To Do: Save Planet

On my way to the gym this morning (for only the 6th time in the last 13 months… I know man. Im working on it), I stopped at the book store to grab a magazine for my work out.

Knowing me and my quest to figure out how to live a more conscious lifestyle, its probably not a surprise to you all that I skipped the fashion mags… although entertaining, and opted for the June 2007 issue of Veg News.

The ever increasingly popular topic of global warming / save-the-planet-ism was the topic of a particular article entitled, “Can Vegetarianism Save the Planet?” I highly recommend you pick up the magazine and read it yourself… the article is truly enlightening.

Many of you know that I choose to forgo meat as a part of my daily diet. The decision was made as a small, (yet not without impact), statement against animal cruelty. Especially that experienced by animals in the “factory farms” of the United States.


The article previously mentioned highlights the following points that I’d like to share with you.

1. “Our self-destructive addiction to meat is killing us and our planet”

“How so?” you ask... read on for the connection.

2. “the lower your diet is on the food chain, the more ‘earth-friendly’ it is” – Robbins.

3. “Choosing vegetarianism lightens our environmental footprint because the less meat we eat, the less we contribute to worldwide air and water pollution, and water and land misuse.”

Here’s the kicker… the problem is not just the CO2 emissions from our cars (though it is certainly a huge adder.) It is estimated that methane is a greater cause of global warming than transportation emissions! “And where is all this methane coming from?” you ask. Uh… from all the moo-cows being “grown” for those juicy burgers you love so much. Imagine that?!

4. “While most major environmental organizations have focused on carbon emissions, recent reports… show that ‘CO2 emissions are not the main cause of observed atmospheric warming.’… ‘If we wish to curb global warming over the coming half century, we must look at strategies to address non- CO2 emissions. The strategy with the most impact is vegetarianism’”

5. “If we are going to stop global warming now – right now – we’ve got to go after the Goliath of greenhouse gases: methane.

6. “The EPA [The United States Environmental Protection Agency] estimates that animal agriculture produces about 80 million tons of methane annually. This potent greenhouse gas, produced in the gastrointestinal tracks of cattle and passed into the atmosphere by belching, flatulence and exhaling waste-water lagoons, has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2, according to [an] FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] report.”

7. “The annual greenhouse gas output from burger consumption [just burger consumption folks] is the equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas output from four million to 13 million SUVs”…

Good God.

There’s much more… I’ll save the rest for another day. But as always, I conclude the following:

There are of course many other reasons to go veg, and I’ve spent the last 2.5 years learning more about these reasons. I’m not one to shun those that still choose to eat meet… (Though I do cringe a little at the comment, “oh… I’m a vegetarian too… I eat chicken once in a while though.”) most especially since I don’t personally consider myself a full out vegetarian… (I haven’t quite phased out the sea-food yet…) However, to read is to be informed. I DO shun those who choose to be misinformed. So, I encourage all of you to at least find out a little bit more about vegetarianism, environmentalism, etc. etc. because you may find that there is something in there that you can do to help fix our many crisis situations. If not for you, then at least for those to come…

One way to help has just presented itself … while attending this summer’s cookout, if given a choice between a regular and a veggie burger, choose the veggie burger. It’s really as simple as that.

“If you can’t imagine what a future would look like if the whole world went veg, try harder. Picture a doorway, with 2050 on the other side. With global warming knocking, its not okay to pretend no one’s home. Open the door and walk through it. An entire generation free from the threat of environmental collapse is waiting to greet you with good news: Vegetarianism can save the planet.” – Jolia Sidona Allen, from “Can Vegetarianism Save the Planet?”