by Monica on May 19, 2012
Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-
This week’s Sustainable Saturday post is focused on meat and the effects it has on our environment.
I looovvve meat; I really consider myself quite the carnivore. Whether at a restaurant or at home, I must have a chunk of meat on my plate. From pork to chicken and steak, I love it all and find myself craving it often. Surprising enough, I’ve also attempted to add meat to my salads and sandwiches for extra protein to ensure that I will stay full longer.
However, my boyfriend’s family recently gave up meat due to sustainability reason. I had never thought of meat being environmentally harmful, and thus decided to do a little research on my own.
When researching I found that animal breeding for meat contributes enormously to global warming. With the excessive release of chemicals into the environment, the greenhouse effect is greatly increasing. According to the head of Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy, “contribution of cattle breeding is about the same as that for all automobile traffic, if we take into consideration the clearing of forests for cattle and for fodder.” I also found that, “the 1.3 million heads cattle kept worldwide alone are responsible for 12% annual methane gas emissions.
Breeding of livestock creates over 110 million tons of methane annually. This is even more critical when one consider that one molecule of methane contributes 25 times more to greenhouse effect than one molecule of carbon dioxide (the main by-product of autos).”
Not only is meat expensive in its production, but also an unimaginable amount of land is dedicated to raising these animals. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s land is dedicated to grazing. This land could be dedicated to vegetables, grains or other environmentally sustainable practices.
When considering these shocking statistics it is no wonder it has been an increasing trend to give up meat. Even my college cafeteria has jumped on the bandwagon by participating in Meatless Mondays to encourage a lower consumption of meat. For these reasons I encourage you to consider reducing your meat consumption with Meatless Mondays.
Simply giving up meat once a week can greatly reduce your greenhouse gas contribution. Even as a meat-obsessed carnivore I have given up meat once a week, because I know I can make a difference with just this one day sacrifice. So pass on the word and encourage your friends and family to go meatless on Mondays as well. You are helping yourself and your plants with this simple change!
(Photo Source)
Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-
Here’s another great mixture of food-related sites for our Favorite Sites Friday list. Check it out.
- Love with Food: If you’re looking for a new way to discover food and tasty treats, all the while helping others, check out this site. Each month, members of Love with Food ($12 per month) receive a delivered curated box of unique, hard-to-find tasty bites to sample, which varies based on seasonal themes. For every item you purchase, Love with Food donates a meal to help end hunger; they have donated over 6,280 meals to food banks such as Feeding America Network and Share Our Strength – No Kid Hungry. Members also receive exclusive discounts on all full-sized products featured in their box and earn points on both purchases and feedback.
- Chefs Collaborative: With a vision that sustainable practices will be second nature for every chef in the United States, the Chefs Collaborative is a nonprofit network of chefs that’s changing the sustainable food landscape using the power of connections, education and responsible buying decisions. The Collaborative affects change by doing these 3 things: 1) Cultivating a vibrant community to develop and share best practices. 2) Providing educational and informational resources to the professional food service and culinary community. 3) Building a strong membership base of hundreds of members across the country. For individual businesses, restaurants and organizations that are focused on food sustainability, this is a great resource and platform to meet other like-minded individuals.
- National Resources Defense Council (NRDC): The NRDC is one of the most effective environmental action groups, combining the grassroots power of 1.3 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals. In their mission to save the Earth, the NRDC work on a broad range of issues,including safeguarding our food and agriculture systems; keeping contaminants out of food, cutting back on toxic pesticides, reducing antibiotics overuse in livestock, making sustainable, healthy eating easy, promoting sustainable food production and spotlighting sustainable food leaders are primary areas of their work.
- Organic Trade Association (OTA): This is another action platform for those concerned about food and agriculture. As a membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America, the OTA’s mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy. The OTA represents businesses across the organic supply chain and addresses all things organic, including food, fiber/textiles, personal care products, and new sectors as they develop.
- The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA): ACGA is a bi-national nonprofit membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities. Their mission is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada. By providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education, the Association recognizes that community gardening improves people’s quality of life.
If you would like your food-related site featured on our Favorite Sites Friday post, share your URL in the comments area or shoot us a quick tweet @foodem using hashtag #favsitesfriday.
Reported by foodem.com, the online wholesale food marketplace-