On 20 May 2022, LGT Bank (Singapore) Ltd. (LGT Bank) kicked off its first “Lunch and Learn” series with a talk on “Compassion and Veganism”. Mr CK Low from Earth Society spoke on the impact of meat on the environment and the health benefits of a vegan diet.
During this session, Mr Chin-Mong Koh, Executive Director, LGT Bank, shared his personal vegan journey and how adopting a vegan diet has led to positive health benefits.
Mr Low started his presentation with the impact of producing meat on the environment. Livestock farming contributes to 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas, uses 70% of the world’s agricultural land and consumes more than 50% of the world’s crops. It takes 2 kg to 10 kg of grains to produce 1 kg of chicken/pork/beef. Producing 1 kg of vegetables and rice uses 200 litres to 2,500 litres of water, while 1 kg of meat (chicken/pork/ beef) uses 4,300 litres to 15,400 litres of water. The United Nations (UN) has recommended that developed nations cut their meat consumption by half to reduce greenhouse gas and conserve the world’s food and water resources.
In addition, Mr Low highlighted the drawbacks of overeating meat versus the healthy benefits of transitioning to a vegan diet. High meat consumption is linked to obesity and increases heart disease and cancer risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that eating 50 g of processed meat (e.g. one hot dog) every day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Moreover, the animals produced by factory farms live in congested conditions and are fed with growth hormones, antibiotics and grains. In contrast, vegetables/plants are rich in fibre, protein, vitamins and nutrients. Some doctors in the USA promote the Whole-Food, Plant-based diet to prevent/ reduce chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Even athletes such as bodybuilders, Olympic cyclists and marathon runners show improved sports performance when changing to a plant-based diet. Mr Low encouraged the staff to adopt Meatless Mondays and gradually increase the number of vegan days for health and the planet.
After the talk, Mr Koh shared the health benefits of adopting a vegan diet (e.g. reduced body aches, no more joint pains, better skin complexion). He also shared that vegan food is delicious and encouraged the staff to adopt two vegan days a week to better health and protect the environment.
The company especially catered Vegan Burgers (from VeganBurg) for the 70 employees who attended the event. The employees enjoyed the Vegan Burger lunch very much, were engaged during the presentations, and actively participated in the Question and Answer session.
Feedback for the talk:
Very educational and heartfelt presentation. This message of veganism needs to be widely communicated and internalized. Thank you. – William Chia, Investments, LGT Bank
The presentation was very insightful and well-received. The speaker was very engaging. – Mariam Ashroff, Sustainability Management, LGT Bank
Informative and happy to learn more about Climate change/ Human/ Animal kingdom. Perhaps the speaker can introduce some recipes and make them interactive. – Doreen Chan, Investments, LGT Bank
Very informative sharing! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. – WJ, staff, LGT Bank