The Vegan Way of Saving the Earth

Background information: Green Lies and Amazing Truths & False or Politicized Science

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The convenient crisis

 

Cooling the planet one project at a time: "Although the inefficiencies of a meat-based diet have been known for decades, few at a government level have been brave enough, or motivated enough, to tackle the topic. In a crisis, however, priorities shift, and the heated discussion on global warming is bringing this subject to the boil. An article in the UK’s Telegraph publicises some leaked thoughts from the UK’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) - indicating a subtle, albeit significant shift in the political position on the British ‘recommended diet’. ....

     "Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working on a set of key environmental behaviour changes to mitigate climate change. Consumption of animal protein has been highlighted within that work.... It will be a case of introducing this gently as there is a risk of alienating the public majority."

 

A New Global Warming Strategy: Environmentalists are Overlooking Vegetarianism as the Most Effective Tool Against Climate Change: "Global warming poses one of the most serious threats to the global environment ever faced in human history. Yet by focusing entirely on carbon dioxide emissions, major environmental organizations have failed to account for published data showing that other gases are the main culprits behind the global warming we see today....

     "By far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas is methane, and the number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture. Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2....

     "With methane emissions causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming, methane reduction must be a priority. Methane is produced by a number of sources, including coal mining and landfills—but the number one source worldwide is animal agriculture.... [I thought it was termites!]

     "The conclusion is simple: arguably the best way to reduce global warming in our lifetimes is to reduce or eliminate our consumption of animal products. Simply by going vegetarian (or, strictly speaking, vegan)... we can eliminate one of the major sources of emissions of methane, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting the planet today....

     "Recommendations: Organizations should consider making advocating vegetarianism a major part of their global warming campaigns.... Government policy should encourage vegetarian diets. Possible mechanisms include an environmental tax on meat similar to one already recommended on gasoline, a shift in farm subsidies to encourage plant agriculture over animal agriculture, or an increased emphasis on vegetarian foods in government-run programs like the school lunch program or food stamps."

 

The proposed "Solution"

'Fight Global Warming, Give Up Meat' [UK]: "...the Environment Agency -- a statutory body set up under a 1995 law -- said it was considering ways to deal with global warming, one of which was to encourage people to eat less meat. The agency said that it was unlikely that most people would swear off meat entirely and that the issue would have to be introduced 'gently' for fear of alienating the public."

 

Meat eaters, not gas guzzlers, to blame for global warming: "Adopting a vegetarian diet is better at preventing global warming than driving a fuel-efficient car, said San Jose State University sociology professor Dan Brook in a lecture.... Speaking as a guest invited by Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Brook stressed that the practices of the international meat and dairy industry are the leading cause of greenhouse gases, which consequently result in global warming. He also cited a few sketchy statistics.... To prevent these greenhouse gases, Brook said that individual consumers can make a huge difference where government and industry have not....

     "Brook noted that oil-guzzling cars, trucks and other vehicles cause only 13.5 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. While cars produce tons of carbon dioxide daily, livestock produces large quantities of methane and nitrous oxide, he said, both of which are enormously more damaging than carbon dioxide in regard to global warming. Here the numbers got a little sketchy again. Methane, he said, is 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. This is false. According to the United Nations statistics he cited, Methane is only 10 times more damaging; nitrous oxide is the chemical compound that is 300 times more damaging.... 'If people were to drastically reduce their consumption of meat, we would actually see an impact in global warming,' Brook said. 'We would see the polar icecaps stop melting.'"

 

I Was A Teen Vegetarian: "Lauren Butts, a high school junior from Medford, Ore., recalls the exact moment of her conversion. At age 13, while traveling in France with her family, Butts, a horse owner, accidentally ordered horsemeat from a restaurant menu. Though not versed in the differences between cheval and boeuf, she did manage to 'figure it out in time' to avoid eating the burger. But something clicked. 'It made sense then, she says. 'There was no way I was going to eat the relatives of my horses.'...

     "Butts--whose book OK, So Now You're a Vegetarian, the first vegetarian cookbook by a teen for teens... is part of a small but fast-growing movement among kids ages 6 to 18. More Americans are choosing to cut out red meat. But kids, spurred by everything from a love of animals to trendiness to a concern for the environment, are adopting various forms of vegetarianism at higher rates than ever -- often independent of their carnivorous parents. ...

     "People who consider themselves vegetarians make up only about 6% of the general population, and what constitutes vegetarianism varies....Those who cut out red meat... far exceed the number of strict vegans, who eat no animal products at all. Whatever the definition, a 1997 Roper poll found 8- to 12-year-olds were signing on to vegetarianism at twice the rate of adults.

     "Helping set the tone are books... and stories about celebrity vegetarians such as Chelsea Clinton, Paul McCartney.... With mainstream groceries carrying products like Boca Burgers, soy milk and tofu... meat-eating parents are having an easier time accommodating their kids.... Most schools still offer the standard burger and chicken fare.... But more are recognizing vegetarians, in part because of student demand.

     "'We've had middle school and high school kids wanting vegetarian food, but we're starting to see more elementary school kids asking for it,' says Donna Wittrock, executive director of food and nutrition services for Denver public schools, which are offering vegetarian entrees for younger kids for the first time this year. 'No meat is what they seem to be interested in. Not necessarily more vegetables, mind you, but no meat.'...

     "...vegetarianism can be a step toward establishing independence. It's also cool. A recent study by Teenage Research Unlimited found that 25% of teens say being a vegetarian is In. For girls--who constitute the vast majority of vegetarian kids -- the diet can also appeal to concerns about weight.But for many teens, vegetarianism is a passionately felt moral imperative. Says high school senior Claire Leavitt, 17...: 'Animals are a part of nature, and we can live without killing them for our taste buds.'...

     "Riva Detweiler, a 12-year-old from Lexington, Mass., who occasionally eats chicken, says she started to connect meat eating to killing animals after seeing the movie Babe at age 8. 'The pig was so cute,' says Riva, 'and I just felt really bad.'"

A Global Movement? A new path to "Holiness?"

International Meatless Day - Every 25 November: Conference speaker below:

 

What is meatless day all about? [India - Hindu]: "'May Dada's grace be with you.' Sadhu Vaswani
      "In 1986, it was proposed that November 25, Sadhu Vaswani's Birthday be celebrated as an International Meatless Day. The campaign has met with considerable success in that, millions of individuals send their pledges to the Sadhu Vaswani Mission to go meatless on this day. Four state governments in India - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - have issued instructions for the closure of slaughter-houses as well as butchers' shops on 25th November every year, in their respective states....

     "A number of people are under the impression that they and their children cannot be strong unless they eat food of violence. Meat gives strength to the body, they say.... As an answer to this query, the example is given of the elephant which is one of the biggest and strongest animals in the world: and the elephant is a pure vegetarian....

     [The next 2 paragraphs are Hindu distortions of Christianity] "There is growing evidence pointing to the fact that Jesus and his immediate followers abstained from food of violence and were vegetarians. The version that we have of Jesus is the one given in the New Testament. There are several other versions of Jesus not as popular but worth considering. The New Testament was written several years after the crucifixion of Jesus and by those who had not come into personal contact with him. The most ancient gospel in existence is the Gospel, according to the Ebionities. It tells us that both Jesus and John the Baptist were vegetarians....
      "'But I say to you: kill neither men nor beasts… so eat always from the table of God: the fruits of the trees, the grain and grasses of the field, the mile of beasts, and the honey of bees. For everything beyond these is Satan, and leads by the way of sins and of diseases unto death…’
      "It is for scholars to determine which version (of Jesus) is the correct one. [No, God's Word makes it very clear, and He doesn't need the world's gurus or philosophers to interpret it for Him!]

      "Gautama Buddha said to his dear, devoted disciple, Ananda: ‘Therefore, Ananda, next to teaching the people of the last Kalpa to put away all sexual lust, you must teach them to put an end to killing and brutal cruelty. If one is trying to practice dhyana and is still eating meat, he would be like a man closing his ears and shouting loudly and then asserting that he heard nothing…’
      "In the Laws of Manu are the following words: ‘Meat cannot be obtained without injury to animals, and the slaughter of animals obstructs the way to Heaven; let him, therefore, shun the use of meat.’
      "We offer Him worship in temples and churches: we chant hymns to His glory. But out in the street we are cruel to Him. We slay Him and eat His flesh. For we forget that the animal, too, is an image of God!... Vegetarianism is not an end in itself. It is only a means to an end. The end, the goal is the Vision of the One-in-all."

Happy Cow's Vegetarian Guide: Flexitarian: "A word coined in the early 1990s to describe someone who eats vegetarian foods at home but will go along with meat, fish, or fowl in a restaurant or as a guest." ....Macrobiotic: "Usually vegan. A dietary and medical philosophy, yin/yang. Emphasizes natural, whole, locally grown plant foods."....Vegan: "...eats a plant-based diet free from all animal products, including milk, eggs and honey. Most vegans do not wear leather, wool or silk."... Vegetarian:  "...a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, or slaughter by-products."....Pescetarian: "A non vegetarian who consumes seafood and / or fish as the only animal content in their diet."

 

HappyCow's Famous Vegetarians: "Chelsea Clinton.... Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader (he's a flexitarian) .... Paul McCartney... Raffi... Gandhi