barefoot vegan sept_oct issue.pdf

Veganism is a long
term, wholesale
solution and gets
straight to the root
of these
environmental issues:
Livestock production creates 40% more
greenhouse emissions than the entire global
transport industry combined.
Half of the worlds animals have disappeared
in the last 40 years and 35 of the worlds
'hotspots for diversity' are threatened by
habitat loss brought about by livestock
production.
Lowering consumption of animal products in richer,
Western countries, is a massive boost to the global
environment. Unfortunately there are also many
'health' diets being promoted at the minute that seem
to lose track of the responsibility we have to the planet.
Diets that promote 'resource rich' foods, meat and
dairy, that actually harm our health and the
environment. Surely this is a giant leap backwards in
our evolution and development. Choosing only organic
meat is growing in popularity, but this type of meat
'production' is normally worse for the environment and
does not mean a better quality of life for the animals.
It's also expensive and completely unnecessary when a
vegan diet is so accessible, nutritious and inexpensive.
Why go only part of the way to saving the planet when
we can join the vegan fiesta and dance ourselves to a
brighter and cleaner future?
It appears to me that our society is geared to making us
feel small and detached, when in reality, and modern
science now supports this, we are part of a whole. Each
individual is interconnected with all things. With this
in mind, causing harm to others and the environment
is actually harming ourselves. Veganism offers up a
holistic, effective and ultimately peaceful way of living,
negating harmful behavioural patterns and habits,
whilst deepening our connection with each other and
all things. Every action has an effect and we may
choose to become the point at which everything shifts
in the most beautiful and empowering of directions.
It seems that now is the time to review the way we
approach both our external and internal environments,
taking steps to ensure both are in harmony and
creating the suitable conditions for peaceful and
fulfilling lives for all living beings. It will no doubt take
patience, understanding and compassion. Good things
will naturally follow and entrenched opinions will
gradually soften. We may begin, as a society, to eat for
the earth, taking small steps towards our goal; ever
planting positive seeds with skill and care and with a
strong intention to one day end the needless killing of
all innocent animals and the healing of our home. BV
37% of the worlds anthropogenic methane
emissions are attribute to the livestock
industry, along with 65% of nitrous oxide, 9%
of carbon dioxide emissions and two thirds of
ammonia production (responsible for acid
rain and acidification of ecosystems).
27 kgs of CO2 for 1 kilo beef, compared with
0.9kg for 1 kg lentils.
An acre of land can produce 40,000 pounds of
potatoes, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes or 250
pounds of beef.
95% of the oats grown in the US are fed to
livestock, along with 80% of the corn. The
grain and soya bean fed to cattle in the US
alone could feed 1.3 billion people.
It takes 7 kilos of grain to make 1 kilo of beef,
4 kilos for 1 kilo of pork, 2 kilos for 1 kilo
chicken.
Animal agriculture uses 37% of all pesticides,
which in turn is consumed by the animals,
then humans. Pesticide also runs off into
water courses.
It takes 2,400 gallons of water per 1 pound of
beef, 25 gallons for 1 pound of wheat. The
average Brit eats 80kg meat per year (125kg in
the USA)
These figures surely
represent a huge wake up
call.
96 | BarefootVegan