Blog Action Day: Climate Change
“Livestock production is responsible for 18% of climate change – more than all of the world’s transportation!”
– Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
Many people ask me why I am vegetarian, and I struggle to find a specific way to answer this question.
The very first reasons that got me curious about vegetarianism was to research some information I had heard about the environmental toll of meat production.
I did a lot of research, and the more information I found, the more I began to feel that eating vegetarian was not only a healthier way of life physically, but also a more globally sustainable diet.
Going vegetarian would eliminate 1.5 tonnes of C02 equivalent gases per year – a bigger environmental contribution than switching to a Prius! (Source: University of Chicago study, April 2006)
When people consider greenhouse gas emissions, they typically look to the automotive industry as the culprit in the climate change crisis. Yet, eating meat causes more environmental damage than all of transportation combined – representing 18% of the total globally-released greenhouse gases known to cause climate change. Furthermore, manure from farm animals releases high levels of methane, nitrogen, phosphates and heavy metals into our air and water. (Source: Veg.ca)
I feel that a vegetarian diet is one of the easiest and most direct ways for me to seriously reduce my own ecological footprint. And I certainly can’t argue about how much better I feel since changing my diet.
I am proudly going on 9 years of vegetarianism, with a focus on mostly vegan foods in the last few months.
Some other small ways in which I try to be conscious of my environmental impact:
• Resuable bags
• Buying local produce
• Ride my bike & take public transit
• Cook with fresh ingredients
• Avoid packaged products
• Recycle and compost as much as possible
• Electronic banking/invoicing
How do you reduce your environmental impact?
Resources
6 (More) Reasons a Vegetarian Diet Can Help You Lose Weight, Save Money, and Save the Planet
Five Food Choices for a Healthy Planet
Meat Eaters aid global warming?
Veg.ca
Term papers
19 December 09
Thanks for the post! I’ve used it on my blog…