World Water Day and Green Challenge #12

Green Challenge #12:  No more red meat.

Wait?!  What does that have to do with the environment?  How will not eating red meat help the environment? 

Well...because according to the Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental issues and options and a 2007 article from the LA times:  Pollution on the hoof (this is an easy to read interesting article)

• 18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock (this is greater than the world transportation sector - that's all planes, trains, and automobiles!)
• this comes in the form of methane and nitrous oxide, which are more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide
• interesting tid bit: a cow can burp from 25-130 gallons of methane a day
• 64% of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to the acidification of ecosystems and acid rain come from cattle
• the world's largest source of water pollution is believed to be the livestock sector
• In the US, livestock are responsible for 1/3 of the nitrogen and phosphorous loads into freshwater (which ultimately leads to overgrowth of algeae, decreased oxygen in the water, and eventually fewer organisms such as fish in the fresh water)
• Destruction of once forested land occurs for cattle pastures

These are just a few of the statistics and that's not even mentioning the health benefits that one gets from not eating red meat.  Yes it would be more eco-friendly if I were a vegetarian, but I'm not there yet....we'll see where I'm headed after my next book - "Eating Animals"

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Moving on today is World Water Day!

If you have 8 mins then watch the video below and rejoice that if you made the eco-friendly change with me, you are no longer drinking bottled water and contributing to the process!  Go You!