Last Thursday, 27 June, Jan Stoop, Associate Professor at Erasmus School of Economics, took a stand on Erasmus Plaza to advocate for a plant-based university. Together with students from Vegan Student Association Rotterdam and Erasmus Sustainability Hub, Stoop engaged passers-by with a bold statement displayed on a banner: ‘The only moral and sustainable university is a plant-based one. Change my mind.’
The event was part of an ongoing discussion about the university's potential transition to a fully plant-based diet by 2025. While the university appears close to making this decision, some students and employees still express reservations about the change, particularly concerning how the university communicates its plans.
Jan Stoop and Vegan Student Association aimed to inform, discuss with, and ultimately persuade students about the benefits of a plant-based campus. ‘We should not facilitate unnecessary slaughter on campus,’ Stoop asserted, using compelling arguments to engage interested students. He emphasised the importance of raising awareness about plant-based diets, acknowledging the resistance such initiatives often face.
‘This is a difficult conversation to have one-on-one, but I hope this setting makes it less intimidating to participate,’ Stoop explained. A representative from Vegan Student Association reported that many students left the stand with a smile, seemingly convinced of the university’s standpoint.
Jan Stoop has long been engaged in promoting plant-based initiatives at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He played a pivotal role in making plant-based catering the norm at the Erasmus School of Economics, where meat is available only upon explicit request—a subtle nudge to encourage plant-based choices. He explained how consumers justify their dietary choices through the lens of cognitive dissonance in a previously published article. In addition, Stoop frequently participates in events organised by Vegan Student Association and Erasmus Sustainability Hub.
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For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media & Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, +316 53 641 846.