One reason, greater meat consumption globally, is directly related to the beef, chicken and pork found in our refrigerators and freezers and since summer is approaching and big BBQs sit on 99.99999% of the back decks in North America I thought it would be a good time for us to start showing some restraint in our eating habits.
[Over-consumption is like planting a tree in concrete - GH]
There are many good reasons:
The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people - more than the entire population of the planet. [The Virtuous Consumer by Leslie Garrett]
Eighty per cent of agricultural land in the US is used to raise animals for food. [Ibid]
Less meat on the plate equals more crops for people and/or more land for Mother Nature. [Me]
A vegetarian diet is credited for providing a longer life with reduced risk of such diseases as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and some cancers. [The Virtuous Consumer - link to Leslie's personal website]
The animals live longer too and their numbers would decrease to more natural levels. [Me]
There is an even better reason to eat less meat.
It takes less effort than leaving the car at home to conserve fuel (our insatiable thirst for fossil fuels is another reason grain prices are on the rise) and we need an easy way to practice restraint over and over and over again until we get really really good at it so we’ll be ready for the hard hard times when they come.
I mean, if we can give up cheeseburgers we can certainly take public transit.
If we can say no to a tenderloin we can, with new internal fortitude, walk to the variety store for smokes and a bag of chips.
If we can eat fewer chicken wings and more beans and brussel sprouts - my gosh, hold onto your hats - we’ll find the strength to trade in the monster pickup for an electric scooter. Yowwzzah.
Practice does make perfect.
[Did you know that climate change will lead to fashion faupas? It surely will. Visit Four Mugs]
3 comments:
thanks but no thanks j.
you should see the money I'm raking in - guaranteed - just by retiring after working damn hard for 32 years as a school teacher.
get a hair cut and find a real job.
That J dude is persistent, if unimaginative.
Going vegetarian is one of the best things I've done as a human, I think. It was one of the easiest changes to make too, and one with a lot of positive consequences for me and for the world. Way easier than driving less or not using any plastic. When I found out how much food could be going to humans instead of animals, how much I lowered my risk of colitis and colon cancer (which runs in our family), and how I didn't want to be responsible for the de-beaking, and otherwise and inhumane practices of factory farms, I was just so done with meat. Being vegetarian has actually broadened my diet, not restrained it at all!
excellent comments, theresa.
though i am officially a flexitarian at present i have gradually cut back on meat, and enjoy meatless meals a lot more than last year.
i play hockey in the winter, run and cycle regularly and feel as energetic as ever. I'm not world-class at my age, but still keep up!
I was definitely influenced by The End of Food (Thomas Pawlick) and The Omnivore's Dilemma. My dad kept chickens for years, and our family enjoyed their eggs and meat, but I can't support today's methods related to meat production.
Sadly, we turn everything into an industry for the sake of the economy and humane philosophies are left at the door.
best wishes, gord h.
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