Earth day and Steaks
There are many issues that
need to be dealt on Earth Day, I choose to focus this year on the biggest problem. It causes climate change, harms the purity of
water, is responsible for the plundering millions on millions of acres, damages and
destroys the body's natural defense systems, and lastly but not least, makes people more aggressive and mentally unstable – meat eating.
First, let's admit that more
than 1,250 authors, 2,500 scientists from more than
130 countries are not wrong in the assessment that Global Warming
is real! Learn more about the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) on their website, where you can read their full report on the current state of Global Warming.
What's the biggest cause
of climate change? MEAT! It's production takes up one fourth of the Earth’s surface. Nearly a third of the world’s
fertile agricultural land is used to grow feed grain. Not talking
about the deforestation of the most diverse rain forests on earth (think
about how these trees survived and changed their shape through out
millions of years and now we, the one of the youngest creature on this planet
use it for the most egocentric reasons). Every thing that you
can see, feel, smell, understand its existence, has a function. What
does not have a function, disappears. (like tail for humans, you don't
have one, do you? No, But, you still have the remnant, the tail
bone. Think about it...) Tropical forests—which to serve the developing meat industry.
Americans eat alot of meat, about eight ounces a day, roughly
twice the global average. We kill around 10 billion animals a year, more than 15
percent of the world’s total livestock. That is human of us, considering that many
scientists say that our digestive system is very similar to that of an omnivorous (like the cow itself, our friend, for example).
Though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer
from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in
the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens, not the hungry children in
Africa, South America or Asia. What is the first thought that comes
to your mind when you hear this? What will happen if we eat less meat and share the
crops with the hungry people? Think about it...
This is how the IPCC summarizes their report;
“Livestock’s
contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale and its
potential contribution to their solution is equally large. The impact
is so significant that it needs to be addressed with urgency. Major
reductions in impact could be achieved at reasonable cost.”
What needs to be done?
Maybe we should be true to
ourselves and admit that we are, in our nature, drawn
to the most comfortable place, the easier lifestyle. We are, basically, slaves to big corporations who shape our
way of thinking and behaving (by commercials mostly and substances). They know how to push our emotional, physical
and spiritual buttons.
Take yourself as an
example, see how hard it was for you to quit smoking, drinking,
eating tons of bread, drinking coffee or any other kind of addiction you may have had. It is hard, not because you are a bad person or soft. It is hard because you are a person with all the venerabilities that your natural existence
carries, as is, from the moment you were born. On top of that you
have these big corporations that, are learning your behavior and creating your addictions in order to use your
beautiful softness to their own needs. They want you to buy their
products, nothing more, nothing less.
So, at the end of the day
you are not much different than the cow mooing in the cowshed. Sorry
to say that, but this is the reality of today.
Yet, there is a possibility of change! You, can resist.
Many ways to do that, one
way, which I personally find as fun to do, is to bug high ranking
politicians. I am talking about the ones that have some kind of
understanding of issue that we at Altglobe.com value, and who's minds are open to hearing the call for peace. The ones who like the smell of flowers better than that of gun powder. These
people need a piece of our minds and we, the people, should give it to them
now, strong! Here
are 50 things to do to reduce meat eating.
Al Gore is talking a great deal about global warming and
climate change, emphasizing gases emitted from cars and
factories. But he is not talking about the #1 cause of global
warming - The meat industry. Why?
(watch
Glenn Beck talk about Al Gore). Maybe Al can learn a bit from Paul McCartney... Read here the Interview With Sir Paul McCartney on that exact issue!
Soon Altglobe.com will post a
petition calling for Al Gore to start addressing the Meat Industry
and its impact on the world.
Sources:
Not all cows are created equally
I raise a few dozen cows naturally on 200 acres of pasture land which has almost no other practical usage (except maybe growing grapes, given enough expensive development). This land is hilly and rocky, and covered in oaks and grass. My cows live on this, we do not irrigate and only supplement with small amounts of purchased alfalfa. The cows eliminate brush from the land, reduce fire danger and provide a food source. They convert useless, fire-prone land into safe land and meat. We sell to local people on a small scale. What do you think about that?
I agree!
And I would add, you don't need to become Vegetarian. You can just reduce the consumption of your meat. Like stop eating meat for dinner and have meat only at lunch time. Not only you'll help the planet, but you'll sleep better! Give your digestive system a break...make it easy on it by eating only veggies in the evening. You eat better => you sleep better => you wake up in better mood => people around you profit from it...and you make a contribution for the environment! that's the butterfly effect...
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