KeepGreenGoing

Every wonder why people “go to the extreme” of being vegetarian or vegan?

The philosophy behind veganism stands on the precept that we, as humans, do not have any right to “use” animals for anything. Furthermore, our use of animals, which have no choice in the matter, is a form of exploitation. A vegan lifestyle avoids, to the extent that is possible, all forms of that exploitation. A vegan chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products including dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, down and cosmetics or chemical products tested on animals.

So why would someone concerned about the earth be concerned about what they eat? Let’s take a look at some of the facts:

Raising animals for meat has its consequences. It leads to rain forest destruction, global heat rising, water pollution, water scarcity, desertification, misuse of energy resources and world hunger. The use of land, water, energy and human effort to produce meat is not an efficient way to use the earth’s resources.

Since 1960, some 25% of Central America’s rain forests have been burned and cleared to create pasture for beef cattle. It has been estimated that every four-ounce hamburger made from rain forest beef destroys 55 square feet of tropical rain forest. In addition, raising cattle contributes significantly to the production of three gases which cause global warming, is a leading cause of water pollution and requires a staggering 2464 gallons of water for the production of each pound of beef. It only takes 29 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes, and 139 gallons to produce a one pound loaf of whole wheat bread. Nearly half of the water consumed in the United States goes to the growing of feed for cattle and other livestock.
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