One last thought before bedtime
Jan. 2nd, 2006 12:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aprilstarchildTHINKING of helping the planet by buying an eco-friendly car? You could do more by going vegan, say Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of Chicago.
They compared the amount of fossil fuel needed to cultivate and process various foods, including running agricultural machinery, providing food for livestock and irrigating crops. They also factored in emissions of methane and nitrous oxide produced by cows, sheep and manure treatment.
The typical US diet, about 28 per cent of which comes from animal sources, generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tonnes more carbon dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet with the same number of calories, say the researchers, who presented their results at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco last week.
By comparison, the difference in annual emissions between driving a typical saloon car and a hybrid car, which runs off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, is just over 1 tonne. If you don't want to go vegan, choosing less-processed animal products and poultry instead of red meat can help reduce the greenhouse load.
From issue 2530 of New Scientist magazine, 17 December 2005, page 19
British article. Obviously. Still, it's something I've heard before, and worth repeating.
They compared the amount of fossil fuel needed to cultivate and process various foods, including running agricultural machinery, providing food for livestock and irrigating crops. They also factored in emissions of methane and nitrous oxide produced by cows, sheep and manure treatment.
The typical US diet, about 28 per cent of which comes from animal sources, generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tonnes more carbon dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet with the same number of calories, say the researchers, who presented their results at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco last week.
By comparison, the difference in annual emissions between driving a typical saloon car and a hybrid car, which runs off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, is just over 1 tonne. If you don't want to go vegan, choosing less-processed animal products and poultry instead of red meat can help reduce the greenhouse load.
From issue 2530 of New Scientist magazine, 17 December 2005, page 19
British article. Obviously. Still, it's something I've heard before, and worth repeating.
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Date: 2006-01-02 09:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 06:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 08:09 pm (UTC)I remember reading how much water it took to support an omni's diet versus a veg*n one--and immediately stopped worrying about how long my showers were. :^)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 08:05 pm (UTC)giggling...
Date: 2006-01-02 05:08 pm (UTC)It said:
I visited Aphrodite's shrine - One last thought before bedtime
and now I can't find my undies
I'm just so giggling... I can't stop.
Re: giggling...
Date: 2006-01-02 08:07 pm (UTC)And since Aphrodite's Shrine was the last place I stopped before going to bed that particular night, I suppose it would be true!
no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 08:48 pm (UTC)Other people consider things like, "I'm going to buy products made locally" so as to cut down on the transportation costs on the environment, while other people who may even be vegan or drive a hybrid - hey, they've never even thought of that.
Other people might dismiss organically grown food as too expensive but otherwise do a great job recycling & composting as much as they can.
And someone else might ride their bike to go eat at McDonalds and shop at Wal-Mart.
One of the things that I appreciate about your LJ is that while you try to do little harm to the environment, but you also point things out where others can tweak their habits to do better. I know I've learned much from you in this regard, and I appreciate these motivational reminders to keep trying and keep doing better.
Step lightly. Be kind. It all works out very well.