Meat Eating & the Planet
"Vegetarianism--the practice of not eating meat, fish, or fowl--is a logical conclusion for all who are in
tune with the earth, with the animals, or with their own bodies. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly healthier:
heart disease, cancer, and many of the other "diseases of civilization" are linked to meat consumption.
And a vegetarian diet would also be of direct benefit to the 8,000 animals which are slaughtered for food
every minute in the United States alone. But what about the environment?"
- Read the full article on the Vegetarian Society of Colorado website.
The Cold Hard Facts in Question/Answer Form
Q. What causes global warming?
A. the greenhouse effect
Q. What is the main cause of the greenhouse effect?
A. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Q. How much fossil fuel is needed to produce products for a meat centered diet compared to that of a
meat-free diet?
A. 3 times more
Q. How much of U.S. topsoil has been lost to date?
A. 75%
Q. What percent of the topsoil loss is directly related to livestock raising?
A. 85%
Q. How many acres of U.S. forest have been cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet
products?
A. 260 million
Q. How much meat is imported from Central and South America into the U.S. annually?
A. 300,000,000 pounds
Q. What is the percent of Central American children under age 5 that are undernourished?
A. 75%
Q. What is the area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter pound of rainforest beef?
A. 55 square feet
Q. What is the current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing
and other uses?
A. 1,000 per year
-Information Source: Diet for a New America by John Robbins
Simple Ways to Help the Earth
1) Reduce Waste:
Toilet Paper and Facial Tissues made from Recycled Paper- If every household in the U.S. replaced just
one roll of 1000 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
469,000 trees, 1.2 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,700 full garbage trucks, 169 million
gallons of water which is a year’s supply for 1,300 families of four
Toothbrush with Replacement Heads- 250,000,000 toothbrushes are disposed of every 4 months.
250,000,000 toothbrushes laid end to end would stretch from LA to NYC almost 8 1/2 times. Fuchs
toothbrushes reduce waste.
2) Buy Organic Products when possible:
Instead of applying synthetic pesticides on the soil or the plants, organic producers invest large amounts
of time in researching safe and effective pest and disease control. Fewer pesticides mean a safer,
cleaner planet for all of us.
Many organics food products and clothing are available from VeganGoods.com
3) Go Vegan:
A vegan diet uses fewer resources than that of a meat-based diet
