The Norwegian military announced on Tuesday that it’s putting its soldiers on a new diet. In an effort aimed not at cutting waistlines, but combating climate change, the army is imposing a vegetarian diet once a week for its troops.

The goal is to cut its consumption of environmentally unfriendly foods, like meat, as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization attributes 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions to livestock farming. “It’s a step to protect our climate. The idea is to serve food that’s respectful of the environment,” a military spokesman told Agence France-Presse.

The “meatless Monday” vegetarian diet has already been tried at one army base in the country and the military will soon extend it to all of its troops, including those deployed overseas, according to AFP. The army estimates the new diet will cut the force’s meat consumption by 150 tons a year.

Source: slate