Contribute to a greener planet

Einstein said it well when he stated, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” Some of the greatest minds of all time were vegetarians — Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Sir Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Srinivasa Ramanujan—to name just a few. In fact, Da Vinci was so fervent about vegetarianism that he would buy caged chickens and set them free. Although their reasoning at that time was primarily from the standpoint of morality and compassion, the brightest minds of today continue to challenge the notion that meat should be a standard in our diet, from the perspective that it endangers the welfare of our planet, as well as our moral fiber and physical health. Alan Calverd, a physicist from the United Kingdom, recently made headlines about global warming and the vegetarian lifestyle, when he said, “Adopting a vegetarian diet would do more for the environment than burning less oil and gas.” As well, the world’s leading authority on global warming is suggesting that consuming daily portions of meat can have a major impact on climate change. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says, ‘The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18 percent (one-fifth) of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.” Think about it. Most meat production in the U.S. is factory farmed—a process that is not a simple one, making livestock responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than every train, truck, car and airplane put together. First there are the large amounts of petroleum used in creating ammonium nitrate fertilizer (for the corn that they are fed) and the transportation of that fertilizer and feeds to the animals. The animals themselves then need to be transported to slaughter and grocery. Some industrial livestock facilities produce as much sewage as a small city, but aren’t required to treat their waste, instead, holding it in large pools or spreading on farm fields where it often runs off into nearby water systems, contaminating fresh water supply. Joyce D’Silva from Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) says, ‘Surveys show people are anxious about their personal carbon footprints and are cutting back on car journeys and so on; but they may not realize that changing what’s on their plate could have an even bigger effect.’ The main reason that world food production must rise by 50% in the next 50 years is not the increase in population, but the increase in meat eating as poorer countries develop. A drastic shift in people’s diets and the planet will be able to support more people – in fact, it will quite easily deal with the 9.2 billion at which population is currently forecast to peak in about 40 years’ time, even with the threat to agriculture that climate change poses. Taken from an article on GreenDiary.com, here are some statistics based on if everyone in the U.S. were to go vegetarian for just one day: We would save: -100 billions gallon of water would be saved, enough to supply water to all the homes in New England for approximately 4 months -1.5 billion pounds of crops, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than 1 year -70 million gallons of gas, which can fuel all the cars in Canada and Mexico -3 million acres of land, which is twice than the size of Delaware -33 tons of antibiotics. We would prevent: -4.5 tons of animal excrement -Approximately 7 tons of ammonia emission. -Green house gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as is produced by the whole of France -3 million tons of soil erosion However, here is a bonus statistic. According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted a vegetarian meal, the carbon dioxide savings would be equal to taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. Tips on how to introduce healthier and/or vegetarian meals to your family’s diet -Make vegetarian meals colorful, tasty, and full of flavor by adding things such as nuts, grains, cheese, and eggs. As well, there are plenty of great meat alternatives such as Tofu or beans. -If your children turn their noses up at vegetables, gradually introduce more vegetables into their favorite meat dishes. Once they are use to the vegetables, try serving them on their own, without the meat. -Try not to draw attention to the food being vegetarian, or you’ll probably have better luck in getting them to eat it. -Go online or check out a vegetarian cookbook at the library. Like any recipe, leave it to the experts and pretty soon your family may be asking for more veggies please! If you’re worried about getting enough protein in your diet, vegan chef Tal Ronnen and author of “The Conscious Cook,” as well as the chef who recently created a 21-day vegan cleanse plan for Oprah, says when it comes to protein sources to replace meat, look to sources such as whole grains, as other cultures do. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), which contains all the essential amino acids, is one of the only grains that are a complete protein, Ronnen said. Other good sources of protein are beans, brown rice, grains, pastas and lentils. I’ll end with a quote from a favorite book of mine, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. “If one cares about the environment, one must care about eating animals…Someone who regularly eats factory-farmed products cannot call himself an environmentalist without divorcing that word from its meaning.”