EVA is a bottom-up initiative that promotes plant-based diets through cooking workshops & awareness. EVA believes that, on average, plant-based products have the greatest overall positive impact on the well-being of people, animals and the planet. Working on a larger scale with restaurants, hospitals and schools through guidance at institutional kitchens will have a large-scale impact.

Ongoing initiative, from 1 september 2000

There is no direct relation to the climate neutral cities mission. However, a plant-based diet is beneficial to reaching climate neutrality and EVA is promoting behavioural changes towards this diet through their activities. According to the FAO, livestock farming is one of the main causes of every major environmental problem: climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and water pollution. The conversion of plant proteins into animal proteins is generally inefficient and requires a lot of land, water and energy.

In their policy plan 2021 – 2025 it says: The role that policy can play in the greening of our food system is huge.  At local, Flemish, federal and European levels, we want to stimulate and inspire governments to develop a sustainable, healthy and animal-friendly food strategy. Together with BBL and GAIA, we want to make sure, among other things, that livestock numbers are reduced, that money is invested in the transition to plant protein sources, that the government sensitises the consumers about the importance of more plant-based food, and that the government itself sets a good example. At European and international levels, we want to cooperate more closely with ProVeg on climate policy and the transition of European agricultural policy.

Although one in two Flemings say they would like to eat less meat in the future there are a lot of thresholds and obstacles between wanting and doing. EVA sees it as their role to lower these thresholds in innovative ways. They do this through nudging, through new and unprecedented collaborations with companies and other intermediaries such as civil society, the media, governments and the hospitality industry, and through the innovative self-managing way in which they shape their community and approach their volunteers. Thursday Veggieday is a national and international example of how eating habits can be changed through small positive nudges. Nudging is embedded in their strategy; they consider themselves trendsetters in this field.

EVA was founded in 2000 as a citizen initiative. Until the end of 2004, the organisation worked entirely with volunteers.

EVA currently has 13 employees working in their office on a daily basis. These employees are supported by more than 300 volunteers, several partners and a board. 

Employees (13)

Volunteers (300)

Board (5)

• The agricultural, food and climate crisis is forcing us to look for new solutions. 
• There is a strong and swiftly growing interest among consumers.
• The supply of plant-based products is rising rapidly and a lot is being invested in plant-based nutrition at the moment.
  
• There is a growing awareness and commitment among local governments to support organisations like EVA in their mission.

• The fact that more and more organisations are taking up the theme means that there is more competition and more fragmentation of resources.
  
• There are not enough resources and people to follow up on all the opportunities and collaborations in a professional manner, inhibiting the growth of the organisation. 

With a vegetarian diet becoming more mainstream in the last few years, the opposition is also growing. While it is a good thing that the number of flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans is growing and EVA possibly receiving more attention they also encounter strong resistance from sectors that depend on animal products for their income. 

The initiative is scalable in the sense that it can become a bigger organisation with more employees, more volunteers, more partners and have a bigger outreach. Furthermore, it is also possible to ‘’replicate’’ and start the same initiative in other cities and countries. However, the issue now is that EVA is not that well-known and they have difficulty in obtaining members and funding (donations) to grow. 

Main positive lessons/opportunities identified

• Support by the city of Gent that endorsed the launch of an official veggie day (Thursday Veggieday)
• The EVA team is stable and therefore has a lot of experience and expertise.
• Due to EVA's positive reputation, they are seen as a reliable, accessible organisation, which makes collaborations run smoothly.

Main failures/barriers identified

• EVA is not seen as a traditional charity organisation and is therefore struggling with recruiting members and receiving sufficient donations.
• EVA is still too much regarded as something just for the city of Gent 
  
• EVA as an organisation is still not well-known to the average Fleming; EVA's actions or campaigns are not always associated with EVA