Issue 8.5 - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Water Pollution
About 50% of the water pollution in the United
States is linked to livestock. 18 Pesticides and
fertilizers used in helping grow feed grains run off
into lakes and rivers. They also pollute ground
water. In the feedlots and stockyard holding pens,
there is also a tremendous amount of pesticide
runoff. Organic contaminants from huge
concentrations of animal excrement and urine at
feedlots and stockyards also pollute water. This
waste is anywhere from ten to hundreds of times
more concentrated than raw domestic sewage.
According to a German documentary film (Fleisch
Frisst Menschen [Flesh Devours Man] by Wolfgang
Kharuna), nitrates evaporating from open tanks of
concentrated livestock waste in the Netherlands
have resulted in extremely high levels of forestkilling
acid rain.
Water Depletion
All around the world, the beef industry is wasting
the diminish¬ing supplies of fresh water. For
example, the livestock industry in the United States
takes about 50% of the water consumed each year. 19
Feeding the average meat-eater requires about
4,200 gallons of water per day, versus 1,200 gallons
per day for a person fol¬lowing a lacto-vegetarian
diet. 20 While it takes only 15 gallons of water to
produce a pound of wheat, it takes 2,500 gallons of
water to produce a pound of meat. 21
The Bottom Line
Reducing or eliminating meat consumption would
have sub¬stantial positive effects on the
environment. Fewer trees would be cut, less soil
would be eroded, and desertification would be
substantially slowed. A major source of air and
water pollution would be removed, and scarce
fresh water would be conserved. “To go beyond
beef is to transform our very thinking about
32 | Bhavan Australia | Nov 2010
appropriate behavior toward nature,” says Jeremy
Rifkin. “We come to appreciate the source of our
sustenance, the divinely inspired creation that
deserves nurture and requires steward¬ship.
Nature is no longer viewed as an enemy to be
subdued and tamed.” 22
Other Reasons Not to Kill Cows
Of course, saving the environment is not the only
reason it’s good to avoid eating meat, particularly
beef. During the process of converting grain to
meat, 90% of the protein, 99% of the carbohydrates,
and 100% of the dietary fiber are lost.
It is well documented that vegetarians are less
likely to contract certain kinds of heart disease and
cancer. So better health is one of the benefits of the
flesh-free, karma-free diet practiced by the Krsna
consciousness movement. This diet is not only
healthier but also more satisfying to the mind and
taste buds than meat-centered diets.
Furthermore, eliminating meat-eating would release
a vast quantity of food grain for human
consumption, thus helping solve the problem of
world hunger. And on an ethical level, stopping
animal-killing would help induce a greater respect
for all kinds of life, including human.
Michael A. Cremo & Mukunda Goswami
Source: Divine Nature: A Spiritual Perspective on
the Environmental Crisis, The Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust
Pictures: http://www.g-can.net, www.genv.net,
References: 1 Rifkin 1992, p291. 2 Feinsilber 1990. 3 Rifkin 1992, p226-227. 4 Vegetarian Times 1990. 5 Denslow and Padoch 1988, p168. 6 Robbins 1989, p2.
7 Rifkin 1992, p209. 8 Durning 1990, p16. 9 Robbins 1989, p1. 10 Robbins 1989, p1. 11 Durning 1986. 12 Feinsilber 1990. 13 Vegetarian Times 1990.
14 Daley and Cobb 1989, p282. 15 Pearce 1990, p37. 16 Rifkin 1992, p226. 17 Carter and Lennsen 1990. 18 Durning 1986. 19 Rifkin 1992, p219. 20 Feinsilber 1990.
21 Vegetarian Times 1990. 22 Rifkin 1992, p288-289