Are there aspects of your daily life that you know contribute to your carbon footprint but you are unwilling to compromise to change them? In other words, what about your life is “off the table” when it comes to carbon emissions? It's OK to admit it- we all have these cherished behaviors!
Off the Table? >
Meat Might Stay
From a young child, I was raised having meat for nearly every other meal. As a result, at this point in my life, I still consider chicken as a staple for many of the meals I eat. After watching numerous documentaries advocating to become vegan/vegetarian, I still remain undiscouraged. I am aware of the massive amount of Methane and C02 produced during the care and processing of livestock. Being highly concerned about preserving the environment, I have looked into the many ways to counteract or at least delay this damaging process. According to the American animal rights organization, PETA, "Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide together cause the vast majority of global warming". Considering that global warming does, in fact, have devastating effects, stopping the consumption of meat would significantly lower the threat of the world increasing in temperature. With this in mind, I have made attempts with my family to go vegetarian but I have not been able to stay committed. I believe this is a result of primarily the taste that I am less accustomed to as well as the higher difficulty to purchase intricate meal ingredients and easily finding meals outside of my home. Since I am unable to entirely drop meat at the time, one compromise I would be willing to consider would be dropping red meat and still eating chicken until later consideration. Additionally, I am currently competing in sports which makes it difficult to find adequate amounts of protein and enough food to fill me up at a reasonable price. Luckily, my family continues to have a vegetarian diet and encourages me to do the same.