Eco Tip- Let’s Talk About Meat

May 27, 2018

What’s one way to cut down your carbon impact? Try eating less meat! I’m not suggesting everyone becomes vegan overnight, but here are a few reasonable reasons why we should maybe have less.

cows in a green field, front cow tilting head up like its sniffing

What’s my beef? I know, burgers are SO GOOD! But did you know that cows produce an incredible amount of methane each year into the atmosphere each year, which is 23 times more of a greenhouse gas than Co2?

green image of bacteria shaped like long noodles

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is on the rise globally and will most likely cause an epidemic worldwide we won’t be prepared for. The issue predominately lies in the rise of antibiotic use in livestock. Beyond direct human consumption of antibiotics through meat, it also contaminates our waters.

dead fish in pond, flies on it, with a beer can next to it

We are watching in our lifetime a dead zone of life off the Gulf of Mexico. When flood season comes washing down the Mississippi River it often carries fertilizers and pollution from our farms. This causes an bloom in algae with sucks the little oxygen and nutrients in the water, sparking a mass death on all levels of the ecosystem, from plankton to top predators.

hand touching a book, with a watch on wrist. Other hand holding a coffe. Vegan breakfast bowl between hands.

So what can you do? The best option is truly going vegan, but I get it, bacon is good, and others have dietary restrictions. However, I think as a nation we could cut down on our meat consumption by half and it wouldn’t be so bad. Do we really need to eat meat EACH DAY? 2018 is predicted to have a record high in American consumption of meat, reaching around 222 lbs per person this year! I think we can do better, and we need to, for the health of our oceans and ourselves.

view of 3 mexican tarts with beans, corn, tomato, topped with avacado and lime

Can’t think of what to eat without meat? Try substitutes! Black Bean Chipotle burger patties are delicious and available at almost every mainstream grocery store. Soy-based ground beef tastes almost the same as the real deal, and soy-rizo is an amazing addition to a southwest styled breakfast.

 

References:

https://timeforchange.org/are-cows-cause-of-global-warming-meat-methane-CO2

https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2017/09/29/a-plan-to-reduce-antibiotic-abuse-by-the-global-meat-industry-2/#1b5336c14a7a

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/04/meat-industry-gulf-mexico-dead-zones-pollution

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/americans-meat-consumption-set-to-hit-a-record-in-2018/