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 >
Beef
Growing beef is incredibly energy and resource intensive. According to PETA, it takes over 2500 gallons of water to produce just one pound of beef. That is 40 times more water than it takes to grow one pound of wheat. According to meatinstitute.org, Americans consumed 52 billion pounds of beef in 2017, which is about 130 trillion gallons of water. Taking as much beef out of our diets as possible is a huge step in reducing wasted water. By not eating a steak, you could save as much water as you would by not showering for 6 months. Poultry is less water intensive than beef and is a very good alternative to beef.
Sources:
https://www.meatinstitute.org/index.php … /pid/47465
https://www.peta.org/videos/meat-wastes-water/
I agree strongly with you that growing beef is unstainable. Not only does it waste water but it also produces billions of methane emissions. In a 2006 study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,18 percent of all human greenhouse gas emissions, was created from factory farming. Cows produce methane which is 70 times more worst to earth's atmosphere than CO2. By creating and supporting these factory farms, humans are drastically destroying our planet. So, in order to save our earth, we need to cut down on our beef consumption and try other alternatives that cut back on emissions.
Source: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/arti … imate.aspx
Wow I didn't know that growing beef was that costly. I think that it will be hard for people to give up beef because it has become a staple in so many cultures and societies. Therefore, instead could we result to growing beef in more sustainable and primal fashion, like letting them graze in fields? Or would it still have the same costly effects? Also, farming for meat in general can be costly as well. According to PETA, animal agriculture is the number one cause of pollution leading to Seventy-five percent of the world’s fisheries being exploited or depleted. Knowing this is a animal product free diet the way to go? Or does the good in being able to consume animal products outweigh the negative results?