The following post on this very website inspired me to do a little research about the environmental benefits of vegetarianism. I have been a vegetarian for over three years now (of course, I choose to overlook the once-in-a-while “breakdowns” that I am prone to). And though the switch had little to do with the environment and more with animal-cruelty, I figured that awareness about the environmental benefits of vegetarianism will only help strengthen my resolve.
Usually I steer clear from getting all preachy about vegetarianism, for two reasons. One, I don’t think preaching helps in this matter, really..the desire has to come from within. Two, I don’t want to go on a tirade about the evils of meat-eating one day and get caught stuffing in meaty somethings the next (although I am happy to report that that hasn’t happened in a while). So this post is for the almost-vegetarians. Below I have listed 7 anti meat-eating, hard-hitting facts (from sites such as goveg.com, liveearth.org, un.org etc. ) – just to give weak-resolved vegetarians (like me) something to think about when they are about to pander to their base gastronomical desires.
Here goes:
(1) The meat industry is among the highest producers of greenhouse gases such as carbon-dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide.
(2) University of California reports that it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef. That’s more than a year of daily showers in exchange for 4 hamburgers.
(3) A third of the total raw material and fossil fuel being currently used in the US goes into raising animals for food.
(4) A major source of deforestation is forests being cleared up for pastures. This is true especially in Latin America where around 70 per cent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing. Each minute, an area of rain forest as big as 7 football fields is slashed for grazing cattle.
(5) According to Environmental Defense, if every American gave up one meal of chicken per week in favor of a veggie meal, that would be equivalent to removing over half a million cars off U.S. roads, in terms of reduction in carbon emissions.
(6) According to the EPA – chicken, cattle and hog excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and groundwater in 17 states.
(7) Animals raised for food generate 89,000 pounds of waste per second.
There are tons of other reasons to turn (and stay) veg. But I think for now, I have lost my appetite.
