The Environmental Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
There is much discussion these days on the environmental impact of raising animals for human consumption. Modern research offers very compelling evidence to suggest that the environmental cost of large scale meat consumption has become unsustainable.
American Lillie Ogden has written a very thoughtful article outlining some of the key aspects of the environmental impact of a meat-based diet. Lillie says that she always knew that becoming a vegetarian would help prevent cruelty to animals but that she was not aware of the environmental consequences of a meat-eating diet until she did some research into the subject.
“The production of beef and other animal protein consumes huge amounts of natural resources such as water, fossil fuels and topsoil, while polluting our water and air. In fact, switching to a plant-based diet from a meat-eating diet is the single most important move I can make to help the environment, much more effective than turning off the water when I brush my teeth or recycling and reusing. (Although, I will always continue to conserve and recycle!)”
Lillie writes that one of the biggest environmental impacts of a meat-eating diet is the depletion of natural resources, particularly the consumption of vast amounts of water for livestock production. For instance, according to the Water Education Foundation, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in California! In contrast, only 25 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat.
Present human water consumption drains aquifers around the world. Water tables are dropping drastically and wells are going dry. The United States Geological Survey says that 40 percent of fresh water used in the U.S. in 2000 went to irrigate feed crops for livestock. Only 13 percent was used for domestic purposes including showers, flushing toilets, washing cars and watering lawns. Switching to a plant-based diet or reducing the amount of meat in your diet is by far the most important choice you can make to save water.
She also sights other aspects of this issue – touching upon animal emission levels; the depletion of topsoil quality; the leaching of chemicals into our waterways and oceans; the deforestation to make way for more pasture. Possibly the worst of these is the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. Is there any good news? “Theoretically.” says Lillie, “by reducing the amount of meat eaten throughout the world we could slow down methane production and therefore global warming.”
As is always the case, it seems that the best thing that we can do to make an improvement in our environment is to improve our own actions. You often hear the slogan, ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ these days. Perhaps it should be ‘Think Globally, Act Personally’. Much of Lillie’s data is from American institutes and research organisations, but it really is a global issue – something that the citizens of all countries have to look at closely and quickly. Looking at what she can do to help the situation, Lillie makes this very valid point:
“Yes, I am still very concerned about the mistreatment of animals, but I am also concerned with the loss of the rainforests, with the increasing threat of global warming, and with having clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. What can I, a 12-year-old American girl, do to make a difference? I will still choose to conserve water and electricity and to reuse and recycle whenever possible, but the single most environmentally important choice I can make is to eat a plant-based diet.”
Lillie’s article features on the Vegetarian Times web site and can be viewed here: The Environmental Impact of a Meat-Based Diet.
About Lillie Ogden
Lillie Ogden may be young, but she’s made her own decisions about leading a healthy lifestyle. A 12-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, Lilly has played sports her whole life and especially loves soccer. Realising that she needs to stay healthy for peak performance on or off the field, Lilly decided to get the junk food out of her diet. In August of 2005, Lilly became a vegetarian. She says, “Health wasn’t my only reason for changing my diet. I also hated that animals were being slaughtered to provide my dinner. I wanted to make a difference, and to do so I had to change my ways.”
Lilly is currently working on a school project about vegetarianism. She is researching how a vegetarian diet can impact hunger, the environment and economies around the world, along with her own health and athletic performance.
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