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One Simple Thing You Can Do: Eat More Veggies!
Our little everyday habits add up to great impacts on the environment. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.
Eat More Veggies!
Never mind the fact that veggies are full of amazing living enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fiber and good fats that help fight cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Never mind the fact that they are good for your waistline and your pocketbook. And put aside the point that they are also cruelty-free. If you only need one really good reason to reduce your meat intake, it's the environment!
New studies show that about 51% of the emissions contributing to global warming come from simple breathing livestock. We have WAY more cattle than we used to have, and are building up our agribusinesses too fast to keep up with the de-forestation perpetrated all over the globe. The plants can't keep up. So our best bet in beating this thing, since the oil companies aren't stopping anytime soon, is to reduce our meat consumption. [1.]
Add to that the fact that it takes about several pounds of grain to make one pound of meat, whereas we could instead just be growing that grain for human consumption. [2.] All the water for irrigation, vehicular transport, pesticides/herbicides used in farming, land itself--those are all resources that could be greatly reduced by just eating the plants ourselves, instead of feeding them to livestock. Run-off and waste from these huge industries is also a big pollutant.
In addition to that there's the pillaging of the sea for seafood. Scientists predict that at the current rate of fishing, we will simply not have any more seafood to take by 2048, leaving only great empty dead zones with nothing but jelly-fish living in them. [3.] Of course, fishing nets don't distinguish, they kill all kinds of creatures, referred to as "bycatch," not just the fish they are intended to catch. This is responsible for killing dolphins, whales, turtles, seals, sharks, and any other fish that get caught in their traps, by the thousands.
So you don't have to become a vegetarian. (Though sure it would be nice!) Just think in terms of reducing your meat intake whenever possible, by trying more veg meals, and only buying what meat you need. Perhaps just start with Meatless Mondays, or whichever day of the week you prefer. Ideally you might work your way down to having meat a couple times a week, eventually. Just google veg recipes, or easy veg recipes, and a plethora of fantastic possibilities will be yours to explore. I highly recommend reading this helpful article on The Learning Channel website about reducing meat intake. It's just a few short pages about flavor, cooking ideas and buying tips. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/reduce-meat-flexitarian-diet.htm
The one way our vote really counts in this society is with our dollars. As consumers we make a huge difference. When I started eating veg and organic whenever possible a little over a decade ago, the market didn't have nearly as many options as it does now. Our voice is getting heard, the market is growing! But at the same time meat consumption is at an all time high. Education is key. We can do it, we can make change with our choices. We just need to know what our options are. Bon Appetit!
References:
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michellemaisto/2012/04/28/eating-less-meat-is-worlds-best-chance-for-timely-climate-change-say-experts/
2. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-04-21-carbon-diet_N.htm
3. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061102-seafood-threat.html
4. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/06/27/155527365/visualizing-a-nation-of-meat-eaters
