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 >
Vegetables are Green
I have been a vegetarian since I was around three years old. This was influenced by me at such an early age because to get to my pre-school my parents would have to drive me through Chinatown where I would see large trucks filled with pig carcasses. I began to notice that the animals I was eating were once alive. Then at my young age, I refused to eat any meat my parents gave to me and for the past 14 years, I have not eaten meat.
As a vegetarian, I have also been interested in how my eating option is sustainable. I have learned that raising animals for food increases the level of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming. Also the amount of water it takes to produce beef and meats is 13,000 to 100,000 liters, this is not including the 1,000 to 2,000 liters of water that are required to grow wheat. If people did not eat livestock and just stuck to eating plants, then only 1,000 to 2,000 liters of water would be used rather than the alternative of 13,000 to 100,000. When I was doing the carbon footprint calculator I noticed that when I filled in that I was a vegetarian my carbon footprint lowered. Vegetarianism is both good for the Earth and good for one's health. Being a vegetarian decreases one's chances of developing a heart disease or cancer. For example, eating red meat is a leading cause of cancers because of its carcinogens. Hopefully, if more people learn about the benefits of vegetarianism from both a global and personal perspective then they will change the diets to one of a vegetarian.
Hi Sydni. I agree with you that raising beef and other types of livestock cause a huge amount of lost water. Living in California most people assume that the leading cause of our drought is because of no rain and all the agriculture, which is true to some extent, however all the livestock that is raised here ends up using much more than agriculture and the water being used in people's homes. However, if everyone becomes a vegetarian I believe that it would not lower the amount of water being used that drastically. Because many cows and goats will still be raised for there milk, to create various dairy products. Also, if the entire world population switched to vegetarianism, then there would be a much greater need for vegetables and such, raising the demand which would mean that the farmers would in turn have to grow more of them, causing the water usage for that to raise. I do believe that it still may be lower than what it is today with all the livestock being raised, however I just don't think that it would be lowered by that much. Also, there is a lot of benefit that comes from eating meats. Meat is the leading form of protein, and it also provides some vital amino acids. Meat is also rich in iron, zinc, and selenium. Throughout evolution it has also been demonstrated that humans are able to perform there best when we are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. So yes there are reasons, some very good ones, to become a vegetarian, however their are still strong advantages from eating meat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUoAdXfA60
This video has many facts about what would happen if the everyone went vegetarian. It states that beef is 5x more water intensive than fruit, 7x more than vegetables, and 20x more than grains. Even if more vegetables would have to be grown to make up for the meat, it would still end up being more water efficient compared to now. The benefits of increased vegetarianism would not show drastically overnight, but as time passes I'm sure that the benefits will be obvious.
Also, the livestock industry accounts for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than what planes, cars, and trains emit altogether. The statistics all point to saying that vegetarianism greatly benefits the environment.
Yes, there are certain benefits to eating meat, but there are plant-based alternatives for just about every vitamin and mineral our bodies need, I'm sure there are studies that go both ways -- some supporting vegetarianism and some saying that it's bad for our health, but in the end, it may just be different for each individual. When i t comes down to it, it's understandable that many people will not be willing to go vegetarian, but we all need to be conscious of the environment and reduce our meat consumption. Even going meatless one day a week by participating in Meatless Mondays is a big help. Personally, I'm currently not even vegetarian myself but I have been cutting back on meat more and more and encouraging my family to do the same because I know of all the environmental benefits it brings.