John and I are vegetarians. This change came about over a year ago, and was probably pretty shocking to people who know me well, as I think my favourite meal has always been a bloody steak, a baked potato with sour cream and a ceasar! In college, Tracey called me “Bacon girl” because of the fatty, greasy bacon sandwiches I was known to make on the weekends. He and I had started looking at our personal impact on the environment, and started looking into our “carbon footprint”. Mine is approximately (from http://www.calculator.carbonfootprint.com/)
- Your footprint is 5.43 tonnes per year
- The average footprint for people in Canada is 20.00 tonnes
- The average for the industrial nations is about 11 tonnes
- The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 tonnes
- The worldwide target to combat climate change is 2 tonnes
Although I would like to write more on this topic, I am running out of time today. Below is an article I think is particularly interesting on this topic. Lately I have been slacking on my good eating habits, and “cheating ” a bit more than usual… today I am renewing my pledge to take more care in what I eat, and urge you to as well.
Meat and the Environment // Pollution
Global warming has been called humankind’s “greatest challenge” and the world’s most grave environmental threat, and science shows that one of the most effective ways to fight global warming is to go vegetarian.1
Stars such as Sir Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde are lending their voices to share what science has already proven—that the meat industry is one of the leading sources of the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.
When asked what personal change people could make to help the environment, McCartney replied, “I think the biggest change anyone could make in their own lifestyle would be to become vegetarian.” To read the complete interview with Sir Paul McCartney, visit PETA’s blog The PETA Files.
A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined.2 Greenhouse gases cause global warming, which studies show will increasingly lead to catastrophic disasters—like droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and disease outbreaks—unless we drastically reduce the amounts emitted into the atmosphere.
Many conscientious people are trying to help reduce global warming by driving more fuel-efficient cars and using energy-saving light bulbs, but they could do more simply by going vegetarian.
- The official handbook for the Live Earth concerts says that “refusing meat” is the “single most effective thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.”3
- According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.
- The University of Chicago reports that going vegan is 50% more effective than switching to a hybrid car in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
More than Just CO2
Raising animals for their flesh, eggs, and milk is one of the world’s leading emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2). But global warming is caused by more than just CO2. Animal agriculture is the leading source of methane and nitrous oxide emissions, which—combined with carbon dioxide—causes the vast majority of global warming.
- Methane: The billions of farmed animals crammed into factory farms produce enormous amounts of methane, both during digestion and from the acres of cesspools filled with feces that they excrete. Methane is more than 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere.5 Statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency show that animal agriculture is the number one source of methane emissions in the U.S.6
- Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide is about 300 times more potent as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide. According to the U.N., the meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions.7
You Can Help Stop Global Warming Today
The most effective way to fight the global warming crisis is to stop eating meat, eggs, and dairy products. Start today by taking the Pledge To Be Veg for 30 Days.
I even miss my old car 
my old street….
my apartment…
Leading health experts agree that going vegetarian is the single-best thing we can do for ourselves and our families. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including our country’s three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer” and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.1 Well-planned vegetarian diets provide us with all the nutrients that we need, minus all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products.
