EAT LOW ON THE FOOD CHAIN

 

,According to Diet for a New America, over a billion people could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock every year.

 

BACKGROUND

 

 We don't think anyone should tell you what to eat‑that's too personal. But we do think you should know some facts about how your diet affects the environment. A lot of Americans probably never consider the resources that it takes to put‑for example‑hamburgers on their dinner tables. We've been blessed with a plentiful food supply; per, haps it's time we tried to conserve the natural resources that support it.

 

DIDYOUKNOW

 

According to Diet for a New America. If Americans reduced their meat intake by just 10%, the savings in grains and soybeans could adequately feed 60 million people‑the number of people who starve to death, worldwide, each year.

 

To produce I lb. of beef, we need 16 Ibs. of grain and soybeans, 2500 gallons of water, and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline.

 

Livestock production accounts for more than half of all the water consumed (for all purposes) in the U.S.

 

Believe it or not, cows may be contributing to the greenhouse ef, fect. According to one estimate, the world's 1.3 billion cows annually produce nearly 100 million tons of methane‑a powerful "greenhouse gas" which, molecule for molecule, traps 25 times as much solar heat as C02.

 

220 million acres of land in the U.S. have been deforested for livestock production. 25 million acres (an area the size of Austria) in Brazil, and half the forestt in Central America, have been cleared for beef production.

 

A third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing. Half of American croplands grow livestock feed (mostly for cattle).


20 pure vegetarians can be fed on the land needed to feed one person who eats meat

 

Growing grains, vegetables and fruits uses less than 5% as much raw materials as does meat production.

 

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO

 

The simplest thing‑‑even if you're a confirmed meat‑eater‑is to cut down on the amount of beef you eat.

 

Experiment with occasional vegetarian meals. There are lots of excellent vegetarian cuisine cookbooks available.

 

Have you tried your hand at edible gardening? Gardening is the #1 recreational pursuit in America. You'll be amazed at how much you can grow in even a tiny plot. Herbs, leafy greens, fruits and even com can be grown quite handily in most urban settings.

 

Support local "farmers' markets." Locally‑grown produce is typically fresher, cheaper, and less laden with pesticide residues than produce shipped long distances.