Being Veg in a Non-Veg House

It has been said one of the most effective ways to fight global warming is to go vegetarian.* Here are some quick facts* on animal agriculture:

• Eating 1 lb. of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving an SUV 40 miles.


• If every American skipped 1 meal with chicken and had a vegetarian substitute instead it would equal carbon dioxide savings the same as taking more than a half million cars off the road.


• An area the size of 7 football fields is destroyed in the rainforest every minute to make room for grazing cattle, but each vegetarian saves 1 acre of trees a year


• It takes 5,000 gallons of water and 16 lbs. of grain to produce 1 lb. of meat. Farmed fish are fed 5 lbs. of wild-caught fish to produce 1lb. of meat for us to consume. You would save more water not eating meat than you would by not showering for an entire year.


• 20% of the world's population could be fed with the grain and soybeans used to feed the United States cattle alone.


• Of all the raw materials and fossil fuels currently used in the U.S. more than 1/3 goes to raising animals for food.

In 2006 the United Nations put out a report titled Livestock's Long Shadow, informing of the environmental consequences of eating meat. They stated that the meat industry produces almost 40% more greenhouse gases than all SUV's, cars, trucks, planes, and ships combined. Animal agriculture is the leading source of methane and nitrous emissions, while also contributing to land degredation, climate change, air and water pollution, water shortage, and loss of biodiversity.*

You might think that being a vegetarian in a carnivorous household might be hard, actually it just took a few minor adjustments. We've always cooked a traditional dinner, you know-- meat, starch, vegetable. I just had to make sure I had an extra something for my protein-- beans, avocado, or you could try a meat substitute, there are a ton of varieties out there. We made roast chicken, garlic rice, black beans and asparagus for dinner the other night, I had everything but the chicken.
We also had a yummy make-your-own-salad bar. Whatever your tastes are I'm sure you could pledge to be veg at least one day a week. Here at my house we are going to strive for one completely meat free meal (at least) a week. It's good for your health and the environment, why not give it a shot?

all * info comes through peta.org and GoVeg.com