amy's burgers

Want to Be Green? Eliminate Meat

I remember a few years ago "going green" was in.  Celebrities were on E! News talking about their hybrid cars, ditching disposable water bottles for Sigg, and composting their vegetable waste.

One of my Twitter buddies posted an interview with Tia Mowry discussing her life as an eco-friendly mom. 

Anybody else miss Sister, Sister? :-)

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(source)

Mowry praised recycling, being mindful of her family's waste, and using earth-friendly laundry detergent as some of the ways she lives "green."  All of those ideas are awesome but I have an easier and very effective way to help our planet. 

Eliminate your consumption of meat-especially red meat.

Here's why.....

"A 2006 United Nation report revealed that the 'livestock sector' generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes in the world combined. The livestock sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrous oxide is considerably more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. According to the U.N., the meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions.

To combat climate change, many environmental experts urge people to at least cut back on the amount of animal products they eat. According to Chris Weber, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, not eating red meat and dairy products is the equivalent of not driving 8,100 miles in a car that gets 25 miles to the gallon. (Buying local meat will not have nearly the same effect, he says, because only five percent of food-related emissions come from transportation.)" source

Not ready to completely let go of your burgers yet?

Consider Meatless Mondays and experiment with meatless brands like Morningstar (most of their products are vegetarian not vegan), Gardein and/or Amy's Kitchen to making transitioning to a more compassionate way of eating easier.