Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Changing your diet for ecological reasons: the impact of meat production

Baraka_Guru · 12-19-2008, 08:51 AM

I was doing one of these ecological footprint quizzes (Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress), and I noticed how big a role our food habits play in the equation. Where you buy your food and how much you eat are important factors, but one of the bigger factors was how much meat you consume. They stated that meat production accounts for as much as 18% of greenhouse gasses. That's a biggie. The options on the quiz were interesting. They varied from vegan & vegetarian to omnivore, "carnivore," and "top of the food chain." "Carnivore" suggests that you eat a lot of meat, but "top of the food chain" means you eat meat at every meal. Do people really eat that much? Anyway, I find it interesting how there is a lot of talk about the damage to the environment that is caused by automobiles, power inefficiency at work and in our homes, and our general shopping habits, yet when we talk about food, it's usually about locality rather than the makeup of our diet.

Animal rights and related ethics aside, one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce your ecological footprint is to eat more legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables and less meat. It's that simple. It's one of the reasons why I want to be fully vegan. Even the production of dairy and eggs has a significant environmental impact.

How far would you consider going to change your diet for ecological reasons?

What do you think of this method of being environmentally friendly?

12-19-2008, 08:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Changing your diet for ecological reasons: the impact of meat production I was doing one of these ecological footprint quizzes (Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress), and I noticed how big a role our food habits play in the equation. Where you buy your food and how much you eat are important factors, but one of the bigger factors was how much meat you consume. They stated that meat production accounts for as much as 18% of greenhouse gasses. That's a biggie. The options on the quiz were interesting. They varied from vegan & vegetarian to omnivore, "carnivore," and "top of the food chain." "Carnivore" suggests that you eat a lot of meat, but "top of the food chain" means you eat meat at every meal. Do people really eat that much? Anyway, I find it interesting how there is a lot of talk about the damage to the environment that is caused by automobiles, power inefficiency at work and in our homes, and our general shopping habits, yet when we talk about food, it's usually about locality rather than the makeup of our diet. Animal rights and related ethics aside, one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce your ecological footprint is to eat more legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables and less meat. It's that simple. It's one of the reasons why I want to be fully vegan. Even the production of dairy and eggs has a significant environmental impact. How far would you consider going to change your diet for ecological reasons? What do you think of this method of being environmentally friendly? __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 12-19-2008 at 09:04 AM..