Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!

I hope all goes well for you all this evening. I’m looking forward to giving out my apples. I’ll tell you how it went next week.
Asside from being healthier to eat less meat, Now we see its also better for the environment. About a year ago I cut my meat intake by a half and I found I have more energy too. I replaced that meat with more vegetables.

SURVEY OF OCA READERS: IS IT OKAY TO EAT MEAT?
Researchers from Cornell have published a study that reopens the debate over whether it's better for the environment to be an omnivore or a vegetarian. According to the study, a low fat carnivore diet with a limited amount of meat, dairy and/or eggs is actually a more efficient use of the land. The explanation is relatively simple: if you are trying to sustainably produce the maximum amount of food nutrients on a plot of land, the high value soil is better suited for food plants, whereas low value land can create more food via grazing livestock or wild game than by planting crops. Researchers noted that the average modern meat eater consumes levels of meat and dairy that are nearly three times what would be considered "efficient". Although specific geographical areas may result in varying equations, the study's land analysis found that the amount of omnivore intake for environmental efficiency is 2 cooked ounces per day. That amounts to around the size of two decks of cards every three days. Learn more and share your opinions about this study in OCA's web forum. Please take our quick poll there too, so we can determine how many readers are vegan, vegetarian, omnivore and carnivore: http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=447
RELATED FACTS: YOUR DIET IMPACTS ENVIRONMENT MORE THAN YOUR CAR
13 PERCENT = The percentage of greenhouse gases created by all trucks, SUVs, cars, airplanes, trains and other transportation.
18 PERCENT = The amount of greenhouse gases created by livestock production.
Source: United Nations
Moral of the story: If you are an average U.S. meat eater, reducing your meat consumption to 2 ounces per day is roughly equivalent to doubling your vehicle's fuel efficiency, in terms of greenhouse gas reduction.

Enjoy! Marnie