Eat a Vegetarian Diet
Eating a vegetarian diet is another great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Not only does raising cows and other farm animals use a lot of resources, but these animals produce a lot of gas, specifically methane gas.
Other than that wonderful smell you've no doubt experienced if you've ever driven by a farm, what's the big deal. Methane gas is a different kind of greenhouse gas compared to carbon dioxide. Although there is a lot less of it in our air, it's impact is about 23 times that of carbon dioxide making it just as important to reduce.
When it comes to what we eat, food can be a very personal choice. You like what you like, I like what I like. While everyone could probably benefit from a few more leafy greens in their diet, myself included, the earth could benefit from eating just a little less meat.
Whoa Buddy! I know that somewhere out there I've just reached an environmentalist who also loves a good steak. Although I'm a vegetarian myself, I'm not telling anyone to stop eating meat. Just consider the following facts:
- Every pound of beef that ends up on your table took 5 pounds of grain and 2,500 gallons of water to make.
- The average person wastes over 22 pounds of edible store bought meat every year. (If you just did the math, you would realize that's 110 pounds of grain and 55,000 gallons of water)
- If every household reduced their meat intake by only one pound each year, we would save 250 billion gallons of water.
- If every household reduced their meat intake by one pound each week, that could mean a savings of over 13 trillion gallons of water.
- Only buy what you'll use - if you buy meat in bulk, repackage it at home (in reusable containers if possible) in to the portion size that you or your family will likely eat in one meal
- Buy organic meat - This means that the meat was produced without the use of chemical fertilizer, insecticides, and herbicides and has not been contaminated with growth hormones - a big step in the right direction to reduce you carbon footprint
- Eat just one meal a week that doesn't include meat. Yes you can still have your steak, but think about having a big leafy salad or other vegetarian option every once in a while too. If once a week seems like too much right now, start with once per month or once every two weeks - every little bit helps!
- Take a cooking class - I grew up in a family of meat-eaters and so when I left home and became a full-time vegetarian, I was at a bit of a loss as to what and how to cook. Grab a good vegetarian cookbook and give it a try. Even if you try just one recipe a week, you'll gradually add to your collection of meat alternative recipes that you enjoy.
For more info about how the meat industry actually works, check out this short Flash Animation film called "The Meatrix."
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