Why Veg?

Environmental Conservation

In the last few years, environmental conservation has exploded into the mainstream media. Don't get me wrong; I think it's awesome. But when asked how one can do their part, the common answer is to recycle, carpool, and buy less stuff. While these are all great ways to curb environmental destruction, the least talked about solution is going veg. Did you know that eating animals is worse for the environment than driving a car? Most people don't!

"Raising livestock for food is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases. That is more than cars and public transportation combined."

and

"26% of Earth's land is used for livestock grazing."
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, "Livestock's Long Shadow")

"A two-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of 10,000 people."
(Marcia Barinaga in the journal Science)

"The number of gallons of water needed to produce one pound of edible product: Apples 49; Carrots 33; Potatoes 24; Tomatoes 23; Beef 250."
(Dr. Georg Borgstrom, presentation to the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science)

"Pounds of edible product that can be produced on an acre of prime land: Apples 20,000; Carrots 30,000; Potatoes 40,000; Tomatoes 50,000; Beef 2,500."
(Tom Aldridge and Herb Schlubach, "Water Requirements for Food Production," Soil and Water, no. 38)

"Those who claim to care about the well-being of human beings and the preservation of our environment should become vegetarians for that reason alone. They would thereby increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests."
(Peter Singer, Animal Liberation)

"You could save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you could by not showering for an entire year."
(John Robbins, The Food Revolution)

"In Central America, 40 percent of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture. In the process, natural ecosystems where a variety of plant and animal species thrive are destroyed and replaced with monoculture grass."
(WorldWatch magazine, June 21st 2004)

"The world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people - more than the entire human population on Earth."
(Greenpeace--http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/getinvolved/green-guide/green-lifestyle/go-vegetarian)

Check these out:
BiteGlobalWarming.org
Google "Livestock's Long Shadow"
EnviroVeggie.com

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