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