Since many of my friends are engineers my community's approach to the environmental crisis is usually technical. Friends who drive hybrids, have installed solar power on their roofs, several who are totally self sustaining by installing solar power panels that sell back to the utilities etc.
But my approach has been a little different. I stopped eating red meat 15 months ago now after reading a particularly disturbing book about the abattoir practices in the U.S. Not an unusual decision but one that I think will become more and more common -- although I do realize humans like to eat meat (I myself fall off the wagon about 3 times a year).
The reason this trend will grow isn't that Americans suddenly start caring about eating animals with the intelligence of their young children, but because of the carbon footprint of the meat industry. It'll be because the meat industry produces more carbon emissions than the auto industry (cows belching -- amazing but true). For example, 4oz of steamed vegetables have a carbon footprint of 0.18lbs, 4 oz of pasta has 0.39 lbs and 4oz of steak has 10.5lbs. See the excellent Time article here.
Hybridization of cars is the easiest big impact change we can make, but it's a very expensive change. While we have a Prius for the family, I still drive a 7-year-old gas-guzzling Jaguar convertible and I expect I'll drive it into the ground since it's a very high carbon footprint to replace it with any new car -- and more cost effective to drive the car to the end of it's natural life (plus it's the most fun I've had behind the wheel of a car since I was dating).
If it's time for you to buy a car then buy a hybrid, but if you aren't in the market for a new car today the highest impact change you can make is to stop eating meat -- and it's good for you too.
Want to be economically, socially, and environmentely friendly with regard to your food purchases, buy what is in season from a local farmer. Yes, it will cost more, but how much? Not that much, pass up a Starbucks and give the extra to the guy or gal growing fresh greens and tomatoes down the street. Or better yet, turn the computer off, go outside an grow your own.
One could call it BS. It's data with spin - an agenda - and it NOT being truthfully portrayed.
The true carbon footprint that we should worry about comes from two primary sources: Transportation and deforestation, both of which are shared concerns with agribusiness.
The other supposed concerns are simply misplaced - bad science.
For example, the oft cited methane from belching cows, while true forgets the relevance; Carbon that's on a short cycle is not important, it's the long cycle carbon that's important.
To be clear, the short carbon cycle, which we do NOT need to worry about is:
Atmosphere --> plant --> [cow | pig | chicken, etc] --> atmosphere
It's the LONG cycle that we need to worry about wherein stored carbon is added to the short cycle:
Fossil fuel --> industrial process / burning --> atomosphere (wherein it joins the cycle above)
So articles like this are doing a huge disservice to the public by distorting the science. It's hard enough to educate the populace on scientific topics as it is; spouting this type of misdirection is, to my mind, unethical and should be called on the carpet every time.
Note: There ARE good reasons to go vegetarian, this just isn't one of them.
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However, it takes 3-10 calories of feed to produce 1 calorie of meat, and there are large long-cycle carbon inputs associated with producing all that excess biomass.
I agree that agribusiness is a much greater threat to the environment than meat production. We've converted much of our fertile plains into tracts of sandy inert rooting media for a bizarre form of chemical spray hydroponics.
Diet for a Small Planet
http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Small-Planet-20th-Anniversary/dp/0345321200
Enter the Zone
http://www.amazon.com/Zone-Dietary-Permanently-Physical-Performance/dp/0060391502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236229017&sr=1-1
The direct effect of reducing exhalation itself would create a massive reduction, but when you think of the cascading benefits...less driving, lower energy consumption, less meat eating....we could easily reverse the effects of climate change within a decade.
Any volunteers?
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You wrote a really nice article, but it's not about greenhouse gases. It's about human psychology. Or, as they used to say in the old days "The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak."
As for the hybrid car being the easiest way to make an impact, that's simply wrong. The easiest ways to make an impact are by reducing electricity use for lighting, replacing inefficient refrigerators with energy efficient new models, by hang drying clothes instead of using a dryer and a host of other small things. Then comes home insulation and possibly the upgrade of the heating system to solar water.
The hybrid car, while great (I got a Prius as many may know), is way down on the list of cost effective measures to save energy. The best way to save transportation energy is to carpool, anyway. A used SUV with four people in it beats four Prius on the road easily in terms of energy efficiency.
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CA recently passed a very Earth un-friendly law outlawing these measures. We need to tell the CA legislature that we care about the Earth and to implement these ideas today!
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I hate hypocrisy in any form. To me it is one of the most insidious aspects of the human psyche. I could give tons of non food examples, but to avoid controversy, as far as global warming and dairy is concerned, anyone who has those concerns needs to stop eating dairy altogether. That means yogurt, cheese, butter and ice cream.
I won't give up my butter or cream, although I don't eat tons, I have to have them in sauces and therefore I cannot look down on anyone who eats a steak.
Penny, could you share the Title of the book you read that helped you make the change?
Vegetarians have better blood test results across the board.
If our new health care system is going to incorporate prevention than life style along with diet play an important part of prevention and healthy habits:
Example:
Plant Based Diet.
No Alcohol.
Tobacco Free.
Prescription Drug Free.
Recreational Drug Free.
Sober Living.
Or better yet once universal health care is forced on us I'll really start to live it up since the cost of my healthcare will be borne by others.
Tangy Tuesdays!
Wheat Free Wednesdays!
I raise Alpacas. They are modified ruminants with far more efficient 3 chamber stomachs than the 7 stomach cow system. A properly bred and managed Alpaca can produce 5-10 pounds of 16-19 micron fiber better than cashmere, doing the same work as 10-20 cashmere goats.
We have solar, compost the Alpaca poo for our vegetable garden and will have a wind turbine soon. (Someday I'll be off the Grid completely.) We don't eat much meat and are trying to eat less. I drive and fly far less than when I had a city job. We live at 6600ft and never need A/C. The house is well insulated with the north and west walls built into a hill, we keep the temp at 62 degrees and wear Alpaca sweaters. I have 50 Alpacas now, we'll need 200-250 to run a large-scale fiber operation; far fewer head than your average beef producer.