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Tofurkey, Tofu Scrambler and No Chicken Noodle Soup probably weren’t on Mom’s grocery list, but perhaps they should have been.  These animal-free products, and many others like them, are not only palatable to vegans and non-vegans alike, but also beneficial to a stressed Earth. So how exactly does phoney chicken soup help to cure an ailing Mother Nature?

Recipe for Disaster
Meat and dairy products make up a large portion of the average American’s plate, and many can’t imagine a meal without them.  But what many look at as staple foodstuffs, vegans shun for ethical, health and environmental reasons.  Those people who avoid animals and their by-products, for whatever reason, are called vegans.

While vegans everywhere could make their case using one of many approaches, more and more emphasis is being placed on the environmental argument, and for good reason.  Take, for instance, the amount of land needed to produce soybean protein versus beef protein. According to the USDA, one acre of the legume produces 356 pounds of usable protein – nearly 18 times more than its fleshy competitor.  The fact is, the meat and dairy industries contribute directly to all the major environmental problems facing the planet, namely climate change, land degradation, water consumption pollution and loss of biodiversity.

Down on the Farm
Old MacDonald’s farm is no longer the magical place of childhood imaginations where cows roam freely across pastoral greens, chickens bustle obliviously and muddy pigs snort the afternoon away in bliss.

Growing populations and developing technologies have converted the family farm into a factory farm, one that’s programmed for mass production of its goods–animals.  And just as with any factory, it uses energy to produce products and creates waste.  Of course, the same goes for all kinds of food production, even that involving only grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.  So what makes one kind so much more destructive?

Do the Math
According to a 2006 report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Livestock’s Long Shadow, “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”  Here’s the breakdown:

Land degradation

• Livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet.
• 70% of previously forested land in the Amazon is now occupied by pastures, and about 20% of the world’s pastures and rangelands have been degraded to some extent, mostly through overgrazing, compaction and erosion.

Atmosphere and Climate

• The livestock sector is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the transportation sector.
• Livestock account for even larger portions of certain anthropogenic gases with greater atrmoshere-warming potential: 37% of methane, 65% of nitrous oxide and 64% of ammonia emissions.

Water

• The livestock sector accounts for more than 8% of human water consumption worldwide.
• The livestock sector is probably the largest contributor of water pollution, the major sources being animal waste, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for animal feed crops, and sediments from eroded pastures.

Biodiversity

• Because the livestock sector accounts for 30% of the earth’s land surface, it is one of the lead players in the reduction of biodiversity.
• Thirty-five global hotspots for biodiversity have been identified, and of these, 23 are reported to be affected by livestock production.

With so many reasons for earth-loving humans to avoid animal products, it’s a sure bet that even non-vegan moms, dads and others will be adding more vegan items to their grocery lists. Every animal-free meal helps to reduce the above statistics and lessen the damage they represent.

Take Action
Convinced? Learn more about how you can minimize your impact by going vegan or vegetarian:

• American Vegan Society
• EarthSave International
• FARM (Farm Animal Reform Movement)
• North American Vegetarian Society
• PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
• Vegan Action
• Vegan Outreach
• Vegetarian Resource Group
• VegHaven

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