So You're An Environmentalist - Then Why Are You Still Eating Meat?

[cat]

Not my question -- actually the title of an article by Jim Motavalli, E Magazine.

"Evidence shows a meat-based diet is bad for the environment,
aggravates global hunger, brutalizes animals and compromises
health. So why aren't more environmentalists vegetarians?"

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12162


Any thoughts?

[Erin Pavlina]

It's true. Read Diet for a New America. Excellent information on our environment. Or try Food Revolution.

Very interesting stuff!

[naturalmama]

great article cat!!!! I have not sent xmas cards for the past two years, as I see it as just another thing that we are suppose to do, that just make me stress out some more, etc. ANYWAY - I think I would like to send out something along these lines, that I feel is a more educational/informational type thing, along with a family letter. I think people would appreciate learning something about life, rather than just another card that they look at and throw away.

[daylily]

The #1 reaon I became a vegetarian was b/c of my concerns about global warming. The health benefits to myself are just a nice bonus. A few people seem threatened by my choice, so I usually don't talk about it, never preach about it. I think that if you eat a minimal ammount of meat that's free range and organic, then it's probably OK.

[steffi]

I read this article this afternoon. I studied at an agricultural college, so alot of it was familiar to me.
But to see all the facts lined up like that. I have never been a big meat eater, but I have to say, I think this article swayed me off it.

The kids won't have any problem with a veggie life.....but dh might!! I have never really cared for meat, so I'm easy too.

Expect to see me on the Good Eating board scrounging around for recipes. I want to give the vegan life a shot. I just can't argue that article!!!

[daylily]

I didn't read the article the first time I posted on this thread but now I have. It's very interesting, but so sad. I emailed it to a couple of my friends.

[bebe luna]

I haven't read the article, but I was just reading andrew Weills book "Eating Well for Optimal Health"- he has a section on this topic. He stated how cows produce as much pollution and damage the ozone as much as cars do- from the methane in their gas (referring to the mass amounts of cows raised for the beef industry)... as well as the destruction of the rain forest to create grazing space for cows... The author of "Diet for a Small Planet" also goes into how being vegetarian is beneficial to the enviroment.
I was raised a vegetarian... then went to eating meat when I was 18. I've never been a big meat eater, and most always ate meat from organic farms, free-range, etc. But lately I've realized how expensive it is, and how I don't really need it... and how I can help the enviroment by not eating meat. So, as of this week, I gave up meat... but I do think I will still be eating fish on occassion (the fish from the coop, that is organically farm raised).
Now, if I can only convince dh!
On another note- I also think that anyone who has consciousness about the worlds ecological state, and considers themselves an enviromentalist, would also eat as much organic food as they were able to ( I know financial reasons and availibility often can limit this), and they would also buy in bulk as often as possible- to help cut down on packaging.

[Ruth]

I am an environmentalist and I do not eat meat. Originally, I became vegetarian for purely selfish reasons. I was quitting a job with great health insurance benefits to start my own company. I figured no health insurance meant I HAD TO STAY HEALTHY.

Later, I learned about how I was saving the earth and animals AND how I was saving many many people from starvation.

[Deirdre]

My dh and I are trying very hard to be vegetarians, although we occasionally will eat seafood. I was a veg for several years before meeting dh and I didn't miss meat a bit. At some point I caved in and ate a burger or something and gave up my veg diet.

I used to live in an area that had a several major poultry processors and I used to see the trucks with all those chickens crammed in and it made me sooo sad. One day we we saw a dead chicken by the side of he road and we knew he had "escaped" from one of these trucks only to meet his death on the pavement.

I read the article and it reminded me of everything I read years ago in Diet for a New America and Diet for a Small Planet. I now have the encouragement I need to keep away from the meat!

[Erin Pavlina]

When my husband and I went vegan, we did it to become healthy.

Then I read Diet for a New America and was glad I was already vegan. We added ethical considerations to our reasons for being vegan. Then we added environmental concern to our reasons.

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I'd be vegan today, I would have told them they were stoned. Now, I wish I had been vegan my entire life. I feel better, look better, and am doing more for the planet eating this way than I ever did eating meat.

That's one of the reasons I started VegFamily.com... to find out how to raise kids vegan. I had no idea. It's been quite a journey and now I help other people learn how to raise their children vegan. I never would have thought it... never.

[daylily]

It occurred to me that the article didn't mention much about the dairy industry. Are dairy cows treated better than beef cows? Although we (my family) don't eat meat, we do eat dairy and eggs. In the summer I'm able to buy local, organic eggs and in winter I buy supermarket organic or free range eggs. But there's no local source for organic milk. What is worse, buying conventional milk from a local source, or buying organic milk that's been ultra-pasturized and trucked all the way to VA from New England? Maybe that will be my new crusade: to convince local farmers to make organic milk for Virginians.

Also, the article made disturbing allusions to pet food. Is there an alternative to conventional pet food? From a few things I've read, I've got the impression that bagged dog food is an American thing. During an unfortunate domestic mishap, our dog's food caught on fire and it didn't smell at all like burning food or meat. It smelled TOXIC. There were really noxious fumes. Scary! Would our dog be healthy if we fed her table scraps? She loves pasta, cheese, even tofu.

[Ruth]

Daylily,

When we had a dog and a cat, we used to buy the dog vegetarian dog food. They sell it even at the mainstream places like Petsmart (if I remember correctly). We also feed our dog some table scraps-he loved tofu dogs! We could never find vegetarian cat food, though.

[pie]

Why do so many environmentally conscious vegans wear leather shoes? I can see if the shoes were purchased pre-owned, but why buy new leather? Anyone out there do this? Why?

[Erin Pavlina]

Mampie,

I did a survey on VegFamily where I asked people this very question, about buying/wearing leather shoes. The responses I got seemed to indicate the following.

1. Most vegans only wore leather products they had before going vegan. They stopped buying new ones when they went vegan but didn't want to throw away their old stuff since that would waste the animals life.

2. The ones that DID buy leather after going vegan said it was mainly because non-leather shoes were hard to find or the price difference was beyond their financial capability. Non-Leather vegan shoes can cost $80-$90 compared to the same shoe in leather costing $30-$40.

[pie]

Hmmm, interesting perspective. Thank you Erin.

[pie]

The only suggestion is to buy used shoes when you can.

[Erin Pavlina]

Celestial, check out www.veganstore.com. They sell really nice fake leather Doc Martens. Expensive, but very very nice!

[pie]

I juat wanted to say I am not being snotty about vegans in leather shoes. It was honest curiosity. Wanted to make myself clear!

[Ruth]

I am environmentally conscious vegetarian (working my way to veganism) and I don't wear leather shoes. My husband found this place to mail-order our dress shoes (we are both lawyers) although I was very happy with $9.00 Payless Shoes pumps-black.

Celestial, I will try to get you the information on these shoes that we buy-they are VERY nice. I'll ask dh tomorrow.

[Erin Pavlina]

Mampie, I didn't think you were being snotty at all. I sensed a genuine curiosity.