decided to fill his fridge with all sorts of meat-free meals. Anything with the face was off the menu for at least five days a week. This meant Matt could take steps towards a veggie diet in his own time in a way that fitted in nicely with his lifestyle. In the meantime, Derek could escape the mincer, and the millions of animals killed in the UK each day was getting smaller thanks to Matt, and Mog. Every meal counts. Discover the difference you can make.