Guest post by Megan, a reader of The Good Human

In October 1994, I decided to stop eating meat. Back then, I was concerned with only one aspect of my choice: what it meant for animals. I made my decision while sitting in my college dorm lounge. The TV news was on and it showed some footage of pigs who had been shipped overseas for the pork industry. It wasn’t graphic, but for the first time I fully understood that behind every piece of meat is a face, a life extinguished. That was it for me. My heart had been touched and there was no turning back.

Over time, I realized my decision did have other implications besides what it meant for animals. After taking a nutrition class with a registered dietician, I learned that by giving up animal products completely I had greatly reduced my chances of developing heart disease, cancer and other illnesses later in life. And I had totally eliminated dietary cholesterol. Up to that point I believed in my diet for purely “philosophical” reasons, so it was icing on the cake to learn that I had done so many favors for myself health-wise. These days you don’t have to look very far to find studies that show the health benefits of “going veg.”

But one of the most compelling reasons to stick with a plant-based diet became apparent to me just within the past few years: what it means for the environment.

In 2006 the UN released a report on environmental degradation via the livestock industry. The announcement warned that environmental costs per unit of livestock production must be cut by one half, just to prevent the damage from worsening. Yet just last month the UN reported that demand for livestock products is growing alongside human population growth. “Demand” is pretty straightforward: it’s a consumer issue. Rather than heed the UN’s 2006 warning and demand less for the sake of the environment, we are asking for more. At this rate the UN estimates that global meat output will increase from 228 million tons to 463 million tons by the year 2050.

I’ve tried to improve my lifestyle in order to lessen my footprint on this Earth. We use low energy light bulbs, love our Prius to death, recycle, reuse, buy less packaging, pick up litter, etc. but according to everything I have read none of these steps come close to the impact of cutting out animal products. I simply had no idea about the implications of that decision all those years ago. I only wish I had made the choice sooner.

In New Jersey where I live tiny buds are starting to appear on the flowering trees. Bright green shoots are peeking through the dry, brown leaves on the ground. Nature is such a gift, but it is fragile. There isn’t an endless supply of everything. When we read reports about what animal agriculture is doing to the planet, we must listen to what our hearts are telling us to do. The hidden costs of eating animals aren’t reflected on the price tags at the store. We are paying for these foods with our water, our land, our air, our precious Earth. It’s not too late, but if we don’t change what we are eating– someday it will be.

Editor’s note – Yes, I still eat meat and try to only eat meat raised sustainably, cage free, and grass fed. But I applaud efforts like Megan’s here, as she is definitely doing her part to help clean up the environment!

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. You Can All Stop Worrying About It – The Planet Will Be Fine.
2. Do One Thing: Stop Buying Physical Media.
3. Fur Industry Still Taking Its Toll On Animals.
4. Guest Article & Giveaway From Author Of ‘Clean Body:The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself’.
5. Cool Foods Campaign: Take A Bite Out Of Global Warming.

Dear EarthTalk: What are the environmental implications of all the food we throw away here in the United States?

Food waste is a huge issue in America, especially in light of the growing divide between the profligate rich and the hungry poor. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Loss Project, we throw away more than 25 percent—some 25.9 million tons—of all the food we produce for domestic sale and consumption. A 2004 University of Arizona study pegs the figure at closer to 50 percent, finding that Americans squander some $43 billion annually on wasted food. Lead researcher Timothy Jones reported that on average, U.S. households waste 14 percent of their food purchases. He estimates that a family of four tosses out $590 per year in meat, fruits, vegetables and grain products alone.

Once this food gets to the landfill, it then generates methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat within our atmosphere. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, landfills account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S.—meaning that the sandwich you made and then didn’t eat yesterday is increasing your personal—and our collective—carbon footprint.

Furthermore, researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kid­ney Dis­eases (NIDDK) concluded in a 2009 study that each year a quarter of U.S. water consumption and over 300 million barrels of oil (four percent of U.S. oil consumption) go into producing and distributing food that ultimately ends up in landfills. They add that pe­r-capita food waste has in­creased by half since 1974, and suggest that the “U.S. obesity epidemic” may be the result of a “push effect” of increased food availability and marketing to Americans unable to match their food intake with the increased supply of cheap food.

In spite of all this, environmentalists are optimistic that Americans can reduce their food waste. For one, restaurants and markets are increasingly finding outlets—including soup kitchens feeding the poor and farms looking for cheap animal feed—for food they would otherwise toss. Some communities now pick-up and centrally compost food waste from commercial and residential buildings and put the resulting nutrient-rich soil to use in municipal projects or for sale to the public. And a few enterprising cities now have waste-to-energy technologies that extract methane from landfills for use as fuel.

An extreme reaction to the food waste issue is “freeganism,” a movement of people who live on the food cast off by others. These “dumpster divers” share, in the words of movement founder Warren Oakes, “an anti-consumeristic ethic about eating” and not only avoid creating waste but live off that caused by others.

Going freegan might be a bit much for most of us, but we can all take action to minimize food waste. The University of Arizona’s Jones suggests more careful purchase planning, including devising complete menus and grocery lists, and knowing what foods are lurking in the fridge and pantry that should be used before they go bad. And don’t forget that many foods can be frozen and enjoyed later. Jones contends that if we as a nation were able to cut our food waste in half we’d extend the lifespan of landfills by decades and reduce soil depletion and the application of untold tons of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

CONTACTS: University of Arizona Food Waste Study, www.communitycompost.org/info/usafood.pdf; N IDDK, www.niddk.nih.gov; Freegans, www.freegan.info.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. Americans Throw Away 1,500 Aluminum Cans Per Second.
2. Environmental Concerns In Haiti’s Earthquake Aftermath.
3. Environmental Impact Of 2008 Coal Ash Spill In Tennessee.
4. The Environmental Impact Of The Fashion Industry.
5. What Is “Vertical Farming” And Is It Better For The Environment?

This giveaway has ended.

The Equal Exchange store wants to give a lucky reader an Organic Chocolate & Coffee Pairing Gift Bag for Valentine’s Day! Equal Exchange was started with a small idea – what if food could be traded in a way that is honest and fair, a way that empowers both farmers and consumers? What if trade supported family farms that use organic methods, rather than industrialized agribusinesses that rely on harmful chemicals? And after 20 years, they trade directly with democratically organized small farmer cooperatives, pay producers a guaranteed minimum price that provides a stable source of income as well as improved social services, and support sustainable farming practices.

100% of their products are fairly traded, benefiting 39 small farmer cooperatives in 19 countries around the world. By purchasing Equal Exchange products, you are helping to reinforce the idea that business can be done in a fair, sustainable manner that benefits the producers and the sellers!

This gift bag includes a variety of organic coffee and chocolates and is packaged in a 100% Recycled Printed Bag. It’s perfect for a chocolate or coffee lover with 1 bag of Organic Love Buzz coffee, 1 bag of Organic Mind, Body & Soul coffee, 2 Organic Panama Extra Dark Chocolate Bars, 2 Organic Milk Chocolate Bars, and a coffee pairing instruction card. Valued at $34.95, this is a very cool giveaway for someone to give as a Valentine’s Day gift.

And if you don’t win, they have a bunch of other Fair Trade gifts you could pick up for your honey – better than just buying some random chocolates at the gas station on your way home! Their chocolate bars are on sale until February 14th and there is a free shipping code running as well. The code is “chocolatelove”. Free shipping is for UPS ground within the contingent USA only.

So…how can you enter to win this organic chocolate and coffee gift bag? Easy! Just follow these rules:

This giveaway has ended.

- The giveaway will be open until February 4, 2010 at 7am MST
- To enter, please leave a comment (with a valid email address, so we can contact you) as to who you may give this gift bag away to for Valentine’s Day
- Only one entry per person. Period. Please don’t try to use different email addresses, etc, as the IP numbers will be checked.
- Entries must be from residents from the U.S.
- Gift bag will be sent directly from the company to a valid address via their choice of shippers
- 1 Winners will be chosen at random from all eligible entries received

Good luck, and happy early Valentine’s Day!

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. What Does Fair Trade Certified Mean?
2. Zkano Organic Cotton Socks Review & Giveaway.
3. 2009 Eco-Friendly Gift Guide From The Good Human.
4. Book Review & Giveaway – Vegetarian Cooking For Mommies.
5. Reusable Coffee Cup Looks Like A Disposable.

You may be surprised to find out, I am just warning you now. I wrote a little about this in the past, but I came across a few charts of “Who Owns What” and I figured I would share them with you guys, just in case you didn’t know about this already. Sad to say, there aren’t that many smaller, organic food brands left that haven’t either A. been scooped up by a giant conglomerate or B. gone the way of the dodo. And that’s true for not just food brands, as Burt’s Bees is now owned by Clorox, for example. Sometimes, if you aren’t careful, you just don’t know who you are supporting with your hard-earned dollars. But thanks to one of my favorite magazines, GOOD, and a study by Philip H. Howard titled “Organic Industry Structure“, we can do our homework and spread the word about who owns who in the organic/natural food sector. So let’s take a look at some parent companies and what they own…

KRAFT

Boca Foods
Back to Nature

PEPSI

Naked Juice

GENERAL MILLS

Cascadian Farm
Muir Glen
LaraBar

KELLOG’S

Morningstar Farm
Kashi
Gardenburger
Bear Naked

COCA-COLA

Odwalla
Honest Tea

HEINZ

Earth’s Best
Soy Dream
Rice Dream

HERSHEY

Dagoba Chocolate

M&M/Mars

Dove Organic
Seeds of Change

TYSON

Nature’s Farm

See, it pays to find out who owns (and produces) your favorite food brands. While there are still some great independent brands out there (Clif Bar, Nature’s Path, Amy’s Kitchen, Applegate Farms, to name a few), more and more of the brands I like are being bought out by huge companies who are only interested in profit and looking “green”. Sure, some of them are still doing the right thing and producing high-quality organic goods, but I do often wonder how long that will last. Hopefully the foods I love will stay the same even after being bought by these corporations, but I like knowing I am supporting smaller, independent food companies – and it’s getting harder and harder to do so.

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. Organic Is Just Another Word For “Old-Fashioned”.
2. To Organic Or Not To Organic – It’s An Obvious Choice.
3. My New Simple Shoes Made From Organic Cotton & Recycled Rubber.
4. Homegrown Vegetables: Get In Touch With Your Food Source.
5. Environmental Implications Of The Food We Throw Away.