What We Eat... and Don't Eat

Yikes, this one really got my attention.

Now, I’m not a big meat-eater. Can’t remember when I had a burger last, but I do like a steak (organic please) every once and a while. And chicken is never too far away from my plate. Check out James E. McWilliams' oped in the Washington Post. Here’s a guy who goes to Texas to talk about the environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet. A few points: 70% of the water usage in the arid West goes to the livestock industry. If irrigation supports were eliminated, ground beef would cost $35 a pound. The livestock industry contributes more than any other sector to marine dead zones because of fertilizer use. Here in the Potomac River watershed, waste from chicken farms is a growing menace to water quality. And of course, there’s the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions – at least 21% according to McWilliams.

Beyond the compelling statistics his piece is filled with, he suggests that “every successful environmental movement has always placed at its core genuine sacrifice.”

Huh? Unless you’re participating in the Climate Justice Fast, I don’t see much “genuine sacrifice” going on when it comes to climate change … In fact the “s” word is purposely omitted from any conversation that most of us have here in the U.S. when it comes to solutions. If putting on a sweater when you lower your thermostat in the winter is viewed as a “sacrifice” we are a long way away from being successful at arresting the climate crisis.

The brave activists that have joined in the Climate Justice Fast tell it to us straight:

…the truth is this struggle will not be easy. It will mean setting aside personal ambitions. It will mean taking time off work, deferring from study, and changing your lifestyle. And it will mean finding the courage to step outside your comfort zone, and doing things you never thought yourself capable of.