What did you learn about dietary choices from using the footprint calculator? Now imagine that you could translate what you learned into an effective societal policy on food- what would it be? And how would this policy effect the need to alleviate world hunger?
925 million people on earth do not have enough to eat according to the FAO [Food and Agricultural Organization]. That's almost 1 in 7 inhabitants of our planet!
Food & Hunger >
to all you meat lovers
Livestock farming produces 20-50% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Meat lovers produce 3.3 tons of greenhouse gas emissions; meanwhile, the average is 2.5 tons. Even the average is a lot of carbon emission. I'm not saying you should convert to being a vegan ( who produces 1.5 tons) but try to cut down your meat consumption. Organic farming for both animals and produce have a much lower carbon emission than regular methods. You can reduce your footprint by 25% by just cutting down on red meats. Eating more vegetables can prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Moving towards a vegetarian diet can help save water because it requires only half the amount of water required in a meat-based diet. Shopping at local food stores and growing community gardens can greatly reduce your footprint.
I thoroughly agree with your statement!! I really enjoyed reading your post as you based if off of straight facts. I found it interesting that you quoted the consumer as "meat lovers." I really liked how you gave a viable solution to the problem. Overall, great post!!
I totally agree with your statement! Eating meat everyday is not good, you should really try vegetables and fruits every once in a while.
I definitely agree that we could cut back on eating red meat but it's unrealistic to completely eliminate all red meat simply because it's cheaper than ground turkey or chicken and because some people are on diets that are strictly red meats. I think that even just a slight reduction in consumption of red meat would definitely help because if there isn't as much red meat being sold, they won't keep processing as much as the packing houses are making currently.
I agree that we could try to cut down on eating red meat but I think it would be difficult because a lot of people, especially kids, are picky eaters and may not like a lot of fruits and vegetables.
At my home we have a greenhouse, which we built last year. We produce all of our vegetable needs like carrots, salads, pickles, tomatoes, strawberries and lots of other fruits. It's needless to say that it's a great fun to put in some effort and watch how your land brings you fruitage all year round. Not to mention it's all organic and very healthy.
At this point, I don't think it is possible to cut back on the production of meats in America. The food industry, as damaging as it may be, is crucial to the economic functions of this country. With so many people reliant upon these meats for basic nutrition, especially poorer families, it is not a credible option to go all natural. These meats are just as valuable as the gasoline and oil sold on the market.
Dear Vincent, if people ate less meat then farmers would grow less meat and they would grow other foods.