Eat Green, Eat Vegan!
I keep complaining that the news media isn't promoting vegetarianism as a viable "green" behavior. It's really frustrating to me when I read an article or watch a program which talks about the things we can do to save the environment and no one mentions eating vegan! And I'm not the only one, Alex comments:
This omission (“Go Vegan”) is fairly consistent throughout the environmentalist movement. A compilation of the most common policy proposals and suggested lifestyle alterations shows that this prescription is absent, and it’s revealing.
Today, New Scientist comes right out and says it...
In 2004, Pimentel (David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell) estimated 6 kilograms of plant protein are needed to produce 1 kg of high quality animal protein. He calculates that if Americans maintained their 3747 kcals per day, but switched to a vegetarian diet, the fossil fuel energy required to generate that diet would be cut by one third.
We're eating 3,747 calories/day on average when the recommended average is somewhere around 2,000?!?!?!!!! Wow! But I digress... Maintaining the ridiculous amount of calories consumed and switching to a vegetarian diet cuts fossil fuel used to create those calories 33%. So, for the time being, you can still have your vegan cake and eat it too, and save the environment!
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And on a completely unrelated note, thank you to all our readers who've asked us how we fared during today's earthquake. Aside from being shaken up and around, and having two sculptures fall to the floor, we survived unscathed. Don't believe everything you see on TV; it wasn't that big a deal. But we'd still prefer not to feel the ground moving under us!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!Related Information:
- Go Green Expo in NYC
- Eat Green – Literally and Figuratively
- Pasadena Neighborhood Green Fair
- 57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan
- Vegan Eating Trumps Eating Locally
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7 comments
Emily on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at
I for one, LOVE to feel the ground shake beneath ME!
I grew up in Maryland, not yet living in California in 1994, this was my first substantial quake! I was thrilled beyond belief hahaha. I dropped my vegan Subway sub in the shop and smiled at my best friend across the table from me the entire time. Being only about 15 miles from the epicenter, it was a ton of shaky fun!
Sue H on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at
OMG, yes. This drives me crazy, too. It’s such an integral part of the solution, and no one is talking about it. And Al Gore wasted an incredible opportunity.
Has anyone noticed that the Planet Green channel has a new cooking show, and who do they pick to host? Emeril “pork fat rules” Lagasse…how disgusting is that?
Eric on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at
I feel the same frustration; just listened the other evening to a “local foods” panel talking about environmentalism and how locally-raised meats are better. To “I don’t know how many people here are vegetarians,” only one hand went up: mine. At least someone was there to do it. ^_^
I hear seismographs up here (Seattle) recorded the quake as well, yet guests on the late-night (filmed mid-day) CA shows didn’t feel a thing. ^_^
Emily: It’s your official welcome to fault-line territory!
Eric on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at
Also did anyone else have a Spock-like eyebrow raise reading that article (and quoted part)–”plant protein” vs “high quality animal protein”–a little bias shining through in the adjectives? It mentions “reducing meat intake”, not eliminating it. So close…
Heh, “maintain[ing] their 3747 kcals per day”, regardless of what they eat is not a “diet”.
Elaine Vigneault on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at
I lived in California my entire life and I never felt an earthquake till I moved to Vegas! I always just slept right through them and only knew about it later when people asked if anything in my house broke. Haha.
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“you can still have your vegan cake and eat it too, and save the environment!”
Love it!
Alex on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at
The first question I ask environmentalists who begin discussions with me about defending “green” policy proposals is, “Are you vegan?”. More often than not, it is me, not them, who leads the conversation following that question. It’s an excellent approach to begin the dialogue about ‘animal rights’.
Lane on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at
Hi Emily,
Glad you enjoyed it. I sat thru it. Jane was really weirded out. It was her first “real” quake and she says she doesn’t need another.
Hi Sue,
I haven’t seen the channel, but perhaps Emeril will be preparing more vegetarian options? He’s not my favorite chef, and it’s disappointing that they couldn’t come up with someone better suited to the theme of the channel. Perhaps once they get more established they’ll move away from Emeril. I would suspect they chose him because he has a built in following.
Hi Eric,
Way to represent! As for the “high quality animal protein” — I always hesitate to make changes to the quotes. Perhaps I should revisit that.
As for the quake, I heard they felt it out to Las Vegas too. Bizarre, it wasn’t that large a quake. We felt it, believe me!
Hi Elaine,
So did you feel this quake?
Hi Alex,
You’re right, that’s a great jumping off point for dialogue. In that instance you’re probably far less likely to get resistance to the idea of eating vegan.