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unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The Facts About Eating Animal Products

I stumbled across this very comprehensive list on the internet, which basically covers reasons to go vegetarian from several different perspectives. I recently picked up Diet for a New America by John Robbins and haven't started it yet, but these are just a few of the facts from the book:

The Facts About Eating Animal Products...
by John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America and founder of Earthsave International.

The Hunger Argument:
Number of People worldwide who will die of starvation this year: 60 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by 10%: 60 million
Human beings in America: 243 million
Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by US livestock: 1.3 billion
Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by people: 20%
Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by livestock: 80%
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90%
Percentage of oats grown in US eaten by livestock: 95%
How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20,000 lbs
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165 lbs
Percentage of US farmland devoted to beef production: 56%
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef: 16 lbs.

The Environmental Argument:
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: Carbon Dioxide from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more
Percentage of US topsoil lost to date: 75%
Percentage of US topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85%
Number of acres of US forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million acres
Amount of meat US imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds
Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salveador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: Less than eaten by average US house cat
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pounder hamburger: 55 sq. ft.
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 species extinct per year

The Cancer Argument:
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat cheese and butter 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times

The Natural Resources Argument:
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the US: Livestock production
Amount of water to produce a pound of wheat: 25 gallons
Amount of water to produce a pound of meat: 2,500 gallons
Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by US taxpayer: $35/pound
Current cost of pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89
Years the world's known oil reserves will last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 years
Years the world's known oil reserves will last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 years
Barrels of oil imported into US daily: 6.8 million
Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5 percent
Percentage returned as food energy from least efficient plant food: 328%
Percentage of raw materials consumed by US to produce present meat-centered diet: 33%

The Cholesterol Argument:
Number of US Medical Schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average US physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the US: Heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the US: Every 45 seconds
Average US man's risk of death from heart attack: 50%
Risk for average US man who avoids the meat-centered diet: 15%
Risk for average US vegan man: 4%
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 10 percent: 9%
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 50 percent: 45%
Amount you reduce risk by changing to a vegan diet: 90 percent
Meat, dairy, and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: "normal"
Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is "normal": >50%

The Antibiotic Argument:
Percentage of US antibiotics fed to livestock: 55%
Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13%
Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91%
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban
Respons of US meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument:
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by grains: 1%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by fruits: 4%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by vegetables: 6%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by dairy products: 23%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by meat: 55%
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: Meat is inspected
Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals such as dioxin and DDT: <0.00004%

The Ethical Argument:
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in US: 500,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in US: Slaughterhouse Worker
Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in US: Slaughterhouse Worker
Cost to render animal unconscious with "captive bolt pistol": 1 cent
Reason given by meat industry fo not using "captive bolt pistol": Too expensive

...So, given all of that, what can you do?

1. Consider a vegetarian or vegan diet, or at least reduce your consumption of animal products. For information about going veg and recipes, check out GoVeg.com, Veg Paradise, VegCooking.com, Veg Source, Veg Web, or The Vegetarian Society. There are tons of veg options nowadays, so get adventurous & try them out!

2. Educate yourself about what really goes into your food, how it is produced, and where it comes from. Buy organic, fair trade, and locally produced food if possible. Check out Farmer's Markets, where you can ask farmers directly how the food was grown.

3. Learn everything you can and then share what you learn with others. The meat & dairy industries do a good job of hiding the secrets of food production from the public, we need to do our part to make sure that information is available.

4. Get involved! There are many ways you can become an activist for the environment and animals. Check out Earthsave International or PETA's Action Center for ideas.

5. Remember that one of the easiest ways to make your voice heard is through your spending. Support companies and organizations you believe in and that are bettering the world, shop cruelty-free, research the companies you buy from, and boycott companies you don't agree with.

Labels: animal rights, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Election Musings

Well, Election Day has come & gone, I hope you all voted (I did, and even got TWO stickers to prove it)! In general, the results are good for America, and bad for Idaho. I need to get out of this red state. I was happy to see that Democrats now have control of the House & Senate and especially happy that our first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, will take over the reins in January. This is quite a victory considering Pelosi is considered to be one of the most liberal members of Congress (and she voted against going to war in Iraq). It seems that she's willing to compromise and get things done, and hopefully she'll be a great leader. I'm glad there will finally be a little bit of change on Capitol Hill, and I have high expectations for the Democrats. However, I'm not a Democrat and I see them only as the lesser of two evils, but I suppose less bad is good, and hopefully we'll be going in a different direction. I'm surprised how long it took the American people to come around and realize that most of the Republicans and the current administration are going down the wrong path, hopefully we can turn that around a bit in the next two years.

I say the election was bad for Idaho for several reasons. One is that Butch Otter (the Republican, surprise surprise) was elected as Governor. He doesn't have the best record (he's had a DUI conviction and an EPA Complaint for violating the Clean Water Act on wetlands near the Boise River, among other things). Otter is a die-hard Republican, which is probably why this die-hard Republican state elected him. Even though I'm in one of the "bluest" counties in the state, I definitely need to get outta here!

The election results spelled trouble for Idaho in many ways, most notably the passage of HJR-2, an amendment to the State Constitution that will ban gay marriage.

Shall Article III, of the Constitution of the State of Idaho be amended by the addition of a new Section 28, to provide that a marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state?

Idaho voted yes. Which means not only are any sort of civil unions allowed for homosexuals in this state, but a legal marriage between a man & a woman is the only type of union recognized — so it affects other non-married couples like my boyfriend and I, who live together and have been together for years, but now won't have any of the rights afforded to "officially" married couples. So, I'm ashamed of my state, but proud of my country, for voting for change.

Let's hope change actually comes, our foreign policy is made a little more sane, the environment stops getting so ignored & abused for the sake of profit, and our civil liberties are protected. I've got high hopes, now it's up to the Democrats to make change happen. My fingers are crossed.

Labels: politics