How Being Vegan Can Help Mother Earth
Our beautiful planet is slowly falling apart and being destroyed by us. In switching to a vegan diet, you aren't just saving animals but saving the planet. Reducing the impact of climate change, pollution, rainforest deforestation, while saving an important resource, water.
The simple act of ditching the meat could save the earth. Raising livestock for food produces more green house emissions that all of the cars, planes and transportation together.
I will list three main and important reasons why your veggie choices are more sustainable than you realize.
Water:
Yes, taking a shorter shower and turning off the water while brushing your teeth is good, but skipping the meat might just have more of a positive effect. United Nations has reported that the livestock sector is the largest source of water pollution. Most of the water that is being used today is due to our livestock. Cows drink on average 15 to 20 gallons of water a day.
According to a UC Davis study, it takes 441 gallons of water to produce one pound of boneless beef, or about 110 gallons for a quarter pound hamburger. Taking into consideration the following of the water the animal drinks, water used to irrigate pasture land that the cattle graze, and used to grow crops the cattle are fed.
Land:
Now what about our land? Raising animals for food uses 30 percent of the earth’s land mass. In other words that’s around the same size as Asia. About 80 percent of land deforested in the Amazon in now used as cattle pasture.
In the United States, 70 percent of the grain grown is fed to farmed animals. Much of our land being used to raise livestock or the food to feed them. Recently, 260 million acres of U.S forest have been clear cut to create land used to produce livestock feed. Sadly, 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is attributed to the beef production.
Pollution:
From recycling our household items to cycling around the town, we are all aware of ways to live a greener life. One of the most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products. Chickens, turkeys, pigs and cows are collectively the largest producer of methane in the U.S. Many people think that carbon dioxide is the most powerful gas, but methane is actually 20 times more powerful at trapping heat.
The Environmental Defense Fund suggest that if every American were to skip one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off the U.S. roads.
In one day you could save 1100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain. 30 square feet of Forest, 10 pounds of CO2 and one animal. It seems there is no better time to be mindful and choose for a more green wholesome, plant based diet. With still getting your protein from hemp, tofu, chia seeds, and more rather than animal products.
