if gas guzzlers make you angry, make sure you’re eating less meat.
… in other words, if the environment seems like a cause more or less important to you, then make sure as a meat-eater (if you happen to be one) that you are the prius and not the hummer … because apparently the industrial meat industry contributes 25% of our greenhouse gases, meaning our fascination with eating meat, poultry and fish contributes more to climate change than transportation!
this is coming to me from mark bittman who wrote a great article in the ny times on sunday on why eating as much meat as we do (as north americans, and increasingly as asians too) isn’t sustainable. and while mr. bittman isn’t a vegetarian, he writes persuasively about why those who care about the planet should cut back on meat consumption … by at least 20%.
surprising, no? i can’t remember the last time i heard someone encouraging people to not eat meat! … just seems to me that actively proselytizing for vegetarianism (even part-time vegetarianism) is so passé! … so much so that i was pleasantly surprised, and actually quite liked the feeling … !
all the arguments we have heard in the past are here: it takes 2-5 times more grain to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as it would through just eating the grain (and it actually takes 10 times more grain if we are talking about grain-fed livestock in the usa). the livestock focused agri-business in north america is responsible for the greater part of watershed issues on the continent.
then there is the health stuff: americans eat about 200 lbs of meat a year, per person … which translates into about 110 grams of (meat) protein a day, when all that is really needed is about 30 grams (the majority (if not entirety) of which could come from plant proteins). our health suffers, the planet suffers, and all this meat obsession is a big part of why millions of people go malnourished around the globe …
all that stuff.
anyway, i am not trying to convert you to vegetarianism! i just liked that someone at the nytimes cared enough to ‘kinda’ do that (even though he seemed to be hiding his intentions a bit). … i know today the politically correct thing is to never question how someone chooses to live their life; focus only on the good; eco is fun, sexy and easy … all that stuff. and i can play by those rules, i guess …
just thought it was nice to hear some of that old-time environmental talk still kicking around, asking us to rethink our priorities, cut back, think of the big picture and all that. i just got a little nostalgic!
… as an aside, bittman relies quite a bit on the sagesse of michael pollan and his new book in defense of food. sounds like a good read … i’ll see if it’s at the library and let you know what i think …
oh, and now that my mind is racing, just before bed … if you’re into books on food, and even maybe books on eating greener and healthier, check out frances moore lappé and her books like diet for a small planet, and hope’s edge. her newest writings include some around the world culture culinary voyages with her daughter that make for good, educational and fun reading!
anyway … night!
c.
