Vegetarianism and the environment
About three months ago I decided to become a vegetarian not just for reasons concerning the treatment of animals but also because of the impact that mass meat consumption has on our environment. On this coming Earth Day, if you are thinking of an impactful way to help preserve our land, water and air then think about becoming a vegetarian. Not prepared to go that far? Neither was I at first, initially I still hungered for a pepperoni pizza or well-dressed burger but I want to take every opportunity to make a difference on an issue that is as big as all of us. You need not completely rid your diet of meat products if you chose not to have meat during breakfast or lunch then that is 7 out of 21 meals per week which is a significant step towards going green.
With the advice of a friend I began to search for restaurants and fast food joints with veggie options as I am on the road a great deal on a daily basis. A site called Vegetarian Resources has great listings and a great summary of my initial reason for investigating vegetarianism:
A disproportionate amount of the resources of the earth are used to produce meat products. About half the water used by the US is used for cattle production. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. A cow needs to eat 7 pounds of protein derived from soybeans or grains to make a pound of beef.
Around 390 gallons of water are used to produce a pound of beef and just 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat.
Many trees are being cut down throughout the world so more cattle can be grazed. Much of this deforestation takes place in the tropical rain forests in Central and South America. Cattle production is the main reason for the destruction of the rain forests in Central and South America. More than 25% of the forests in Central America have been destroyed because of cattle production. For every quarter pound of hamburger exported from the region, there is a loss of 55 square feet of rain forest.
When livestock grazes on land this tends to cause erosion of the topsoil and the land to dry out. The US has lost about one-third of its topsoil. Good topsoil helps to keep land more cultivable.
As a beef producer, I would like to highlight what we have done not only to conserve our natural resources, but actually improve the environment. 85% of the land that our cattle graze on is actually land that has no other use. We have been able to convert this land that would otherwise go to waste and turn it into a productive, beneficial environment. On our ranch, we implement methods that prevent erosion, promote a better environment, and improve wildlife habitat. The quality of our land impacts the quality of our animals and our way of life. We work to ensure that the resourece we use today will be here for the generations of tomorrow. For more information on what we do, please visit beeffrompasturetoplate.org
Leticia, thanks for being a model of a livestock producer that is also an environmental steward. My fear is that your company is not the norm and that it is mass consumption of meat that endangers efforts to establish a sustainable future. The stats listed in the article I think could be blunted if more producers followed your example.
As a cattle producer and an advocate for the Beef industry I agree completely with Leticia. In my hometown and surrounding community the environment is a vital part of our economy. As cattle producers we rely on the land for more than just profit, we rely on it for our way of life. Like Leticia’s Family we also have strong beliefs for the environment and how it is maintained and utilized in a proper way. We use sound practices like pasture rotation (moving cattle from one pasture to another at various times of the year to prevent over grazing), no-till farming, and water conservation. In my state farmers and ranchers use solar powered water tanks which means the water is pumped with solar energy. We also use wind energy to power our operations. Sustainable agriculture is a way of life.
Hey Beth, welcome to the blog.
I understand that members of the beef industry and perhaps the pork, chicken and other ‘meat industries’ can and are taking steps to become sustainable endeavors but what led me to become a vegetarian was the oversized impact that meat production compared to non-meat production has on efforts to conserve resources. Some of the sound practices that you describe in your comment are great steps toward reducing any potential negative environmental impacts.