Reasons to go Veggie

A study from the University of Chicago, "Earth Interactions - Diet, Energy and Global Warming" shows how much we can do to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions through our dietary choices. In fact, while switching to a Prius saves more than a ton of CO2 per year, becoming a vegetarian saves at least 1.5 tons of Co2 per year. That's because livestock, through methane production (due to their corn based diet, cows aren't meant to digest corn and so get very gasey from it and emit loads of methane) are responsible for 1/5th of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and 37% of the world's methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. There is also heating and cooling issues for coops and barns. Livestock slaughter and processing uses energy, as well as cooling of meat and its transportation. Put in context, it takes 10 times the fossil fuels to produce one calorie of livestock based food than it does to produce one calorie of vegan food (that's no meat, dairy or eggs).

And for those of you that aren't going the vegan route, try going veggie or vegan at least once a week to start. Work your way up to a few times a week. It's better for your overall health and better for the environment! Need suggestions on recipes? Let me know!